Well, I did do a little traveling in 2019: to Wisconsin for my sister-in-law’s birthday, and to Montana for spouse’s old friends reunion. I’d been to both states before, so no lifers on these trips. My life bird this year was Whooping Crane, in my home county.
- Total life birds: 1112
- Total ABA-area birds: 587. Note this is two more than last year, and I think the bird other than the crane may have been an armchair pickup of a bird added to the ABA list from a split.
- Total state birds: 329. The crane and Brewer’s Blackbird (also in my home township).
Work county. Alas, now that I have left my long-time job, my former county, city, and workplace lists will likely not grow much, although if something really interesting shows up I might run over there and take a look.
- Wayne County: 271. For whatever reason, I had somehow missed Common Gallinule in the county.
- Total Dearborn birds: 231.
- Total birds at work: 203. The last bird for these 2 categories was a Yellow-crowned Night-heron at work.
Home county.
- Total birds, Washtenaw County: 241.
- Total birds in my home township of Lodi Township: 198.
- Yard birds: 161. Coolest was an Eastern Whip-poor-will that was around for a couple days; it was also a township and county bird for me. Alder Flycatcher was an expected species. Several others were flyovers: Caspian Tern, Trumpeter Swan, and Greater Yellowlegs. The tern was also a township and county bird. Yard list is now 176 species.