2019: A Year in Review

This was without a year the best birding year I have ever had. 300 species is pretty incredible on a year, and I went to some amazing locations. We started off a little slow in January, but stuff picked up in February with a Little Gull in Dallas, and a wild encounter with a dead body.

Little Gull in the center with Bonaparte's Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull

I really got spoiled starting in March. Caddo Lake brought in a few really cool birds, but it was migration that stole the show from late March to early May. This was my first spring on the Texas coast and it did not disappoint. All of my migrant time was spent at Lafitte's Cove in Gavleston outside of one visit to Woodland Park in Houston. I really wish I got to High Island, but my car was not reliable at all and the drive to Lafitte's Cove was much shorter. Galveston in general is way more accessible to Houston, but now that I have new wheels I look forward to making a trip out there. Woodland Park is also fantastic as a little migrant trap. I was blown away. There were several vantage points to a creek that is shallow enough for exhausted migrants to bathe and hydrate. Even skipping out on famed sites, I only missed a few warblers. Cape May was the biggest miss and it's frustratingly still a lifer. Cerulean and Blackpoll Warbler are uncommon misses. I am disappointed I missed Kentucky Warbler as well, and that and Cape May Warbler are becoming a nemesis. Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Blue-winged Warbler, Orchard Oriole, and Indigo Bunting absolutely outshone the misses, though. Migration was absolutely a highlight of the year and I can't wait for it to start again.

Hooded Warbler, Lafitte's Cove

Scarlet Tanager, Woodland Park

May was the start of something special. The aforementioned migrant extravaganza was in full force, and I went to my favorite birding destination in Texas: Big Bend National Park. We came at the perfect time. Colima Warblers were in and a very rare Slate-throated Redstart was seen in Boot Canyon. An incredible few days brought both birds and a family of bears. We did have some misses that were surpassed by the birds we did see. We were with a group chasing the Slate-throated Redstart and left a little early. They later saw a very rare Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher. They also saw a Blue-throated Mountain-Gem, a sought after lifer that I may try and get this year, and a Painted Redstart, one of my favorite birds.  But we also got Varied Bunting, Mexican Jay, Blue Grosbeak, and a surprising Green Kingfisher.

Pronghorn in the Marfa area

Slate-throated Redstart, a very rare find in Texas

Black-tailed Prairie Dog

June brought a rare Red Phalarope and a life changing trip to Alaska with Anthony. The birds were incredible. Arctic Warbler. Kittlitz's Murrelet. Rhinocerous Auklet. Willow Ptarmigan. And that was just the birds. We had Grizzly Bears, Moose, Caribou, and Humpback Whales. We did Denali and Kenai Fjords National Parks. I can't recommend it enough.

Red Phalarope

Grizzly Bears

Barrow's Goldeneye

Harlequin Ducks, Resurrection Bay

Moose

Northwestern Fjord, Kenai Fjords National Park

Off trail hiking is encouraged at Denali to save the tundra. I highly recommend it.

Parakeet Auklet

Kittltiz's Murrelet

Humpback Whales

Willow Ptarmigan

The flurry of birding activity between April and June honestly wore me out. That, combined with college football season brought birding to a halt for the most part in the fall. I did go to Brazoria NWR and I also successfully chased the third Texas record of Northern Wheatear in Victoria.

Northern Wheatear, Victoria, TX

In October I made my big fall trip to the Rio Grande Valley. I found RGV specialties like Green Jay, Altamira Oriole, Morelet's Seedeater, and many others. The Alamo Inn in Alamo was an incredible place to stay, and every birder should make a trip to the RGV at least once. My favorite site is Estero Llano Grande SP, where I was able to pick up some missed migrants like Tennessee and Nashville Warbler. Bentsen-RGV SP was also another favorite stop that is very productive with its hawk watch tower. I also got my lifer Golden-winged Warbler there. The National Butterfly Center, although it didn't have any unusual birds, is a must see. I will try and go every time I visit the Valley. The amazing Salineno did not disappoint with Morelet's Seedeater and Audubon's Warbler.

Green Jay

Gray Hawk

In November I chased Brown Booby successfully and birded Wheeler NWR over Thanksgiving in Alabama. In the process I finally got my nemesis Hooded Merganser.

December was a fantastic month for the sole reason that I hit 300 species on the year with a Fox Sparrow during the Dallas CBC. I got to explore Lake Tawakoni as well with my dad, where we ended the year on a high note with a Pacific Loon.

Brown Booby

Hooded Merganser, Wheeler NWR

The best bird on the year has to go to Colima Warbler, but Arctic Warbler, Kittlitz's Murrelet, Slate-throated Redstart, and Northern Wheatear were other highlights. The biggest miss is by far Wood Duck and Painted Bunting. Seriously, how did I miss those?

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Woodland Park

Painted Bunting, an egregious miss on the year

Now that 2020 is here I'm not really sure what my goals are. I really want to focus on joining the Century Club, getting 100 birds in 100 counties. I currently sit at 5 counties over 100 in Texas. The only thing I would have done differently in 2019 is stop more on road trips for 20-30 minutes to get some birds at a rest stop or something. I don't have any set plans for 2020 but some big moves are definitely on the horizon!

Boot Canyon, Big Bend National Park. This canyon is my favorite spot in Texas. I have to get back this year.