Let the lists begin! Here we go again, but not to worry. This can be fun. The secret lies in making the list you want to make, not the one you “should” make. I will resolve to work on a project that has become a lifelong endeavor. My list of New Year’s resolutions involves a list, my life list. This resolution is fun because I resolve to add more life birds to my life list.
“What’s a life bird? What’s a life list?” Those two questions arise every time these two subjects are discussed here.
A bird becomes a life bird when you see it for the first time in your life. Then you add its name to your life list. A large number of birdwatchers are seeing life birds this winter and the bird was the same one for all of them, a snowy owl. It’s been awhile since these northern owls have invaded Western Washington in such large numbers. When the word got out that they could be seen on our coast, the migration began.
After you see a life bird and place it on your life list, that New Year’s resolution can be considered successfully completed or not. The best way to approach this resolution is to set a goal. It’s like making a resolution to lose weight. You don’t stop after the first pound is lost. The number of pounds you resolve to lose (or the birds you resolve to see) is the real resolution.
It’s easy to start this list. All you need is a notebook and something to write with. Now look out the window and find as many different bird species as you can. Write down the bird’s name, the date you saw it and where you saw it. Make any other notes you think pertinent to the sighting. Over the years, these are interesting to look over and they often bring back the moment when you saw a particular bird for the first time. That isn’t always possible when you start your list. There are birds we become familiar with long before the idea of a life list is born. When it comes to robins, great blue herons, ring-necked pheasants, juncos and crows, the remarks in my notebook are short - “date unknown, seen since a child, or seen in our yard.”
You can keep adding new birds to your list without leaving the yard, but it will be slower because those new birds will usually come with the changing seasons. Spring will bring a flush of new species to our yards. However, the day will come when you feel like your life list actions have stalled out. The list is no longer growing. That list can be set aside – not abandoned but renamed. It is now the “yard list” and contains only the birds seen in your yard. It also becomes the beginning of your North American life list, and now it’s time to look for birds in other places. These can be near your home, out on the coast or across the mountains into the eastern portion of the state. You can bird a long time in this state and continue to see new birds. Washington’s bird list (the recorded species seen in the state) numbers close to 500. The most well known or popular life list is for North America. The North American life list is set at 600 birds for those working on it. It’s like joining the “ 600 club.” Some hard birding in the Northwest can get you close to that number if you are faithful about chasing rare or accidental sightings
I would love to add 10 life birds to my North American list this year, but where to go to see this many is the challenge. It will be fun, and every new bird seen is like winning a blue ribbon. I hope you are having this kind of fun choosing your New Year’s resolutions. Happy New Year!
Write to Joan Carson, P.O. Box 217, Poulsbo, WA 98370. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a reply. (Or email joanpcarson@comcast.net.)
