Kathiesbirds 2011 Bird Totals

 House Finch in my Andover Yard

2011 was a busy year of birding for me. I birded in so many places, both new and familiar. I started the year with 390 species on my Life List and ended it with 420! I counted birds all over New  England, except for Vermont, and I added 15 new counties to my eBird County Life Lists.

Kathiesbirds End of Year Stats

2011	Life	Year	Month
Total Species	420	184	58
Total Checklists	3726	1141	97
ABA Area Ticks	1578	452	100

In all my efforts to count birds and submit data to eBird I have discovered that one of the most important things to do is to submit data for a designated place over time. So, while birding in new locations gets me more birds for my Life List, birding the same patch day after day is what really helps the birds and the scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. As such, I have several patches in several states that I eBird on a regular basis. While I cannot be everywhere at once, whenever I visit family members or friends, I try to do a bird count somewhere in the area so over time I can submit data from the same place. Closer to home I count birds in my own yard on a daily basis, as well as at a nearby bog. I often walk my dog in a local park, and when I do, I bring along my binoculars, pen and notebook and count birds there too.

However, there are several areas in the United States that have never had even one bird list submitted to eBird. In March of 2010 Gus and I took a drive to visit our son and his family at Fort Campbell, KY. While there I got up early every morning and counted birds outside my hotel room. Though a few others counted birds in that county, the 29 species I submitted that year were the first counts of that year and part of only 67 species recorded for the whole year! this year only 68 species have been counted in Christian County Kentucky. So, whether you count birds on a regular basis, or even just once in awhile, please consider getting out there and counting birds and then submit the data to eBird where it can do some good. Do it for yourself, and do it For the birds! Just click on the link below to find out how:

Improving Your eBird Reporting Skills and other frequently asked questions.

White-breasted Nuthatch at my Andover Backyard feeder

Kathie’s 2011 State Life List Stats

State	Life	Year
1. Arizona	253	0
2. Massachusetts	160	153
3. Utah	148	0
4. Connecticut	136	101
5. Maine	107	77
6. West Virginia	106	0
7. New York	67	62
8. Florida	65	0
9. New Mexico	63	0
10. New Hampshire	62	59
11. Oklahoma	53	0
12. Colorado	50	0
13. Alabama	47	0
14. Ohio	44	0
15. Washington	38	0
16. Kentucky	29	0
17. Wyoming	20	0
18. Tennessee	20	0
19. Arkansas	19	0
20. Rhode Island	15	0
21. Idaho	13	0
22. Mississippi	12	0
23. Nebraska	11	0
24. Texas	9	0
25. Indiana	8	0
26. Pennsylvania	7	0
27. North Dakota	6	0
28. Iowa	4	0
29. Illinois	3	0
30. South Dakota	1	0

Here’s hoping I make it to Vermont to count birds this year! The New Year has already started so get out there and count! And if you are up to it, take the One-a-Day eBird challenge! Find out more by clicking on the button below.

Happy New Birding Year!