MAJOR Year List Update

For the last 2+ weeks, I've been traveling along the west coast: first driving down I5 from San Juan Island to San Diego, then spending a week with the gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon, and now slowly driving back up the coastal Highway 1. In the meantime, I've added nearly a hundred birds to my year list since my last update! Rather than recap them all individually here, I thought I'd just share the massive list from my eBird summary, along with a few choice photos.

Ring-necked pheasant (103) at Sacramento NWR on March 19th

Osprey (116) with chick in nest in Kuyima in Baja California, Mexico on March 21

White ibis (124) flying over San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico on March 22

Willet (117) off the shores of Punta Piedra whale camp in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico on March 22

American oystercatcher (137) along the shoreline of San Ignacio Lagoon on March 24

Forster's tern (160) at Bosa Chica Ecological Reserve near Long Beach, California on March 31

Huge flock of Forster's terns takes off in Bosa Chica

Nanday parakeet (163) in Malibu Creek State Park on April 1st - one of two life birds added to my list, along with the very distantly spotted California condors off Big Sur

Clark's grebe in Moss Landing, California on March 4th

American avocet (added at Sacramento NWR as #108 back on March 19th) at Moss Landing on April 4th

So as of today, my year list stands at a whopping 182! I'm well on my way to my goal of 200 for the year, and am wondering if I have a chance at topping 200 before this trip is even over! That, for now, puts me way ahead of my dad, who is at 122, and Dave, at 126. It will be more difficult to add species after being back home, as a lot of what I'm adding are spring migrants that will be on the island when I get back or shortly thereafter.

The most recent addition to the list - California thrasher (182) at Pinnacles National Park today, April 5th