Wednesday, April 23, 2014

500 Life Birds!



Barred Owl
Last month I reached a special landmark.  I have discovered and documented over 500 birds in this life of mine so far!   I began in June of 2011 and will be celebrating 3 years as a full fledged birder in a couple months. 

Lewis's Woodpecker
I am a quick learner and very OCD about my work out in the field.  It has become much more difficult. And there have been personal challenges along the way. 

Island Scrub-Jay
The journey has been quite exciting.  It requires constant budgeting and planning.  There have been a lot of early mornings out. Some days, I just lacked the motivation to leave the house.

Baird's Sparrow
There were a lot of long and solitary trips out into the middle of nowhere.  Sometimes I almost gave up, but then the bird would pop up out of nowhere!  My reward for being patient. 

Le Conte's Thrasher
Sometimes it was about retracing my steps for better observations. 

Chestnut-collared Longspur
Other times, it was extremely personal.  I would stand alone and share in the wonder by myself.  

Florida Scrub-Jay

Sometimes I would work with others and help out just to understand the birds better. 

Northern Saw-whet Owl
I'd find one bird and almost get attacked by Javelinas in my pajamas.

Five-striped Sparrow
On another outing, I would be eaten up by mosquitoes!

Ring-necked Pheasant
Some birds were random sightings along side the road which almost caused a car crash. But the sighting was so rare, I had to stop!

Crested Caracara
For some birds, it was about understanding their routines and returning to the same spot the next day to find them.

Prevost's Ground-Sparrow

Some made me tear up. 

California Condor
The landscapes were amazing. 

Vermillion Cliffs-Northern Arizona
For the "colorful" birds, I took non-birders because I knew they'd enjoy them as well.  And maybe....just maybe....I'd get them to stop and look at birds on their own.

Roseate Spoonbill
The world is truly an amazing place full of wonders.  There are even a few secrets waiting to be found.

Semuc Champey-Guatemala

At 500, I realize how connected we all are on this planet. 

Bosque Del Apache-New Mexico

And at 500, I'm also realizing that it's a lot of work.  But it's the work that makes it fun and exciting.  Until next time.....

Rufous-browed Peppershrike
I'm linking up to Wild Bird Wednesday.  This is a great place to discover wild birds from around the world while in your pajamas:)

27 comments:

  1. These are all wonderful photos Chris! Great shots!

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  2. HI Chris Well I am not in my PJ's however I have really enjoyed reading about your journey to see 500 birds. these photographs in this post are superb. Nature is wonderful and exciting and one never know what we will see next.

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  3. Beautiful birds.. Me encantan los búhos y las espátulas rosadas.. (Spoon bill roseate) Un saludillo desde España..

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  4. Wow---amazing what you have accomplished in 3 yrs... WOW---do you think you can make it 1000 in 3 more years?????

    We have seen and documented over 600 waterfalls ---but that has been since 2001... We just have too many other interests to put all of our eggs in one basket... BUT--like birds, seeing different waterfalls is just as exciting...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. What I want to know is why did you have javalinas in your pajamas????? No wonder they attacked you :)

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  6. Wow wow wow! You know i love the owls but that Condor is amazing. Great shots, I love them all!
    Congrats on your 500 birds.

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  7. Betsy, I love that there is a waterfall waiting behind every corner:) You must try our humble 7 falls hike here in the desert during our winter months. It's a rather beautiful hike. As for the pajamas, I was lazy and grabbed my camera not thinking about the furry ones:)

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  8. Congratulations on the milestone Chris, and for all of your successful birding trips so far. It's been a pleasure to read along with the ride.

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  9. Thanks Laurence...I've also enjoyed your treks and tips around Maricopa, the Salton Sea, etc. After all this time, Maricopa is still a mysterious county to me as is Yuma and the one waaaaaay up there with all the exotic ocean birds:) Nutting's Flycatcher is on my list:)

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  10. Wow ! Beautiful photos of birds !

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  11. Congrats on the 500. The journey is only part of the experience, enjoy the wonder and continue wandering! Thanks for sharing your adventures.

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  12. Wonderful birds and photos, Chris! Congrats on reaching 500!

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  13. 500, dang, that's a lot of birds in three years. But your love of the challenge comes through. And these are ALL great shots and sightings.

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  14. Congratulations! Beautiful pictures.

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  15. Congratulations. That is a real achievement.

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  16. Congrats, that's quite an achievement.

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  17. "Las Aventuras" has been included in Friday's Sites To See for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point many new visitors in your direction.

    http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2014/04/fridays-sites-to-see_25.html

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  18. what an exciting venture you've completed... 500 life birds. congrats on making your goal. will you continue your work? or will you look to another way to fulfill your life bird list? either way, i wish you well. have a great day...

    so many wonderful images. thanks for sharing the world's beauty in birds/ land...

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  19. Congratulations Chris! What an amazing achievement! I'm so proud for you! Love all the beautiful shots, always!

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  20. Congratulation, Chris. That's an extremely impressive tally in such a short time!

    I may be missing something, but do you say somewhere what No.500 was? I'd be interested to know!

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  21. Hi Richard,

    Surprisingly, for every 100 mark on my list, it has been an owl! The Barred Owl made 500. So I won't see another owl until 600? I sure hope not.

    Thanks everyone. It is quite the journey all of it.

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  22. Naquillity, that is a good question. Everything has taken an exciting turn, but I must stay true to form right now and get all my bills paid off. Once that happens, I will truly be able to fly around the world. Come what may:)

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  23. 500 is a lot in theee years Chris. Good get an owl for 500.

    It is clear you have become totally dedicated to birds and to the joy of sharing it with others too.

    Now off you go on the trek for the next 500.

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  24. Congratulations on reaching 500 - what a wonderful post Chris with some stunning photos :)

    I have so enjoyed following your journey and look forward to reading more of your adventures :)

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  25. Congrats Chris! You are well on your way and what wonderful photos and stories you have to share with all of us!

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Thanks for stopping by!