I just discovered county bird lists

 

 

It turns out there is a list of people who have birded a lot of counties.  Judy and I have birded in every county in Texas.  I was already on a list and didn’t even know it.

 

 

There is also a list of Big Days by county.  Jon wanted to get on that list for Nueces County, so we did our entire big day in his home county.  He knows it well.  206 species recorded.  He set a record.  By a lot.

 

 

That felt good.  I thought maybe I’d do another one on my own.  I’d pick a county with a lot less birds in it than Nueces County for my first effort by myself.  Brooks County.  First, I did a lazy big day.  I didn’t start early in the morning.  I just drove around all day scouting locations and recording the birds I saw.  39 species.  Not impressive.  A few days later I made the real effort and was standing at the end of a remote road an hour before dawn, listing each bird I heard as they woke up and greeted the day.  Northern bobwhite, wild turkey, northern cardinal, yellow-billed cuckoo.  Then I spent the rest of the day visiting all the places I’d scouted the week before.  Great kiskadee, scissor-tailed flycatcher, green jay.  I ended the day in a different part of the county, at the end of another remote road, listening to great horned owls, common pauraques, and lesser nighthawks as the light faded.  69 species.  Good enough to tie for 3^rd place ever for the county.  I’m happy with that first effort.

 

 

(I think I should have gotten my own line though.)    :)

 

Well, that’s two counties done.  I wonder if anyone has ever placed on the top ten list for all 254 counties in Texas…