MILESTONE Species #1 on my lifer list: GREATER ROADRUNNER

• Lifer observation: 4/15/1984  at Del Puerto Canyon (no image recorded)

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 6/20/2014 at Del Puerto Canyon

DETAILS: I was a participant on a field trip to Del Puerto Canyon guided by my Biology teacher Joe Medeiros while I was a student of his at Modesto Junior College. I distinctly remember seeing my first Greater Roadrunner on the side of the road as the bus rolled up the canyon. Near Frank Raines Park, Joe pointed out a Rufous-crowned Sparrow and at the time, a "Sage Sparrow."

MILESTONE Species #100 on my lifer list: CLIFF SWALLOW

• Lifer observation: 3/26/1985  at Turlock Lake Campground (no image recorded)

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 4/22/2012 at Modesto WTP

DETAILS: I was on a CSU Stanislaus Ornithology field trip to Turlock Lake Campground where we recorded 21 species. Any one of which might have been the true #100, but as taxonomic eBird luck would have it, 40 years later with numerous splits and lumps along the way, Cliff Swallow get the #100 spot. 

MILESTONE Species #200 on my lifer list: GREAT GRAY OWL - Original "Lifer" image

• Lifer observation: 5/1/1986  at Crane Flat Meadows

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 5/1/1986  at Crane Flat Meadows

DETAILS: I was on my first all-day birding trip with Wally Tordoff and Robert Cook from CSU Stanislaus Biology Department through Yosemite and over to Mono Lake. Our first stop was at the Crane Flat Meadows gas station and nearby meadows. Wally spotted the GREAT GRAY OWL just perched on a snag on the edge of the meadow, not too far off the side of the road. What a magnificent bird! It eventually flew across the road and landed in a tree near the gas station.

MILESTONE Species #300 on my lifer list: LITTLE CURLEW - Original "Lifer" image

• Lifer observation: 9/11/1994  at Carmel River State Beach

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 9/11/1994  at Carmel River State Beach

DETAILS: I was on a family trip with Maria heading to Monterey and we chased this bird at the Carmel River State Beach. This extremely rare bird for the US was first found by Don Roberson on 9/6/1994 and was being reported every day since. After parking and a short walk in, it was easy to find by going to the group of 30 people with binoculars and telescopes. This is one of two original images of this 1 observation only species.

MILESTONE Species #400 on my lifer list: RED-FACED WARBLER

• Lifer observation: 7/9/1998  at Rose Canyon and Lake, AZ (no image recorded)

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 4/19/2019 at Madera Canyon - Carrie Nation Trail

DETAILS: This was my secong venture to Arizona, this time accompanied by Bob Corey. We drove straight through to Tucson where we stayed our first night. The next morning we first visited the Desert Museum and then headed promptly up Mt. Lemmon to avoid the rising temperatures. At the Rose Canyon and Lake area we spotted this brightly red-faced tiny bird literally glowing in the sunlight. Seeing this bird in a field guide just doesn't match a real life view! 

MILESTONE Species #500 on my lifer list: OVENBIRD

• Lifer observation: 4/22/2000  at Smith Oaks at High Island, TX (no image recorded)

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 4/11/2017 at Fort Zachery Taylor, Key West, FL

DETAILS: My first sighting of an Ovenbird was on a trip of a lifetime with Wally and Mike to Texas. It was certainly memorable for both good and bad reasons. We stopped during a storm at Smith Oaks at High Island and this was my first ever trip there and there was literally a fallout going on. There were birds on the ground, on the fenceline, on every shrub, every tree, and every outhouse! Walking in through the gate and having to walk around two Kentucky Warbler’s and the next bird in was an Ovenbird. Unfortunately, I have no photographs to show from anything on that trip and due to our extremely tight schedule, we only allowed ourselves 60 minutes to enjoy this tremendous fall out.

MILESTONE Species #600 on my lifer list: SNAIL KITE - Original "Lifer" image

• Lifer observation: 1/9/2019  at Brownie Wise Park, FL 

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 1/9/2019  at Brownie Wise Park, FL 

DETAILS: This was a bird species that as a kid, I developed a desire to see in person due to its unique behavior of eating only snails. We had just visited Universal Studios for a day followed by a morning stop at Disney Springs with Jon and Maria so he could participate in a hands-on demo of Kingdom Hearts III and we stopped by Brownie Wise Park just hoping that I would get a glimpse out over Kissimmee Lake and maybe see one. And as luck would have it, there was literally a Snail Kite standing just offshore in some plants. I got a couple of shots of it and was able to enjoy it as it flew around low over the lake looking for, what else, Snails!

MILESTONE Species #700 on my lifer list: YELLOW-WINGED TANAGER - Original "Lifer" image

• Lifer observation: 1/11/2022  at Zoh-Laguna, Campeche, MX

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 1/11/2022  at Zoh-Laguna, Campeche, MX

DETAILS: This was at the end of a long two days at the beginning of my full on Yucatán Birding adventure with Claudio and I was already starting to feel the consequences of unbeknownst to me having Covid. We had checked in at our hotel and Claudio was taking me on a tour of a local park at the little town of Zoh-Laguna and these cute little Tanagers were at the top of some trees feeding on the fruits. It was a very pleasant late afternoon, and I enjoyed the calmness of the park and the smells of the nearby taquerias.

MILESTONE Species #800 on my lifer list: STOCK DOVE 

• Lifer observation: 10/4/2022  at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB Reserve, England

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 3/29/2024  at @ Papworth Everard, Cambridgeshire County, England

DETAILS: Well, nothing terribly exciting about finding a Stock Dove other than the first one counts as your official bird. I had already misidentified a couple of plain old Rock Pigeons while we were in London, but this time they were calling in the trees near the parking area at Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB Reserve. I was able to capture them digitally two years later outside of Luis and Becky's house.

MILESTONE Species #900 on my lifer list: GREEN HONEYCREEPER

• Lifer observation: 1/29/2024  at Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 2/4/2024  at @ La Selva Biological Station, (Estación Biológica La Selva OTS), Heredia, Costa Rica

DETAILS: This was on my most anticipated list of birds to find in Costa Rica. On our first full day of birding there, Rich Brown, Jim Ross and I, were at Rancho Naturalista where we were able to get a glimpse of two of them pretty high up in the trees. Not a real satisfying view, but clearly identifiable. We did see them much closer up later on at La Selva Biological Station and I got my first photos there.

MILESTONE Species #1000 on my eBird lifer list: RUFOUS MOTMOT

• Lifer observation: 2/4/2024  at @ La Selva Biological Station, (Estación Biológica La Selva OTS), Heredia, Costa Rica

• Lifer photograph (at left) date taken: 2/6/2024  at @ Arenal Observatory Lodge, Alajuela, Costa Rica

DETAILS: My #1000 species has jumped around a couple of times due to lumps/splits. In real time as per my handwritten list (before eBird changes in taxonomy) Fasciated Antshrike was THE WINNER! Unfortunately I did not land a photograph of it.