my guess is NJ or DE

Ry

1 Wild Turkey
2 Northern Shoveler
3 Roseate Spoonbill
4 Brown Pelican
5 Wilson’s Snipe
6 Long-billed Curlew
7 Yellow-eyed Junco
8 Black Skimmer
9 American Bittern
10 Atlantic Puffin

not sure on the order but you get the idea.
Ry

1) Black Guillemot
2) Swallow Tailed Kite
3) Cedar Waxwing
4) Roseate Spoonbills
5) Wilson’s Storm Petrel
6) Northern Gannet
7) Merlin
8) Northern Flicker
9) Harrier
10)Chickadee

Ten points to everyone who can guess what state I’m from! My list is subject to MAJOR revision as I haven’t traveled that much and haven’t seen many of the birds on all your top ten lists- maybe, just maybe, your right :-p

Over-rated birds: Bald Eagle- no doubt their amazing but you’d think North America had nothing else…

As for underrated birds I’d say Crows (and the poor Ravens that get labelled by all non-birders as Crows… that just… hurts my feelings *snif*)

1. Green-tailed Towhee
2. White-eyed Vireo
3. European Starling
4. Bridled Titmouse
5. Cedar Waxwing
6. Bobolink
7. Pyrrhuloxia
8. Yellow-headed Blackbird
9. Orchard Oriole
10. Horned Lark

As far as the most Overrated bird, it is hard for me to imagine a Wood Duck EVER being overrated…but that is just me . My pick for Overrated bird would probably be Painted Bunting…but then again, I have never observed one.

Top 10 Most Underrated Birds

1. Stellar’s Jay
2. Tree Swallow
3. Western Tanager
4. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
5. Lark Sparrow
6. Black-throated Gray Warbler
7. Loggerhead Shrike
8. Yellow Warbler
9. American Goldfinch
10. American Woodcock

Perhaps a Top 10 Most Overrated Bird list needs to be added as well. Woodduck would definitely be number one on my list…

I think that I will take this list business to yet another theme and post ones that make you say “Damn, that is one good lookin bird”

1. Wood Duck
2. American Kestrel
3. Common Loon
4. Long-tailed Duck
5. Boreal Chickadee
6. Arctic Tern
7. Atlantic Puffin
8. Greater Roadrunner
9. Bald Eagle
10. Ring-neck Pheasant

this is kinda fun, keep it going…

I must say that you put together a VERY sexy list indeed. Hooded Merganser, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-crowned Night-Heron, all amazingly beautiful birds that always elicit a “Wow” out of me when I see them; and Lawrence’s Goldfinch- a bird that we saw together just a week ago on Mines Rd- is nothing short of spectacular. In fact when I see it on your list, I feel I should have included it on mine.

Another bird that could have easily made my list that you chose is Harlequin Duck. I decided to restrict my list to passerines, but had I included other Orders of birds, Harlequin Duck would probably have made my #1 spot too. In fact I enjoy watching these beautiful ducks so much that I often do an annual winter trip to coastal MA just to view them.

I’m also very pleased to see that you are a Chat fan too. It too was another bird in contention for the list, but since everything I do is Chat around here, I felt I needed to give other birds a sporting chance. Like me, I’m sure that doing this list was hard, and it probably made you realize that ALL birds are beautiful, some just more so than others.

Cheers,
Chad

PS If you are ever interested in seeing some east coast birds, you know the person to contact.

1. Harlequin Duck
2. Hooded Merganser
3. Yellow Breasted Chat
4. Violet-green Swallow
5. Black-throated Gray Warbler
6. Cassin’s Vireo
7. Varied Thrush
8. Lawrence’s Goldfinch
9. Northern Saw-whet Owl
10. Black-crowned Night Heron

It was very easy to put together the top four (I just about lost it when I saw how sexy those Harlequins really are!), but sorting out the last six was quite a challenge. And I have to admit, Stellar’s Jay almost made the list.

Obviously most of my birding has been confined to the west coast area. Perhaps once I take in all those warblers in the east a revision will be in order. Until then, the Chat will always have a prominent place on MY list.