10 Birders birded with (for at least 1 hour)!
70 unique eBird Hotspots visited!
198 total species observed!
Albuquerque Following the beyond-exciting kick-off my year in southeast Arizona, I was admittedly left a tad spoiled. Not every state will the century mark be easily attained as it was in Arizona, let alone a total tally as
The Big Day After 18 months of preparation, the time for my 2025 adventure has finally arrived – and in typical “me” fashion kicked it off with a “Big Day”. I met Timothy Burkhardt at his house on
So It Begins As I write this before settling in for the night on New Year’s Eve, I am confronted by the exciting reality that the trip I have spent the last year and a half looking forward
Return To Form July would prove to be a unique month, only bringing in four year birds: all four were Lifers, all four were shorebirds, and two were exceptionally rare birds. The first actually came in late June, though some documentation has it having arrived in Michigan in May or even earlier. It’s origin was, for
Recovery While June would prove to be a month of recovery, I wouldn’t have guessed as much on June 1st when a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck was found at Gallup Park in Washtenaw county. I made the drive for the bird, which was not a Lifer but did bring me to 304 for the year, and while there enjoyed conversations
Right Out The Gate If April was the month when my Big Year truly became ‘big’, then May was the month where it became silly. Make no mistake, through April I was having an incredible year. I ended April at 235 species for the year, though that 235 was largely a product of my focus on having as
This section will contain any updates I post regarding my blog entries – such as any delays or changes to the schedule – as well as notification of any changes to the Road Map.
1/15/25: Today’s post is going to be delayed slightly – it will still come out today, but probably later tonight. The drives through Texas have been very long the past few evenings when I would normally be working on my blog – fortunately I am rapidly approaching my time of having fewer long drives. Also, once I reach said time, I should have time to wrap up the Michigan 337 series. EDIT: Okay, not tonight, but definitely tomorrow sometime. The post is like 95% done but its midnight and I need to get up at 5am for a full day of birding tomorrow. I don’t plan to make a habit of delaying posts, but in my defense I am currently in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, where I only have two days to spend and want to maximize my time here as much as possible. The way my schedule looks going forward there shouldn’t be any other posts delayed anytime in the near future, and hopefully at all!
12/31/24: Well, my phone issues intensified and I ended up having to get a new phone, and between the process of dealing with that as well as spending more time in Albuquerque (where I dealt with that) with my brothers has forced yet another delay of the MI337 series. I still think I will probably have time to make considerable progress and maybe even wrap it up over the next 10 days or so, but with the year kicking off tomorrow I don’t want to make any (more) promises I can’t keep on that front!
12/29/24: Another temporary delay on the MI337 series; currently dealing with some phone issues that have disrupted my plans for the 29th-31st, so I am not sure exactly when things will be posted. I think August should be good to go up tomorrow, and September (and maybe October) on the 31st, in which case November and December would likely come out around the 6th or so as I definitely won’t be able wrap them up on the 1st-through-5th. Plans for once the year kick off remain otherwise unchanged, though! And the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia itineraries will be being posted to the Roadmap on the 31st as well! (Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida will likely be subject to some minor changes, but will be mostly complete.)
12/27/24: The May post is up, and it’s a bit of a long one! June and July will both come out tomorrow, and June in particular will be a short post. Also tomorrow I begin the drive for Arizona and the start of my year!
12/26/24: “Michigan 337: May 2022 – The Biggest Month in Michigan Birding History” will not come out today as planned, but rather tomorrow, 12/27. The June post will also be pushed back a day to 12/28, however July will also come out on 12/28. August should come out on 12/29, September and October on 12/30, and November and December on 12/31.
First and foremost - thank you to anyone who chooses to support me in this insane adventure of mine. When I initially had this idea and began planning I didn't even consider the possibility that others would want to support me, but I am extremely grateful to those who have reached out to do so. For those who are interested in supporting me, I have set up a Patreon, which can be accessed by clicking the logo to the left (or you can send me a message via the contact page). Again, thank you for your incredibly generous support!
All Patrons will receive my "Daily Notes" 12-36 hours after the end of each day, and Patrons subscribed to the "Sponsor" tier will receive monthly postcards, mailed out between the 25th and end of each month.
Follow me on my journey to see 100 species in every Lower-48 State during 2025, experience some of the incredible places and events in American birding, and meet and bird with as many local birders as possible along the way.
Posts will be made every Wednesday at 5pm EST and will cover the previous Monday through Sunday. Additional posts will be made periodically with no set schedule.
