2014 By the Numbers

Another great year for birding. Highlights are: 335 total species (96 more than 2013. A 40% increase in species.) 256 species in Massachusetts(40 more than 2013. A 19% increase) 77 life birds in five states and one US territory.

I saw a new species every 26 hours and submitted an eBird checklist every 25 in 2014. That's a mind blowing figure for me! The biggest day of the year was during Travis and my trip to the Texas Gulf Coast in June. 81 species were seen in one day. I saw more species in every month of 2014 except September in 2014.

I ranked 41 in Massachusetts for 2014 versus 89 in 2013 for number of species seen. This is a bit of an arbitrary number because people can opt out of the ranking system but I still find it fun to see where I fall in relation to those I've met along the way.

I've promised my wife 2015 will be a slower year for birding as we focus our efforts on purchasing a home. We'll see if I can keep my promise while continuing to see new and interesting species.

Happy New Year!!
  

The Last Bird of 2014 is...

The Grasshopper Sparrow. A continuing bird, originally located by Paul Peterson near the Boston Nature Center. This was a very skiddish bird and extremely camera shy. I was unable to any great shots but I'll take the record shots of my 335 World bird of the year, 256th in Massachusetts, and my 371st life bird. Another great year is in the books. Coming soon are all my year stats(I love this part).