2020 sucked. Pandemics, horrible wildfires, the political scene, the Kardashians. And my workload was so heavy that I rarely had time to do much, let alone go birding. I was lucky enough to get out a dozen times all year – including 3 times in December to finish the year with 205 species.
I turned 50, and my plan was to spend my 50th year doing a Big Year … or at least a Big(ish) Year based on the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to do a lot of explicitly birding trips. But then COVID happened and I’m adjusting again. I’m still doing it, but we’ll see what I can achieve without flying to many places. But I’m going for it.
This page will be for my full tally, against my goal of hitting 400 species for the year. Life birds will be in bold; NJ lifers will be in italics. Rarities will be noted with an * and an ABA Code in parentheses (if applicable)
| # | Date | Bird |
| 1 | 1/1 | Canada Goose |
| 2 | 1/1 | Blue Jay |
| 3 | 1/1 | House Finch |
| 4 | 1/1 | House Sparrow |
| 5 | 1/1 | Mourning Dove |
| 6 | 1/1 | European Starling |
| 7 | 1/1 | Downy Woodpecker |
| 8 | 1/1 | Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) |
| 9 | 1/1 | American Robin |
| 10 | 1/1 | Carolina Wren |
| 11 | 1/1 | White-breasted Nuthatch |
| 12 | 1/1 | Tufted Titmouse |
| 13 | 1/1 | White-throated Sparrow |
| 14 | 1/1 | Carolina Chickadee |
| 15 | 1/1 | Ring-billed Gull |
| 16 | 1/1 | Mallard |
| 17 | 1/1 | Domestic Mallard |
| 18 | 1/1 | Song Sparrow |
| 19 | 1/1 | American Crow |
| 20 | 1/1 | Northern Cardinal |
| 21 | 1/1 | Northern Mockingbird |
| 22 | 1/1 | Double-crested Cormorant |
| 23 | 1/1 | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| 24 | 1/1 | Great Blue Heron |
| 25 | 1/1 | Great Black-backed Gull |
| 26 | 1/1 | Herring Gull |
| 27 | 1/1 | Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| 28 | 1/1 | Pigeon |
| 29 | 1/1 | Belted Kingfisher |
| 30 | 1/1 | Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) |
| 31 | 1/1 | Pine Siskin |
| 32 | 1/1 | Red-winged Blackbird |
| 33 | 1/1 | Common Grackle |
| 34 | 1/2 | Eastern Towhee |
| 35 | 1/2 | Hermit Thrush |
| 36 | 1/2 | Brown Thrasher |
| 37 | 1/2 | Black Scoter |
| 38 | 1/2 | Red-breasted Merganser |
| 39 | 1/2 | Sanderling |
| 40 | 1/2 | Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) |
| 41 | 1/2 | Great Egret |
| 42 | 1/2 | Mute Swan |
| 43 | 1/2 | Gadwall |
| 44 | 1/2 | Northern Shoveler |
| 45 | 1/2 | American Black Duck |
| 46 | 1/2 | Northern Pintail |
| 47 | 1/2 | Green-winged Teal |
| 48 | 1/2 | Blue-winged Teal |
| 49 | 1/2 | Ring-necked Duck |
| 50 | 1/2 | Greater Yellowlegs |
| 51 | 1/2 | Hooded Merganser |
| 52 | 1/2 | American Coot |
| 53 | 1/2 | Bufflehead |
| 54 | 1/2 | American Wigeon |
| 55 | 1/2 | Red-throated Loon |
| 56 | 1/2 | Nothern Gannet |
| 57 | 1/2 | Purple Finch |
| 58 | 1/2 | Fox Sparrow |
| 59 | 1/2 | Red Crossbill* |
| 60 | 1/2 | Turkey Vulture |
| 61 | 1/2 | Evening Grosbeak* |
| 62 | 1/2 | Snow Goose |
| 63 | 1/2 | Rusty Blackbird |
| 64 | 1/2 | Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| 65 | 1/2 | Cooper’s Hawk |
| 66 | 1/2 | Brown-headed Cowbird |
| 67 | 1/2 | American Goldfinch |
| 68 | 1/2 | Red-tailed Hawk |
| 69 | 1/2 | Tundra Swan |
| 70 | 1/2 | Pied-billed Grebe |
| 71 | 1/2 | Lesser Scaup |
| 72 | 1/2 | Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
| 73 | 1/2 | Killdeer |
| 74 | 1/2 | Red-shouldered Hawk |
| 75 | 1/2 | Black Vulture |
| 76 | 1/2 | Hairy Woodpecker |
| 77 | 1/2 | Eastern Phoebe |
| 78 | 1/2 | Gray Catbird |
| 79 | 1/2 | Eastern Bluebird |
| 80 | 1/2 | Field Sparrow |
| 81 | 1/2 | Palm Warbler |
| 82 | 1/2 | Long-tailed Duck |
| 83 | 1/2 | Common Eider |
| 84 | 1/2 | Purple Sandpiper |
| 85 | 1/2 | Brant |
| 86 | 1/2 | Common Loon |
| 87 | 1/2 | Wild Turkey |
| 88 | 1/7 | Winter Wren |
| 89 | 1/9 | Boat-tailed Grackle |
| 90 | 1/9 | King Eider* |
| 91 | 1/9 | Black-bellied Plover |
| 92 | 1/10 | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
Let’s do this!
Trip List
- Cape May, NJ – January 2nd (85 species)
- Manasquan Inlet, NJ – January 9th (20 species)