Undeniably, one of my favorite facets about birding is the discovery and observation of a new species. While I am a huge advocate of getting to know and appreciating the common species, the experience of seeing a new bird for the first time is hard to beat. Fortunately, my recent work in California not only allows this East-Coaster to discover new species in the Golden State, but it also allows me to travel across our beautiful country, and discover many new species along the way. Last year alone with two cross-country trips helping the cause, I was able to find 187 new species of birds, and one of the reasons it was my most successful year to date was the fact that I often researched what species I had a chance of seeing, and thought about which ones I really wanted to observe and wrote them down on paper. This “hit list” then served as a guide for my birding efforts, and would not only allow me to cross paths with new species, but allow me to get in the field on a more regular basis to increase my overall knowledge of avian ID as well as bird biology.

With that said, what follows is the highlights for my ‘Hit List’ for 2006.  The majority of the species are ones that I have tried to locate before, while others are birds that would just be awesome to see. Look it over, and feel free to reply with which species you are most looking forward to hopefully discovering for the first time this year. Best,

~Chad (2/26/06)

• Laysan Albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis)
• Herald Petrel (Pterodroma arminjoniana)
• Fea’s Petrel (Pterodroma feae)
• Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata)
• Bermuda Petrel (Pterodroma cahow)
• Black-vented Shearwater (Puffinus opisthomelas)
• Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii)
• Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)
• Mountain Quail (Oreortyx pictus)
• Blue Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus)
• Wandering Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus)
• Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
• Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus)
• Western Screech-Owl (Otus kennicottii)
• Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
• Costa’s Hummingbird (Calypte costae)
• Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)
• American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)
• Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
• Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi)
• Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla)
• Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
• Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)
• Virginia’s Warbler (Vermivora virginiae)
• Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)