The Bird List

I wouldn't consider myself an "avid watcher of birds", but I see them all the time and am always curious to know what species I'm looking at. It's only one small additional step to keep a list. Of course, now that I have the list, I'll be more inclined to watch birds... so I guess I will be an avid watcher of birds before too long...

I've probably seen quite a few more bird species than are listed here, but it's difficult for me to confirm all those sightings as they happened years ago & my memories may be clouded. I'll continue to update the list as time passes. I've sorted this list similar to the A.O.U.'s standard North American Bird Checklist. My list contains 153 species as of 4-June-2005! (not the longest list, but hopefully I have a few years ahead of me!)

Name	Date First Seen	Location First Seen	Comments
Loons
Common Loon	1980's	Northern Minnesota	An unmistakable call, I also saw one in Glacier National Park in 2001 along the CDT.
Grebes
Horned Grebe	1980's	Chicago area	Seen during migration
Pelicans
White Pelican	Not Sure	Not Sure	My most memorable sighting was in the everglades in winter, a whole flock of these came skimming a few feet above the water in a wing-tip to wing-tip formation - a long chain of pelicans that consisted of hundreds of birds. When they reached our canoe, the chain parted slightly then re-formed ahead of us.
Brown Pelican	Not Sure	Not Sure	I've seen these many times, anywhere along the coast... there they are.
Cormorants
Double Crested Cormorant	1980's	Chicago area	I know I've seen these around Chicago & figure they were "double crested" simply because that's the only variety that lives in the midwest.
Herons and Bitterns
Black-crowned Night Heron	30-May-2005	Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, OR	A very nice sighting near Benson Pond, see photo.
Green Heron	1980's	Chicago area	Among other places, I've seen these on golf courses.
Cattle Egret	Not Sure	Not Sure	I know I've seen these... I think in the Chicago area even...
Snowy Egret	Not Sure	Not Sure
Great Egret	Not Sure	Not Sure
Great Blue Heron	1970's	Minnesota	Seen these many times, but they're always impressive... so fragile, yet strong.
Ibises, Spoonbills
White-faced Ibis	29-May-2005	Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, OR	Saw a group of them just off the road near diamond craters, then the next day, saw many more flying overhead near Benson Pond.
Ducks, Geese and Swans
Tundra Swan	1-February-2004	Sauvie Island, OR	Saw a couple small groups flying overhead... a very distinctive shape.
Mute Swan	Not Sure	Not Sure	Who hasn't seen one of these?
Snow Goose	Not Sure	Not Sure	I recently saw a huge flock of these flying over my head as I drove across the country...
Canada Goose	1970's	Everywhere	I was once having a business dinner in Kirkland, WA with some Taiwanese salespeople, and they were fascinated with the tame Canadian Geese. They kept taking pictures of them and pointing.
Mallard	1970's	Chicago area	Who hasn't seen hundreds of these?
Gadwall	April 2002	Green Lake, Seattle	At first I thought they were just a phase of Mallard, but the more I looked, I realized they were too "regular" to be that. Saw a male & female
American Wigeon	2000	Seattle	I believe I've seen these at Green Lake, but I should really double-check someday.
Eurasian Wigeon	April 2002	Green Lake, Seattle	Saw a male with a flock of American Widgeons. At first I thought it was a different phase or variation, but now I don't think so.
Northern Pintail	1980's	Chicago area	An easy duck to identify
Surf Scoter	26-Feb-2005	Neah Bay, WA	While I was eating lunch in the new Cafe, a couple of these were floating in the bay outside.
Barrow's Goldeneye	5-Mar-2005	Packwood Lake, WA	Distinguished from the Common Goldeneye by the shape of the wing pattern. Couldn't get too close to them though.
Common Goldeneye	Not sure	Not sure	Many sightings
Bufflehead	5-May-2002	NW Oregon coast	Who named this bird?
Northern Shoveler	Not sure	Not Sure	Hmmm... I know I've seen these, just can't place the time & place.
Cinnamon Teal	30-June-2005	Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, OR	In a pond along the roadside near Frenchglen, OR.
Common Merganser	Not Sure	Chicago	Pretty sure I've seen these, have to confirm someday
Ruddy Duck	Not Sure	Not Sure	Another easy duck to identify
New World Vultures
Turkey Vulture	Not Sure	Not Sure	Often seen in Milpitas CA, circling above defunct tech companies
Hawks, Kites, Eagles
Osprey	Not Sure	Not Sure	Seen them in many places, even saw one catch a fish in front of a bunch of fisherman on Green Lake
Northern Harrier	Nov, 2001	New Mexico	I've probably seen these before 2001, but I saw a couple skirting the ground along arroyos in southwest NM.
Golden Eagle	1990's	Marin County, CA	I've also seen one near Lake Tahoe, and a bunch of them along the CDT. Once in NM, I even spooked one out of a tree not 20 feet above my head... what a magnificent bird.
Bald Eagle	1980's	Not Sure	My favorite sighting had to be along the I-5 bridge in Seattle. One was hovering in the wind just above the roadway. It was such a neat sight it caused a small traffic jam. Photo is from Galiano Island.
Sharp-Shinned Hawk	May 2004	Hillsboro, OR	It was sitting on top of a car when I left work to go to lunch. It caught sight of me and flew across the street into a tree. What an unexpected treat.
Northern Goshawk	July, 2001	Montana	I think I've seen these on other occassions, but saw a few along the CDT.
Red-Tailed Hawk	1970's	Chicago Area	Most common hawk in the US... sometimes seems like the only hawk in the US.
American Kestrel	1970's	Chicago Area	Coming soon to a fence-post near you...
Merlin	September 2001	Colorado, CDT	Way up in the mountains... could have been prarie falcon, but I don't thinks so. Saw many falcons flying around...
Peregrine Falcon	November 2003	Heceta Head, Oregon coast.	I've probably seen these from a distance before, but they're difficult to identify way up in the air. I finally was able to confirm this sighting thanks to a pair of birders who had their spotting scope trained on the bird. I was right at the lighthouse, and the bird was perched on top of a rock formation about 100 yards to the north. This isn't the best photo, but it was a long way away! I've added a link to another photo of a captive bird I saw at the Seattle (Woodland Park) Zoo.
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys
Chukar	29-May-2005	Leslie Gulch, OR	Man, these are noisy!... especially echoing in the narrow canyons of Leslie Gulch. I feel a little odd counting an introduced species, but I guess it counts...
Ring-Necked Pheasant	1970's	Chicago Area	Common in any field
Wild Turkey	1999	California, PCT	Among other sightings, saw a flock cross the trail in front of me in the Big Bear area of So. Cal.
Blue Grouse	1999	California, PCT	Flushed many off the trail, difficult to identify other than by range. I'm sure I've seen other Grouse species too, but it's tough to differentiate them.
White Tailed Ptarmigan	September, 2000	Mt. Pugh, WA	They were walking around, just off the trail. They were just starting to turn white. Have seen many times since - a fascinating bird to watch.
California Quail	1999	California, PCT	Have seen along the PCT as well.
Rails, Gallinules, Coots
American Coot	1970's	Chicago area	Water rats...
Lapwings, Plovers
Killdeer	1970's	Chicago area	I know I've seen other species, but have to confirm those.
Oystercatchers
Black Oystercatcher	1990's	Marin County, CA	First seen near Pt. Reyes I think... Photo is from Galiano Island.
Stilts, Avocets
American Avocet	Not Sure	Not Sure	I only know that I have seen these - easy to identify.
Black-Necked Stilt	2001	Orange County, CA	In a sea-shore wetland.
Sandpipers, Phalaropes
Ruddy Turnstone	Not Sure	Not Sure	I definately remember seeing this one because it was unexpected and easy to identify. Might have been in the Chicago area during migration.
Skuas, Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
Herring Gull	1980's	Chicago area	Common around Lake Michigan
Pigeons, Doves
Rock Dove	1970's	Chicago area	Your average city pigeon... hey! it counts!
Mourning Dove	1970's	Chicago area	Common in the area.
Inca Dove	March 2003	Sun City West, AZ	A pair of these were hanging out amongst the Mourning Doves, which are much more common in the area. Very distinctive wing & tail colors.
Owls
Barn Owl	Not Sure	Not Sure	Seen while golfing at dusk somewhere...
Great Horned Owl	1980's	Chicago area	Also seen on a golf course
Great Grey Owl	1999	Oregon, PCT	Great sighting. It was a misty evening, and the owl flew along the trail, landed and waited for me to catch-up. I even got a photo!
Northern Saw-whet Owl	1999	California, PCT	In Seiad Valley near the Klamath River, a group of them kept me up for hours with their soft whistles.
Barred Owl	1999	Washington, PCT	Heard, but not seen... The most beautiful owl-song I've heard as I descended to White Pass along the PCT.
Burrowing Owl	1990's	San Jose, CA	Some of these were nesting in field that was later churned-up and turned into Cisco's world headquarters.
Nighthawks, Nightjars
Common Nighthawk	1970's	Chicago area	These used to feed on the insects that swarmed the streetlight outside our house. Saw some along the CDT too - in the Leadore area.
Hummingbirds
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird	1980's	Chicago area	Hummingbirds are so hard to identify. Only know the ruby-throat as it's the only eastern US species.
Rufous Hummingbird	2000's	Pacific Northwest	Numerous sightings. Photo is from the lower slopes of Dog Mountain in Washington State.
Kingfishers
Belted Kingfisher	Not Sure	Not Sure	Favorite sighting was near Carnation, WA. I watched one kingfisher near the Snoqualmie River for about 20 minutes while I waited for some people to show up.
Woodpeckers
Red-Headed Woodpecker	1980's	Chicago area	Easily identified.
Acorn Woodpecker	1999	California, PCT	Saw many "acorn woodpecker trees" and a few birds in southern CA.
Northern Flicker	Not Sure	Not Sure	A pretty common bird, I've seen both the yellow-shafted and red-shafted varieties... and picked-up a few orange feathers.
Red-breasted Sapsucker	2000	Nooksack River, WA	Saw one on a tree at a trailhead parking area.
Downy Woodpecker	1970's	Chicago area	First woodpecker I reckon I ever saw.
Hairy Woodpecker	Not Sure	Not Sure	Have seen many times...
White-headed Woodpecker	13-March-2006	Methow Valley, WA	I stopped skiing to put on my coat, and first heard, then spotted this female, busily pecking wood - how original!
Pileated Woodpecker	1999	California, PCT	Barely got a glimpse the first time, have had really good sightings around Seattle since then.
Tyrant Flycatchers
Western Wood-Pewee	30-May-2005	Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, OR	Pretty sure this is the bird, it's rather drab and has no good distinctive markings, but I don't know what else it could be.
Eastern Kingbird	1980's	Chicago area	Seen many of these... usually attacking hawks, etc...
Shrikes
Loggerhead Shrike	1999	California, PCT	Just north of the Palm Springs area... have had other sightings since.
Crows, Jays
Blue Jay	1970's	Chicago area	One of those birds you just "see" growing up in Chicago
Stellar's Jay	1990's	California	Common in the woods
Gray Jay	1997	Washington	Common on any popular hiking trail
Clark's Nutcracker	1999	California, PCT	On top of a tall tree, whistling. Have had many sightings since then.
Western Scrub Jay	2001	New Mexico, CDT	Various sightings
Pinyon Jay	2001	New Mexico, CDT	Saw a few large flocks (hundreds of birds) that would pass close overhead 2 or 3 at a time, softly calling to eachother - a neat thing.
Black-Billed Magpie	Not Sure	Not Sure	Seen many along roadsides, etc.
American Crow	1970's	Chicago area	They're everywhere...
Common Raven	1997	Hurricane Ridge, WA	The first time I saw one, I was really excited, I've seen hundreds since then though... still an entertaining bird.
Larks
Horned Lark	June 2004	Mt. Townsend, WA	I saw this bird on top of Mt. Townsend at ~6,000 ft elevation, and was sure it had to be some kind of exotic species. Alas, upon consultation with the book, it was just a Horned Lark. Oh well, still a new sighting... though I may have seen one when I was younger - not sure about that.
Swallows
Tree Swallow	Not Sure	Not Sure	Various sightings
Cliff Swallow	1999	California, PCT
Barn Swallow	1970's	Chicago area	Common
Babblers
Wrentit	May 2004	Coast of Oregon	I was hiking through thick brush right along the coast when I spotted one of these about 5ft from me. You don't always need binoculars to identify new birds!
Chickadees, Titmice
Tufted Titmouse	1980's	Chicago area
Black-capped Chickadee	1970's	Chicago area	Common
Mountain Chickadee	1997	Cascades
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	2000	Cascades	Didn't realize it was a different species till I was leafing through a book one day.
Bushtits
Bushtit	2000	Seattle	Flocks live in the bushes, nearly unseen. Man, they're so small!
Creepers
Brown Creeper	1999	California, PCT	Have had other sightings too.
Nuthatches
White-Breasted Nuthatch	1980's	Chicago area	Many sightings
Red-Breasted Nuthatch	1999	California, PCT	Other sightings too.
Wrens
House Wren	1980's	Chicago area
Winter Wren	1997	Kirkland, WA	My cat used to catch these in the bushes behind my apartment. She'd usually bring them inside alive & they'd fly around... Photos is from Zigzag mtn in OR.
Bewick's Wren	2000	Seattle, WA	In a bush behind my house
Cactus Wren	March 2003	Sun City West, AZ	Hanging out among the cactus & golf courses.
Rock Wren	29-May-2005	Leslie Gulch, OR	I'm assuming this is a Rock Wren, more by process of elimination than anything else. If you think I'm wrong, let me know!
Dippers
American Dipper	1999	California, PCT	Many sightings since
Kinglets
Golden-Crowned Kinglet	1980's	Chicago area
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet	2001	Orange County, CA	A female, hovering around some bushes near a hiking trail.
Thrushes
Mountain Bluebird	2001	Montana, CDT	Saw quite a few in Montana
Townsend's Solitare	April, 2002	Foss Creek, WA	It was hopping from branch to branch, the colorations on the wings were quite striking. This was at about 2000 feet elevation, below the snow-line. This photo is from the western slopes of Mt. Hood (Yocum Ridge). I know these are not rare birds, but for all the time I spend in the mountains, I rarely see them. This was one of a larger group that were flitting among the rocks.
Wood Thrush	1980's	Chicago area
Swainson's Thrush	2001	Montana, CDT	What a beautiful song
Varied Thrush	1998	Cascades, WA	To hear them in the spring in the northwest forest is to know things are OK. They are the icing of the moment.
American Robin	1970's	Chicago area	The Ubiquibird
Mockingbirds, Thrashers
Gray Catbird	1980's	Chicago area
Northern Mockingbird	not sure	not sure	Have seen often
Starlings
European Starling	1970's	Chicago area	How many thousands of these have I seen?
Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing	1980's	Chicago area	Lately, I've been seeing them acting like flycatchers... very strange, I had thought they only ate berries, but I guess one has to be opportunistic to survive!
Wood Warblers
Orange-crowned Warbler	5-May-2002	Oregon Coast	One was singing in the rain, about 15 feet overhead, occassionally swooping down lower. Song was a two-tone high then low vibrato.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler	1980's	not sure	Seen before, but I saw a bunch of them in a wetland area near Hillsboro, OR. They were flitting among the treetops.
Hermit Warbler	4-June-2005	Zigzag Mountina, OR	Heard quite a few of them signing in the trees, finally got a clear view, and an unambiguous identification, as you can see.
Yellow Warbler	1999	California, PCT	I've had other sightings, but saw a dead one along the PCT. Photo is from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, June 2005.
Common Yellowthroat	4-May-2002	Hillsboro, OR	Good sighting in wetland area. It flew out to catch a fly, then flew back to a bush a few feet above the ground.
American Redstart	1980's	not sure
Tanagers
Scarlet Tanager	1980's	Chicago area
Western Tanager	1999	California, PCT
Emberizids (Sparrows, etc)
Eastern Towhee	1980's	Chicago area
Spotted Towhee	April 2002	Coal Creek, WA	Didn't this used to be called the Rufous-sided Towhee???
Chipping Sparrow	1980's	Chicago area
Lark Sparrow	not sure	not sure
Song Sparrow	2002	Coal Creek, WA	Probably seen before... Very common in the NW
White-crowned sparrow	1980's	Chicago area
Golden-Crowned Sparrow	4-May-2002	Hillsboro, OR	Good sighting at wetland area. Sitting on a low branch. Only saw one though.
Dark-eyed Junco	1980's	Chicago area	Very common in mountains everywhere & throughout the west.
Snow Bunting	6-November-2004	Marys Peak, OR	Saw this one pecking on a gravel road near the summit of Marys Peak. It was a bit more drab than "the book", but that's fairly common. I think this is a female with winter plumage.
Cardinals
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak	1980's	Chicago area
Black-Headed Grosbeak	1999	California, PCT	In Kamp Anza
Northern Cardinal	1970's	Chicago area	I miss hearing them
Blackbirds
Eastern Meadowlark	1980's	Chicago area
Western Meadowlark	2001	Montana, CDT
Red-Winged Blackbird	1970's	Chicago area	Very common
Common Grackle	1970's	Chicago area	Very common
Great-tailed Grackle	March 2003	Sun City West, AZ	Dang noisy things!
Brewer's Blackbird	1980's	Not Sure	A common bird
Brown-headed Cowbird	1970's	Chicago Area	Another common bird
Bullock's Oriole	27-June-2004	Sauvie Island, OR	A nice surprise... here's the photographic evidence!
Finches
Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch	1-June-2002	Olympic Peninsula, Washington	I've seen these before, but never bothered to identify them. I saw this one during a climb of "The Brothers".
Cassin's Finch	8-June-2002	Goat Rocks Wilderness, WA	In the valley of the South Fork Tieton River
Purple Finch	not sure	Pacific Northwest	A common bird
House Finch	not sure	not sure	Common bird
Pine Grosbeak	20-November-2004	Mt. Ararat, WA	I may have seen them before, but this was a great sighting - a small flock of ~12 birds both male & female, feeding on beargrass seeds, sticking up above the snow. They seemed so "at home".
American Goldfinch	1970's	Chicago area	They're also quite common in the Portland, OR area.
Lesser Goldfinch	Spring 2005	Hillsboro, OR	At a bird feeder in Hillsboro.
Common Redpoll	1980's	Chicago area	A winter visitor
Old World Sparrows
House Sparrow	1970's	Chicago area	Way too common

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