Wednesday, June 1, 2011

My 2011 Birding Goals

Just for the sake of some personal accountability, I want to give an update on my progress toward completing my 2011 birding goals.

2011 Birding Goals

1. Submit 700 checklists to eBird
2. Add 20 life birds - this will take some luck.
3. My current Utah life list is at 72 species, so I'm going to shoot for 150 which should be achievable and hopefully will not add any undue stress on my family.

Well, I not quite on track with my eBird checklist submissions.  I have only submitted 141 so far, well below my pace last year when I was hosting an eBird competition in Idaho.  Regardless of how well I perform on this goal, I at least want to meet my own challenge that I am happy to give to others of an average of at least one eBird checklist per day.

I'm excited to have added six life birds so far this year: Band-tailed Pigeon, Palm Warbler, Glossy Ibis, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Plumbeous Vireo, and Ruddy Ground-dove.  Without some luck, significant travel and/or chasing, this goal could be pretty difficult to obtain this year!

UPDATE! Today during my lunch hour, I went up to Mill Creek Canyon where I observed 4 Virginia's Warblers, so that is my 7th Life Bird this year!  Wahoo!!!

My Utah life list goal has been easily surpassed as I am currently at 171.  Perhaps this goal was to easy.  Perhaps I should bump it up to 200 birds on my Utah Life List.

Did you have any birding goals this year?  How are you doing so far?

While I was birding...
Snoozing Porcupine on Antelope Island - The Great Salt Lake


And for Mike B. of Slugyard, these photos are for you buddy...


9 comments:

  1. Hope you reach all of your goals ;-)

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  2. Love it! Especially the photo showing the slime trail behind the snail. Beautiful shell.

    As for birding, my goals are always to just keep learning more, and to try to attract more kinds of birds to my yard.

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  3. Good luck, Robert! I agree with Mike B. the snail shells are beautiful, particularly the first one!

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  4. Worthy goals indeed. LOVE the snail photos. :)

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  5. @Chris @Mike B. @Hilke @Linda - Thanks for your comments and encouragement!

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  6. Good Goals! i am impressed. Love the snail photos. I dont have any goals..Thats the way I roll.

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  7. My birding goal for 2011 is to learn to confidently ID a flycatcher or two! They are not my strong suit.

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  8. this is quite the interesting blog.
    I like it;)

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  9. @dAwN - I'm not normally a big goal-oriented person. When it comes to goals I generally like to focus on things I can control, not final outcomes. Focus goals on the means, not the ends. I think I set these goals in birding just to push myself.

    @Shelly - flycatcher i.d. is tough. I think it probably is the perpetual goal of most birders.

    @the mortensen's - always nice for family to chime in and mock the birdnerd in the family! ;-)

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