2023 review
For three consecutive years, from 2019 to 2021, three different owls were on the covers of my annual reports. But 2022 has changed this not-very-long tradition: a Northern Gannet took their place. So why not establish a new not-very-long tradition, with different boobies on the cover, and with a good reason - in 2023 year I saw two species of them: Northern Gannet and Brown Booby (see the photo below):
This time, I'll make it brief because the volume of information is too big for a detailed review. Also, the best of 2023 I've already detailed in two separate articles about Puerto Rico and California (soon to be translated into English). I will probably pay more attention to our trip to Portugal, which actually deserves its own article, but we'll try to find some room for it here.
In the end, I'll finalize all my gains and losses (in terms of birding, of course) and give some hints on how you can find a real rarity in your backyard (in terms of birding, of course).
Let's start.
The beginning of the year was pretty slow until February with our Puerto Rico trip. I've gathered 30 lifers, including 8 Puerto Rican and 6 Caribbean endemics. Apart from birding, everything was gorgeous, too: ocean, rain forest, coconuts, beaches, Pina Colada, so all that tropic paradise stuff. In February!
Then there was March with the long-chasing lifer - Hoary Redpoll (13.03.2023).
After winter, spring came with a very lovely rarity - a Worm-eating Warbler (21.05.2023) a few steps from Toronto.
And many other beautiful birds:
Scarlet Tanager
Baltimore Oriole
Long-tailed Ducks in breeding colours:
Sandhill Crane
Eastern Bluebird
At the end of May, we had another overseas trip, this time to Portugal (plus a little of Spain) with 14 lifers! I can't resist posting the list of them with pictures.
1. Pallid Swift
2. Iberian Magpie
3. Collared Pratincole
No pictures, saw it from the car while driving.
4. Iberian Gray Shrike
The same story.
5. Woodchat Shrike
6. Greater Flamingo
What a graceful bird!
7. European Golden Plover
This one and the Woodchat Shrike are the species I could have found in Ukraine before moving to Canada but didn't. So now I'm catching up with them in Portugal.
8. Thekla's Lark
9. Red-rumped Swallow
No photo - I was too tired.
10. Common Waxbill
Originally from Africa, they were introduced here, and in some other countries too.
11. Alpine Swift
Another species from Ukrainian wish list. I didn't get a picture, though two birds were seen around here:
12. Lesser Kestrel
It was one of the main targets of the trip.
13. Greater Short-toed Lark
I could only hear these guys, couldn't locate them visually.
14. Iberian Chiffchaff
Whereabouts of sighting:
Some more pictures from Portugal and Spain:
Zitting Cisticola
Sardinian Warbler
Little Owl
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Eurasian Griffon
Northern Gannet
Summer was gone in a blink of an eye with the only one, but decent lifer - Franklin's Gull:
I think he's blinking:
It was not the only rarity here; a Little Gull kept him company - two great finds together in a small town near Toronto on June 11, 2023. The second bird became my Canada lifer because I saw him in Ukraine.
Then, in August, we hit California for the first time with astonishing 38 lifers! (See the story).
Autumn 2023 was very productive. This season was a remarkable raptor migration, with good numbers of Golden Eagles (I saw one from the work's parking lot!). The Hamilton shore was rich in waterfowl, including all three species of scoters and a huge flock of Ruddy Ducks. The first tour to Algonquin Park with my birding pal Dima G. treated us with two species of grouse: Ruffed and Spruce, and also added a Red Crossbill to my Canadian list (finally!).
Following are some pictures of mentioned and ignored birds :)
Spruce Grouse
White-winged Crossbill
Surf and Black Scoters
Ruddy Ducks
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
The end of fall surprised me with three great lifers:
Dickcissel - 20.11.23
(Don Valley Brick Works Park in Toronto).
Red Phalarope - 25.11.23
(Colonel Samuel Smith Park, practically in Toronto).
American Goshawk
(Taxonomic splitting of Northern Goshawk in 2023, Hooray!)
Red Phalarope:
Winter started with a very warm December. There was no snow, and temperatures just above zero. Nevertheless, some northern birds kept their habits and showed up here and there.
One of these guys was spotted not far from the city and I've got a long-desired lifer, Ross's Goose!
Ross's Goose - 16.12.2023
The last hit of the year was our second trip with Dima to Algonquin Park. The main target, which we missed the first time, was the official bird of Canada - Canada Jay. Winter is the best time to spot this iconic bird in the Park, and this time we were lucky! We saw at least three birds!
Canada Jay (previous name Gray Jay) was the last lifer of the 2023 year.
Another wished-for species, mainly for Dima, was American Marten. It was supposed to be much harder to find, but we were in luck here, too!
On top of this, we were rewarded with big a flocks of Evening Grosbeaks, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and other winter birds in a great assortment.
So, I ran briefly through the year, and I have to admit, that the year was really cool. Thanks to three mega trips (Puerto Rico, Portugal and Californication), I broke the record of the 2016 year (296 species) with 373 species a single year.
I added 89 species to my world Lifelist, which is the third highest result after 107 in 2016 and 92 in 2010.
Totals of the 2023 year:
Bird species seen - 373.
Lifers - 89.
World list - 664 species.
Canada list - 321 (+10).
Ontario list - 292 (+12).
Toronto list - 246 (+4).
Chelsea FC has climbed to the 10th place in Premier League and holds on :)
And now will be the most exciting part of the story. I will make birding plans for the next year, and revisiting my plans for this year. We will start with the latter, examining my 2023 plans:
1. Canada list - to reach 330 species. Failed with only 321, probably because it wasn't the main goal.
2. World list - to reach 600 species. Done! with the result of 664.
3. 2023 year list goal - 300. Done, with the overwhelming number of 373 species.
Recently, I did some research on how many bird species I have left unseen in a radius of 300 km from home. And it turns out, I have just three left: Eastern Whip-poor-will, Golden-winged Warbler and Black-backed Woodpecker. In addition, I can count on about five more species, that annually, in small numbers, visit during migration. And also, every year, we have a couple of exotic birds as a bonus.
In other words, if I'm lucky, I can count on just a few lifers annually in my region.
That means that after eight years of birding in one place, you unavoidably will get stuck with getting decent numbers of lifers. And it is pretty similar to my Ukrainian experience, where I reached this point even earlier, in six years.
And finally, the last chapter of the book: my plans for the 2024 year :)
1. Canada list - to reach 330 species. (the second attempt).
2. World list - to reach 700 species. 700 is the nearest round number, so I have no other options :)
3. To see 100 species a day. It's a shame, but I have never reported 100 species in a single day.
So, this looks like a good spot to finish; I appreciate everyone who had the strength to read at least some part of it.
Thank you!
And I wish everyone a peaceful and decent and, what the hell, a wonderful 2024 year!
