2015: A Year in Review

Shiny Cowbird

For me, 2015 was a fantastic year of birding.  I've been doing this a while now, so gone are the days when I get 70+ lifers per year.  New birds are fewer and farther between for me, but that adds to the challenge.  And I've begun focusing more on county listing, which helps to keep things fresh.  This year, though, I benefited tremendously by one trip out west and two trips out of the country. These were not birding trips, but I had a little bit of time to at least check my surroundings to see what was available.

Smooth-billed Ani

I found 16 lifers on my visit to Antalya, Turkey

1. White Stork 
2. Eurasian Sparrowhawk 
3. Laughing Dove 
4. Eurasian Siskin 
5. Common Buzzard 
6. Eurasian Jay 
7. Great Tit 
8. White-spectacled Bulbul 
9. Common Redstart 
10. Black Redstart 
11. Gray Wagtail 
12. Common Chaffinch 
13. European Greenfinch 
14. European Goldfinch 
15. Hooded Crow 
16. White Wagtail

Great Tit

White Wagtail

I found another 4 lifers in Acapulco, Mexico

1. Bare-throated Tiger-Heron
2. Dusky-capped Flycatcher
3. Audubon's Oriole
4. Rufous-naped Wren

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Cliff Swallow

My trips to California and Alabama yielded 4 lifers

1. Black Phoebe (CA)
2. Wrentit (CA)
3. California Quail (CA)
4. Wilson's Warbler (AL)

Black Phoebe

Gray-headed Swamphen

Within the State of Florida, I added 13 lifers:

1. Broad-winged Hawk
2. Curlew Sandpiper
3. Spot-breasted Oriole
4. Shiny Cowbird
5. Smooth-billed Ani
6. Gray-headed Swamphen
7. Alder Flycatcher
8. White-crowned Pigeon
9. Long-tailed Jaeger
10. Bell's Vireo
11. Brewer's Blackbird
12. Western Spindalis
13. Red-whiskered Bulbul
14. Scaly-breasted Munia (not countable)
15. Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (not countable)

Neotropic Cormorant

The lists I care most about have to do with Florida, Seminole and Orange Counties. I decided to concentrate on Orange Co. more this year than I have in previous years. I wanted to see if I could get 200 species in both counties. I succeeded on both counts

County	Year	Life
Florida	290	346 (added 21)
Seminole Co.	218	244 (added 8)
Orange Co.	215	243 (added 22)

Bronzed  Cowbird