Tundra Swan near Luling, Tx. Rough-legged Hawk in Aransas County, Townsend's Solitaire in Nueces County

12/28 Fish Crow, Smith's, McCown's, and Lapland Longspurs, Tundra Swan

~73% of official state list seen (381/524): DEC: Snowy Owl, Mountain Plover, White-winged Crossbill, Emperor GooseNOV: Dickcissel, Indigo Bunting, Common Redpoll, Boreal Owl; OCT: Chestnut-collared Longspur, Tropical Kingbird, Clay-colored Sparrow; SEP: Blackpoll, Black-and-white & Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Pacific/American Golden-Plover; AUG: Xantus's Murrelet, Hawaiian Petrel, Black Rosy-Finch, Manx Shearwater, Spruce Grouse, Elegant Tern; JULY: Virginia's Warbler, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Common Grackle, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper & Red-necked Stint; JUNE: Bay-breasted & Magnolia Warbler, Northern Parula, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo; MAY: Murphy's Petrel, Parakeet Auklet, Hooded Oriole, Hooded Warbler, Cattle Egret, Great-tailed Grackle, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Least Flycatcher; APR: Laysan Albatross, common migrants; MAR: Horned Puffin, Ross's Goose, Greater Sage Grouse, Juniper & Oak Titmouse, California Towhee, Tricolored Blackbird ; FEB: Northern Shrike, Long-tailed Duck, Rock Sandpiper, Glaucous Gull; JAN: Tufted Duck, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Harris's Sparrow

12/18/11

98.5% self-found

Pacific Loon, Little Gull, Rough-legged Hawk, Long-eared Owl, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Tropical Parula, Green-tailed Towhee, Smith's Longspuretc.

CRESTED CARACARA, Hudsonian Godwit, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Acorn Woodpecker, Western Scrub-Jay, Costa's Hummingbird, Northern Mockingbird, NORTHERN WHEATEAR, BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, SUMMER TANAGER, PAINTED BUNTING

Yellow-green Vireo, 10/16/11; Northern Wheatear 10/28/11

10 days birding on April 15-24; High Island - LRGV - Big Bend NP; including Yellow Rail, 35 species of warblers, 20 species of raptors, 16 species of sparrows, 9 species of Vireos and 5 species of Hummingbirds.

Best finds: Cattle Egret, 2 Fish Crows, Western Tanager, 8! Summer Tanagers, Yellow-throated Warb, Eared Grebe, Glossy Ibis, Laughing Gull, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, Eurasian Wigeon, (2) Ross's Goose, 6 Hornemann's Redpolls, Kirtland's Warbler, Harlequin Duck - #301 = SMEW

My 2nd-best year ever, with eight new state birds.

Found: 2 Eared Grebes, Snowy Egret, Eurasian Wigeon, Kentucky Warbler, Dickcissel, Western Sandpiper, 2 American Avocet, Lark Sparrow, Red Phalarope. Twitch: Varied Thrush, Mountain Bluebird, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT, Glossy Ibis, Razorbill, Franklin's, California, and Slaty-backed Gull, Black-throated Gray Warb

Finds: Eurasian Wigeon, Western Meadowlark, Acadian Flycatcher (record early), Glossy Ibis, Eared Grebe, Yellow-throated, Kentucky and Kirtland's Warbler, Western and 8! Summer Tanager's, 2 Laughing Gulls, 5 Dickcissel's (8 birds), Henslow's Sparrow, Parasitic Jaeger, Am. White Pelican, Cattle Egret. Twitches: Gray Partridge, Greater White-fronted Goose, Varied Thrush, Boreal Owl, Spotted Towhee (2!), Mountain Bluebird, Piping Plover, NEOTROPIC CORMORANT and WILLOW PTARMIGAN

Recent: Found Rufous-backed Robin and Eurasian Wigeon. Also seen Fan-tailed Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Least Grebe, Mountain Plover, Gray Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Tropical Kingbird, Greater Pewee, Violet-crowned and Lucifer Hummingbirds. More at www.funbirdingtours.com/blog

1/04/11: Broad-billed Hummingbird & Winter Wren, San Diego, CA; 1/06/11: Evening Grosbeak, Big Bear, CA; 1/08/11: Eastern Phoebe, O.C. CA; 1/14/11: BROWN SHRIKE, Humboldt Co. CA; 1/18/11: Swamp Sparrow, O.C. CA; 6/26/11: LESSER SAND-PLOVER, O.C. CA; 8/25/11: COMMON RINGED PLOVER, Yolo Co. CA; 9/16/11: Dickcissel & Clay-colored Sparrow, Desert Center, Riverside Co. CA; 9/28/11: Ruff, O.C.; 10/11/11: American Golden-Plover, Riverside Co.; 10/26/11: Scarlet Tanager, San Diego Co.; 12/29/11: FALCATED DUCK, Colusa NWR, Colusa Co.

Redhead,Little-blue Heron,Red-tailed Hawk,Swainson's Hawk,Northern Lapwing,European Golden Plover,Pacific Golden Plover,Common-ringed Plover,Black-tailed Godwit,Ruff,Common Snipe,Black-tailed Gull,Slaty-backed Gull,Yellow-legged Gull,Sabines Gull,Anna's Hummingbird,Rufous Hummingbird,Western Kingbird,Fork-tailed FlycatcherRedwing,Golden-winged Warbler,Yellow-throated Warbler,Cerulean Warbler,Blue Grosbeak,Grasshopper Sparrow,Eastern Meadowlark,Orchard Oriole,Common Chaffinch

8 days in April (Upper Coast and Hill Country)--Magnificent Frigatebird; 32 warblers including Cape May and Swainson's; Gray Vireo; Western Tanager; Lazuli Bunting (2)

2011 Indiana State Lifers: Ruffed Grouse, Neotropic Cormorant, Hudsonian Godwit, Red Knot, Black-billed Cuckoo, Calliope Hummingbird, Say's Phoebe

1 week tour of SoCal: Pacific Golden-Plover, pair of California Condors, 'Yuma' Clapper Rail, Mountain Plover, Red Phalarope, Broad-billed Hummingbird, Tropical and Thick-billed Kingbird, Tennessee Warbler (found) and Lawrence's Goldfinch

5 days of birding southern California. Highlights: Yellow-footed Gull, Pacific Golden Plover, Thick-billed Kingbird, 6 alcids, self found Pine Warbler, Island Scrub Jay

Razorbill 12/10/11

updated 10 January - Kelp Gull

Greater White-fronted Goose, Tufted Duck, White-faced Ibis, Curlew Sandpiper, Caspian Tern, Common Tern,

American Coot, Common Gallinule, Yellow-throated Warbler 11/23/11

European Starling, Red-tailed Hawk 11/20/11

House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, European Starling, Herring Gull 11/25/11

European Starling 1/15/11