Bird-A-Day Challenge, Week 11: Stop, Look, and Listen

Double-crested Cormorant. Credit: Hans Stieglitz/CC BY-SA 3.0

Another week has passed and there are still a few common birds left to count before I hit my goal of lasting 80 days in this year’s Bird-A-Day Challenge. Once again this game has offered a chance to do a few things that some of us seldom take the time to do. Stop, look, and listen. It’s that simple. Taking a spare moment from our busy lives to scan the landscape and listen to the subtle sounds all around. How many of us remember to do that daily? I know I don’t.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it’s been several years since I went outside at dusk to listen for the peent of an American woodcock or the trill of a killdeer. “Too busy.” Spend a few hours hiking? “Maybe tomorrow.” Pay attention to what’s streaming by outside the window while in transit? “Darn, I was too distracted.” Listen to what’s singing in the trees? “I didn’t hear it—we were talking.”

This week I slowed down and noticed several birds I most certainly wouldn’t have seen or heard otherwise (see the updated Bird-A-Day list below). Next week I’m going to try to do the same. Maybe some of you already make this a top priority. How do you stay on track? And how long have you been a birdwatcher?

BIRD-A-DAY ?LIST
January 2012
New Year’s Day: Red-Throated Loon??
2nd: Greater Scaup??
3rd:Common Merganser? ?
4th: Black Duck??
5th: Red-shouldered Hawk?
6th: Canvasback?
7th: Northern Gannet?
8th:Lesser Scaup?
9th: Red-bellied Woodpecker?
10th: Brant?
11th: Fish Crow?
12th: Hooded Merganser?
13th: Northern Harrier?
14th: Pied-billed Grebe?
15th: Bonaparte’s Gull?
16th: Horned Grebe?
17th: Common Goldeneye?
18th: Dark-eyed Junco?
19th: Common Raven?
20th: Hairy Woodpecker
21st: Horned Lark
22nd: Snow Goose
23rd: Northern Mockingbird
24th: Black Vulture
25th: Great Cormorant
26th: House Finch
27th: White-Breasted Nuthatch
28th: Northern Shrike
29th: White-winged Scoter
30th: Turkey
31st: Bald Eagle

February
1st, Day 32: Golden-crowned Kinglet
2nd, Day 33: Northern Pintail
3rd, Day 34: White-throated Sparrow
4th, Day 35: Carolina Chickadee
5th, Day 36: Magnificent Frigatebird
6th, Day 37: Short-tailed Hawk
7th, Day 38: Reddish Egret
8th, Day 39: Roseate Spoonbill
9th, Day 40: White Pelican
10th, Day 41: White-winged Dove
11th, Day 42: Anhinga
12th, Day 43: Tundra Swan
13th, Day 44: Brown Creeper
14th, Day 45: Sharp-shinned Hawk
15th, Day 46: Gadwall
16th, Day 47: Bufflehead
17th, Day 48: Cardinal
18th, Day 49: Black Scoter
19th, Day 50: Fox Sparrow
20th, Day 51: Long-tailed Duck
21st, Day 52: Herring Gull
22nd, Day 53: Pileated Woodpecker
23rd, Day 54: Rufous Hummingbird
24th, Day 55: Blue Jay
25th, Day 56: Snowy Owl
26th, Day 57: American Tree Sparrow
27th, Day 58: Great Blue Heron
28th, Day 59: Common Grackle
29th, Day 60: Great Black-backed Gull

March
1st, Day 61: Ring-billed Gull
2nd, Day 62: Tufted Titmouse
3rd, Day 63: Common Loon
4th, Day 64: Mute Swan
5th, Day 65: Song Sparrow
6th, Day 66: Cooper’s Hawk
7th, Day 67: American Robin
8th, Day 68: Northern Flicker
9th, Day 69: American Woodcock
10th, Day 70: Killdeer
11th, Day 71: American Goldfinch
12th, Day 72: Red-winged Blackbird
13th, Day 73: Double-crested Cormorant
14th, Day 74: Downy Woodpecker
15th, Day 75: Red-Tailed Hawk
16th, Day 76: