Big Year # 3

 I have decided to start my third Big Year today, April 17, 2021.  In my previous Big Years, I have spotted 93 and 132 birds respectively.  I plan to exceed both those records in the coming year.

A Big Year is an event in which participants try to see as many bird species as they can in one calendar year.  It can be tied to a specific area (back yard, county, state, United States, North America, or Earth.  I'm planning to travel around the United States (and hopefully Canada) in the next year a bit, but I do not have enough time or deep enough pockets to do a full out North American or larger Big Year

A Big Year keeps you in shape mentally and physically.  You have to be able to identify a bird very quickly, and you end up putting a lot of miles on your feet and in a canoe and kayak.  I look forward to seeing many of my previous species, as well as adding some new ones to my life list.

The honor of my first bird of the new Big Year goes to the red-breasted nuthatch.  He was singing loudly in a nearby tree when I let my dog Ellie out this morning.  The nuthatch even stayed around to have his picture taken.

I say the following birds today:

1. Red-breasted Nuthatch - Gunflint Lake, MN

2. Red-winged Blackbird - Gunflint Lake, MN

3. Common Grackle - Gunflint Lake, MN

4. Brown-headed Cowbird - Gunflint Lake, MN

5. Dark-eyed Junco - Gunflint Lake, MN

6. Common Redpoll - Gunflint Lake, MN

7. Purple Finch - Gunflint Lake, MN

8. Black-capped Chickadee - Gunflint Lake, MN

9. Common Raven - Gunflint Lake, MN

10. American Crow - Gunflint Lake, MN

11. Pileated Woodpecker - Gunflint Lake, MN

12. Downy Woodpecker - Gunflint Lake, MN

13. Common Loon - Gunflint Lake, MN

14. Ruffed Grouse - Gunflint Lake, MN

15. Mallard Duck - Gunflint Lake, MN

16. Ring-necked Duck - Moose Pond Landing near Saganaga Lake, MN

17. Trumpeter Swan - Moose Pond Landing near Saganaga Lake, MN

18. Canada goose - Moose Pond Landing near Saganaga Lake, MN

19. American Robin - Trail's End Campground, MN

20. Spruce Ground - Trail's End Campground, MN

21. Bufflehead - Seagull Lake, MN

22. Common Merganser - Gunflint Lake

I decided to start my Big Year today in honor of my grandmothers.  My maternal grandmother, Viola, was born on this day in 1915.  My paternal grandmother, Sylvia, seeded my love of birding when I was very young by teaching me bird calls and taking me on birding hikes.  Both grandmothers inspired me in many ways in our shared lives.