The Definitive Bird Name Tier List

 Greetings bird fans. You know, something I've learned over the years of doing this blog is that all birds are great, but not all bird names are equally great. We've done a little bit of grousing about this in the past, but today I'm going to really dive into this topic and do my best to determine what it takes to name a bird really really well. 

Ready? Let's get to the ranking, which is sure not to upset anyone

F minus Tier: Birds named for people (problematic)

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Hoo boy, do I even have to say it? #BirdNamesForBirds of course, obviously. Yes. There's nothing that sours a birding experience quicker than remembering that the person who assigned his name to this bird was a real piece of work. If you can google your bird name + problematic and come up with results? You've goofed on the bird naming. What do we mean by awful people? Usually, because of the time period in which we got most of our commonly used bird names, we're talking about the colonialists, racists, and general genocide-enjoyers of the Age of Manifest Destiny.

Best Examples: Bachman's Sparrow, named for slavery-defender John Bachman

Audubon's Oriole, named after famous bird painter, slave owner, and white supremacist, John James Audubon. 

McCown's Longspur, which was named after a confederate general and staunch slavery advocate. Oops! This one was so bad that the American Ornithological Society actually did something for once, and now it's called the Thick-billed Longspur, which is probably like a C-Tier Name (so, much better).

Birds of this category that have appeared on this blog: Townsend's Warbler (Grave robber! Phrenologist! read more here) Steller's Jay (the Steller tea, admittedly somewhat milder)

F Tier: Birds named for people (non-problematic)

Rivoli's Hummingbird

Although some don't, I do make a minor distinction here. In my very cursory research there are some birds named after legitimately cool conservationist types and early birdwatching enthusiasts. That is, to me, less bad. However, what is the compelling case to mess around with eponyms in the first place? The idea of someone 'naming' a bird after themselves or someone else, when it almost certainly has a name from the native people of the area, is pure colonialism. Honestly, if you go back and read my blog entries for some of the eponymous birds above, you won't find a lot of these details, because a lot of the time those details are absent from their wikipedia summaries. I guess what I'm saying is that all of these old people are going to get cancelled for something eventually. Let's just get ahead of it now. Also, these names have zero flare. (PS, sign the bird names for birds petition, and read more about the villains of history who somehow get birds named after them.)

The Argument for: In this case, I kind of get the idea. If someone was important to naturalism or conservation, you might want to name a bird in their honor. For the bird watcher or enjoyer these names are basically useless, but they do give you a little sense of curiosity and mystery, and sometimes make you want to look up old historic figures who you may not know much about. Sometimes you might even find out those historic figures were slave owners. If you really want to do this, save it for the Latin name.

Examples: Wilson's Warbler, Allen's Hummingbird

D Tier: Birds named for a feature or location (inaccurate)

Ring-necked Duck

The Palm Warbler, who does not live in Palm Trees, and the Inca Dove, who does not live anywhere within the former lands of the Incan Empire are prime examples of this. A milder version would be The Connecticut Warbler, which has a range that includes Connecticut, but also the entire East Coast, and Mid-West, and parts of Central Canada. Even worse are the birds with inaccurate field markings. The Ring-necked Duck, with it's invisible cinnamon ring springs to mind, as does the Red-bellied Woodpecker, which has a belly that is only visibly red when the bird is "dead, in your hand", as one naturalist was quoted as saying.

The Argument for: There is no good reason to name a bird like this. Maybe it's kind of fun to have a very confusing and unintuitive name once in a while. Makes birding an exclusive club where we get to roll our eyes at newcomers who ask "Wait, why is that called a Ring-necked Duck?" That doesn't sound like a very compelling case in favor to me. Like the eponyms, you also get a little homework assignment where you feel compelled to investigate why these birds have such bad names. Show me a birder who doesn't like homework.

C Tier: Comparative Bird names

Lesser Scaup

Greater this, lesser that, common whatever. These names are boring and not usually particularly helpful. Pass, throw them all away. I will say that there are some descriptor or modifier names that I kind of like, like Elegant Trogon or Magnificent Frigatebird. These are more like superlatives, but they do introduce kind of a wrinkle, since I think they fit best into this category. That's why it's time for me to introduce the "Poetic Modifier".  Any category from here on out gets a full bump in tier by taking a bird name from mundane to poetic. I.e. Magnificent Frigatebird is more like a B name, whereas Common Loon is a C name.

The Argument for: I guess if you live in a place where two birds look very similar, but one is larger, and one is smaller, you have a little bit of a useful name on your hands. I'm looking at you, Yellowlegs. The useless but flattering names are kind of fun. Maybe you just loved the bird so much when you saw it you needed to let everyone know it was extremely elegant. I can accept that.

B Tier: Birds named for a location (accurate)

Western Bluebird

This is the most boring name that a bird can have while still retaining some level of utility for the bird watcher. You run into the problem the problem fairly quickly that birds are generally pretty famous for moving around a lot, so it's hard to lock it down with just one place name. So you end up with a lot of birds being named for whole countries they are in, which doesn't really narrow it down. The habitats are better, and I especially like the Wren series- Marsh, Rock, Cactus, etc. I will admit that some location based named are cooler than others. My own personal scale puts Prairie Warbler and Gila Woodpecker well above American Wigeon and Island Scrub Jay, but your mileage may vary.

A Tier: Birds named for how they look/their physical features

Painted Bunting

I think this is your clear go-to, right? The number one way you would intuitively name most birds if you were asked to do so. Mostly this is not flashy, but it's certainly memorable and helpful. Great Blue Heron, got it. Roseate Spoonbill. Ok! I know what that's going to look like! The low end of this is probably, like, Black Phoebe, but you can get very very creative. Some of my personal favorites are Razorbill, Rhinocerous Auklet, Canvasback, and Vermillion Cardinal (yes, they are named after the Catholic clergy)

A+ Tier: Onomatopoeic Names/Birds named for how they sound

Laughing Gull

You get into trouble with the physical names eventually because there are, let's face it, a lot of birds that are at least a little bit boring looking. You can only have so many Little Brown Sparrows before you start running out of ways to describe the streaks. When you get there, you have some options, and a really fun one is the audio description. This ranges from Catbird (one of the best, sounds like a cat!) to Mourning Dove to Black-bellied Whistling Duck. All terrific names. If you want to take it up another notch further, you can dig into the Onomatopoeia. Bobwhite, Curlew, Chachalaca, Chickadee, Killdeer, and Whip-poor-will are all named for the sounds they make. You can see why every bird can't be named like this, but it's a great option when you have a distinctive call and a not-that-distinctive looking bird. Perhaps my favorite is the Nene. In my view, a bird named in the language of a place's native people also deserves to go up a tier.

S Tier: Birds named for how they behave

                                                                       Burrowing Owl

This is, to me, the absolute zenith of bird name quality. Don't tell me how the bird appears, tell me who the bird IS. What do they DO? What do you imagine their personality is LIKE? The more abstract and loaded with imagery the better. Hermit Thrush? Yes please. Happy Wren? Don't mind if I do. This also applies to birds that have descriptions of their behavior- many family or subfamily names are laid out like this, Creeper, Roadrunner, Skimmer, Flycatcher, Hummingbird, etc. Names like this are fairly rare, but they are always so great. It is also, in my opinion, the area that has the most room for expansion, perfect for renaming some of those eponymous birds. We don't need a Brandt's Cormorant, but an Ambitious Cormorant? Now I'm interested. Just a simple proposal, and I'd be happy to make up personality traits for as many birds as you like, if you're looking for an expert in the field of making stuff up about birds.

Post Script: Birds whose names I have no opinions on: Booby, Dickcissel, Bushtit, etc. These are often listed among the worst bird names, but I think it's ok that some things are funny. None of the birds are actually named after dirty words, except for the Windf*cker. They really meant it with that guy. Anyway, sometimes the etymology is pretty interesting for these birds. Leave them alone!

Young Birds, Tricky IDs

Lately I've had this experience a lot, where I get a picture of a cool looking bird that I don't think I've gotten before, and wind up stumped. After lots of time intensive searching I discover that the bird doesn't match anything in my guides. Did I just discover a new bird? Well, no, of course not. I'd be lucky to discover that I've remembered to bring my camera with me these days. Mostly what I run into is juvenile birds. Let's go through a few examples, shall we?

Here's a guy who has fooled me twice lately. And you know what they say..
Yes, I know he's just a sparrow, but your amateurnithologist is so hard up for birds lately that even a new sparrow can be a source of excitement. It's going to happen one of these days. Anyway, you'd think the markings here are quite distinctive, and on the head too, which is really the sweet spot for sparrow identification. Rufous streaks on either side of the crown and behind the eyes. Simple as that. Well, turns out this guy is actually a White-crowned Sparrow, who kinda looks nothing like this in adulthood.

Do you see the resemblance? Nah, neither do I.

Here's another great example

Wow, now that is a cool bird! Check the distinctive coloration- and also of note, this guy is big, and a bird of prey to boot. Should be easy as can be to identify. Well, it actually sort of was, once I could do a little searching around. Turns out in their younger days White-tailed Kites are quite colorful. Actually got a picture of him sitting next to an adult, for contrast.

Hey bird? Where'd all your coloration go? Gosh.

So, like, what are you supposed to do about identifying these guys? Well, for me, the most important tip was paying attention to the other birds around them. In both cases, the adults of the family were nearby. Also, if you start to encounter something that looks truly unusual, just start google image searching for "juvenile ______", where the blank is birds that you know are in the area, and belong to the family of the mystery bird you've spotted. I know I'll be going to the juvenile well much more quickly in the future, after these misadventures in bird spotting.

In conclusion, birds are weird. I hope you've enjoyed these birds for what they are. They may not be new, but they look new, and in it's own way, isn't that almost the same thing as being new? The answer is 'no, not really', but a blogger can dream.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, Filtered

Today, dear reader, you're going to get a rare glimpse behind the scenes at the post-editing and production process here on the greatest bird blog in the world. You see, Microsoft, in all of its infinite digital wisdom, has decided to keep making changes to the program I use to edit my photos. Currently, I use something that's just called 'Photos'. Extremely basic, I know, but I wouldn't be the Amateurnithologist if that wasn't the case. While it might seem like a setback that all the things I've been doing up until now have been disappeared (twice!), I look at it as an exciting new opportunity. We're going to learn about the new set of filters they have gifted me with together. Certainly they wouldn't just give me a bunch of garbage after taking away options I found useful, right?

Let's find a test subject.



Ok, looks like a winner. I'd say this is a middling photo by the standards of my blog. Not an all time great, but certainly good enough to put up here. The only reason its gone unused is that I've already talked about Black-crowned Night Herons and don't have enough juvenile birds to make a post out of it. This was taken in June of 2016, by the way, at the Russian River in beautiful Northern California. A photo like this doesn't usually get much editing. I play with the enhance feature a little, crop it to maximize the bird-age, and let er' rip. Let's see what happens when I hit the enhance button now..

Oh dear god! This, to me, looks terrible. Well, it looks like 'enhance' is off the table. At least it didn't do that thing where it tilts the whole picture. Let's see what happens to our picture when we select the only other option besides that. Filters with fun names, away we go.

Does our heron look best in the "Vanilla" filter?

What about "Burlesque?" Maybe a little too risque for a bird blog.


How about "Neo?" No, I think I'll take the blue pill on this one.



Ok, I guess I worded that wrong, because now my bird is completely blue. The "arctic" filter is not for me either.

And now he's see orange he looks like he ought to run for president. Why is this called "Zeke?" Your guess is as good as mine.

Well, that was a lot of fun, but our bird still looks pretty bad. I guess I could post it unedited, but that's just a little too low effort, even for me. After mucking around for a while, I found some more detailed settings. Turns out I don't want to 'enhance' anymore, now I want to 'adjust'.

I think this is what I would land on. Hopefully you've enjoyed this meta-blog, and if you have any recommendation for post production, lay it on me, I'm glad to take advice. Oh, one more new feature I've discovered. I can write on the picture with my finger.

Revisiting the Turkey

My first portrait of a Turkey is from very early on in this blog's lifetime, 2012 to be exact. Back then I described the Turkey as a haughty blowhard and an awful dinner guest. I still sort of feel this way, and get the sense that I'm not alone in my interpretation of the bird. Why is the Turkey a disliked bird? Maybe it's that many people have had personal negative experiences with Turkeys (being attacked by them is not uncommon in some parts of America). Maybe we need to malign them to separate ourselves from the guilt we feel (subliminally or consciously) for farming them and eating them. Maybe we resent them for encroaching on human territory in an unapologetic and successful way (we also treat pigeons with scorn for doing the same). Today I'm going to focus on a different, more positive interpretation of the Turkey- with some Turkey quotes from my favorite website and yours, backyardchickens.com

"i have a tom who just follows me around like a puppy and he is the nicest turkey ever."

"i got a red bourbon hen about a month ago at auction and she is so sweet she doesnt exactly run up to you she just kind of stays out of your way but she will sit there and talk to you."

"Pros: sweet, docile, and good looking

Cons: none"

"never actually flogged me"

"We named all of our turkeys this year for dragons, so his name, due to respiratory issues, is Puff the Magic"

"In the video is my Royal Palm tom, Gerald, walking in his harness and leash. I have taken him to the pet store, to 4-H meetings and just down the road. Very friendly and easily trained to do about anything." 

And if that's not enough to convince you to take a second look at your Turkey bias, maybe a quote from one of our nation's founders will. Benjamin Franklin's  antipathy toward the Bald Eagle is well documented on this blog, as is his preference for the Turkey. Here is his justification from a letter to his daughter.

There you have it bird fans, if Ben Franklin can love the Turkey for its positive qualities, maybe we can learn to as well. With a perspective, The Amateurnithologist. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Roosters of Key West

Key West has a lot of Chickens. Estimates are that over 2000 birds live on the 2x4 mile island. Locals are divided on the chicken issue- they add a lot of charm and character, but they are undeniably annoying at times. Regardless of what they think, there's not a lot that people can do about the chickens- they're currently a protected species. It is illegal to 'harm or harass' a chicken in Key West. Why are there so many roosters, and what type are they? Well, it seems likely that most of the roosters are the result of people releasing their chickens once cockfighting was outlawed. The sport used to be a big deal, especially in Cuba, and before the cold war, there was a major chicken trade. This means these chickens are probably mostly 'American Game' or 'Cubalaya' birds, but intermixed with other breeds that people had originally brought to the islands for food and eggs. They've interbred and have been feralized, to the point where it would be fair to just call them the Key West breed. Some have suggested the name Key West Gypsy Chicken, which is what I think I'll go with. Let's take a look at some specimens.

Feels unconnected to his past and his people's suffering. Not sure what to do with conflicted feelings about his privilege.

Gets asked for advice by younger chickens in the community. Often recommends folk remedies.

Pursuing a modeling/acting career. Big fish in a small pond.

Tough as nails. Doesn't mess around when it comes to her kids. The kids are cute, but a little rambunctious. You admire her pugnaciousness, but are not sure what message it's sending to the chicks about how to solve their own problems later in life.

Key West Gypsy Chicken
Key West, Florida, USA
April 2015
Member of the Junglefowl Family
§A Peep of Chicks§

~true bird fact~ They say Key West has fewer cockroaches than many other tropical destinations because these chickens keep the numbers down. I did not see any while I was there, so I have to assume it was due to the chickens.

Black Vulture

Black Vulture aka. American Black Vulture
Merritt Island, Florida, USA
Member of the Vulture Family
A Wake of Vultures

~true bird fact~ Black Vultures lack a voicebox, so their only vocalizations are rasps and grunts. Poor guys.

Has been wounded by the judgements of others
Deep down, a heart of gold
Works hard and doesn't complain
Looks like he was maybe transformed by a witch's curse

So, I've finally made good on my New Years Resolution to talk about vultures. Like all reviled birds, I find I have an extra fascination for them, and some extra sympathy. Black Vultures have been a symbol of death and an enemy of humans at least since they were appearing depicted that way in 5th Century Mayan Codices. Perhaps a lot longer than that as well. This is a bird species that has changed little since it first appeared 2.5 million years ago. Is their reputation unfairly assigned, just because they tend to hang out around rotting corpses? I think maybe yes.

Black Vultures have a significantly less keen sense of smell than their most obvious competitor, the larger Turkey Vulture. For a scavenger, this is an extremely important sense. However, Black Vultures make up for this shortcoming in a number of clever ways. They soar high above where Turkey Vultures circle and keep a close eye on their relatives. When the Turkey Vulture notices a meal, they follow. They are also smaller birds than other scavengers, and this would usually be a disadvantage when feeding, but they make up for this by working together. Black Vultures are very social birds. They stay in monogamous relationships, feed their family members, and raise chicks for a long time. Like people, they do some things we find repulsive, but also some things we would find really sweet. Perhaps we don't like Vultures because they remind us too much of ourselves. With a perspective, the amateurnithologist.

What Kind of Bird is Flappy Bird?

Flappy Bird has taken the iphone world by storm. Many e-pages have been dedicated to this little yellow bird, but I've yet to see anybody speculate about the species of Mr. Flap. Unlike his e-avian compatriates, the Angry Birds, he does not have an official bird he is modeled after (yep, Angry Bird has canonical species). With a little investigation and birding know-how, we just might be able to figure it out.

The majestic Flappy Bird in flight. Some might be content to answer the central scientific question of this blog with "a Yellow Bird", but not us. We are birders, and we crave identification. Note the round, yellow body; the orange beak; the large, white eye. He also seems to have traces of light yellow or white, but that may just be a shadow. Where does this get us?

c. 'Mdf'of wikimedia.org

Some might assume that the closest match is the Evening Grosbeak or the American Goldfinch, with their prominent yellow and white. The Goldfinch even does a fairly good job of matching the beak. Unfortunately, these birds have secondary black features that probably would have made it onto flappy bird, even given his low resolution. I think we can do better.

c. John Schwarz of birdspix.com

The juvenile of many Oriole species does a much better job of passing the 'must be all yellow' test. It would also go a long way toward explaining what a clumsy flier he is, if he were a young bird. His beak leaves a little bit to be desired, but he's also a pretty round bird. Our best match yet!

c. Unknown. Retrieved from wildlifeanimalz.blogspot.com

A Yellow Budgerigar is a good next step (fun fact, Yellow Budgies are actually the result of selective breeding in captivity. It's a type of albinism!) We've got the colors spot on now. However, for some reason I doubt that Flappy Bird is a budgie. Traditionally parrot species are mostly suited for short flights between trees, whereas Flappy Bird can go on (theoretically) forever.

c. Glenn Bartley, Audobon.org

Somehow these birds are just not quite capturing the essence of Flappy Bird. Is it because they're not adorable enough? Wilson's Warbler is a terrific match in this category. Just take a look at the vacant facial expression, the beach-ball body, the tiny wings. We may have our flappy bird.

c. 'Steve G' of Birdforum.net

But we're not done. No. The Little Yellow Flycatcher takes what was good about that warbler and takes it to the next level. No dissonant black cap here. His bill is even a little closer to the right color. However, there's one major component of Flappy Bird's design that we have thus far been unable to replicate in the real world. The large, white eye. I mean, birds don't have white eyes, so this is just impossible, right?

c. Veli Pohjonen on nhptv.org

Wrong! Well, still right, but you see what I mean. This fellow is the Oriental White-eye and he is my best guess for Flappy Bird's bird of inspiration. He is strictly white and yellow, has the prominent white eye spot, and is distinctly spherical. We can quibble over the beak, but I call it artistic license. Another important note- The White-eye is endemic to Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen's native Vietnam. I think that little bonus point effectively seals the deal. You can officially tell your friends that Flappy Bird is an Oriental White-eye. And if they disagree, tell them some guy on the internet told you so. Try arguing with that logic.

8 Tips to Take your Amateur Birding Game to the Next Level that They Don't Want you to Know. You Won't Believe Number 6!

Today it is our second anniversary on amateurnithologist dot blogspot dot com. While we proudly maintain our amateur status, after two years of looking at birds, it is safe to say we've learned a lot. Are you an armchair birder too? Here are some of the things we've learned along the way. Maybe you'll find something helpful here too.


1. We are all Time's Subjects
By this I mean get to know what different times of the day mean for birding. Most people probably know already that close to dawn is when birds are most easily observed. "The early bird gets the early bird", as the old saying goes. However, late afternoon can be just as rewarding of a time to go birding, and a much less annoying one to be awake during. I recommend the last hour and a half or so before sunset. Your mileage may vary for different birds. Try going on the same hike a few times during different times of the day and making observations about what you see.

2. Become a Seasoned Birding Expert
I also recommend that you start paying attention to seasons. You might think you've seen all the birds a local spot has to offer, but if you just went in fall, you're going to miss out on all the spring birds. Little know fact: birds fly around, and live in different places, you know? There should be a word for this behavior. Another assumption is that birding is most profitable during the Spring, but because birds migrate in lots of different directions it's really worth it to look year round. Your chilly lake may be just the right temperature for a bird who summers in the arctic.

3. Learn the Hot Birding Spots in your Area, but Don't Ignore Everywhere Else
Where do birds live? The answer is basically everywhere. Birding starts in your own neighborhood, on your city streets, in the drainage pool behind the mall. Some of the rarest bird's I've seen have just been spotted wandering around residential neighborhoods or college campuses. While ebird.com's got a great database of birding hotspots that I can't recommend enough, it's also important to do some looking on your own. One general tip about birds: bodies of water are always a great place to start.

4. Hurry Up and Do Nothing
Our most exciting sounding tip yet! While the hobbies of birding and hiking intersect, there is a key difference in goal and generally in pace. When you walk through a park looking for birds, make it a leisurely stroll. Observing your environment carefully, rather than giving it the casual once-over, will increase the number of birds you see dramatically. Found a nice spot where you can hear some birdsong? Stop and sit a while. Relax. Birds will appreciate you more if you're a chill dude or lady.
5. Go by Yourself (or with Very Laid-Back People)
Let's face it, birding is not an inherently social activity. Maybe a group of birders can pull this one off, but if you plan on going someplace mainly to look at birds, and you're inviting some of the uninitiated, you'd better give some fair warning. Either your friends are going to get super bored while you stare at some bird and take a million pictures of it, or the bird is going to fly away and you will secretly resent them for breathing too loud. Anyway, one of the greatest pleasures of this hobby (to me at least) is peace and space to think that you can get from a little bit of solitude.

6. Think Like a Bird
Does a bird want you to point at it and shout? Probably not, right? My frequent walking partner, N, can always tell I've spotted a really neat bird because I go completely quiet. If a bird is flying away from you, don't pursue it. It can be hard to ignore this impulse, but you have to be willing to let the birds come to you. When a bird really wants to be photographed, he'll come by and pose for you. You just have to wait for the right moment. Another part of this tip is to be logical in where you are looking for birds. Birds of prey often hang out on the unobstructed branches of tall trees or telephone poles because those are the best places to spot prey from. If you never look up there, you'll never see one.

7. Preparation is 9/10ths of the Bird
This is probably a tip only for people as dumb as your amateurnithologist, but don't forget all your stuff at home. A shameful number of times I've brought my camera with me, but accidentally left the memory card at home, or neglected to charge the batteries. It can also be a good idea to take your birding stuff with you even when you aren't planning on spotting a bird, because sometimes they just show up. Lately I've noticed a family of Orioles at my work and started bringing my camera with me, just in case I get a good opportunity to take a picture. Ancillary tip: Don't leave expensive looking birding equipment in your car. Ever.


8. Be Patient with Yourself
This tip won't necessarily help you bird better, but it'll prevent you from birding burnout (or birdout, as it's known in the community). I can still remember the first time I successfully identified a bird without the use of a guide. That was less than 3 years ago, and just this past weekend I was walking along the bay shore and was impressed by just how many of the birds I recognized immediately. You have to be willing to give yourself time to grow and improve, and be aware that you're going to make a lot of mistakes at the beginning. Unless you really cram and study (and who wants to do that) you're going to remain an amateur for some time. And that's great. Remember, we are all on this amateurnithological journey together. And you know what they say about the journey and the destination. For the bird blog, this is A., signing off.

Resolution Birds//Bird Resolutions 2014

Happy 2014 to birdfans and blogfans alike. How was your 2013? Ours was good. We had some great birds, expanded our e-web-presence onto 'The Twitter', traveled to exotic birding locales, and helped to crown the Bird of the Year. The beginning of the year is a time to reflect on our accomplishment, sure, but mostly, we look forward.

Here is the Amateurnitholo-List of birds we hope to see/birding goals we hope to accomplish in 2014


1) Take a picture of a Golden Eagle

© Jacqueline Deely

If there is any bird that is my bird that is the Moby Dick to my Captain Ahab right now, it is Disgraced Bird of the Year Loser, Golden Eagle. I saw one, very close up, when I was hiking in the desert outside Reno, and it was one of the most awing bird experiences I've ever had. Since then I've been trying mightily to find an opportunity to take a picture of one, going so far as to look up sightings using a birding website and actually go to places in the hopes of finding him there. Do you see what you've made me do, Golden Eagle!? In 2014 I definitely want to put this one to rest.
Possible Location: Robert Sibley Regional Volcanic Preserve, California, USA


2) See a Roseate Spoonbill

© William L. Newton

The Amateurnithologist's Mom saw one of these, and he has not. Enough said. It is also a beautiful and distinctive bird that typifies the Florida Birding Experience.
Possible Location: Lake Worth Golf Course, Lake Worth, Florida, USA


3) Get a good picture of a Vulture

How often have I seen a circling Turkey Vulture and pointed my camera skyward in the hopes of capturing a good picture of this guy? Way too many times. This year I will find you at rest, Vulture, and then it's all over. Obviously the crème de la vulture would be the California Condor, but even I'm not foolish enough to bank on that happening. Call it a reach goal.
Possible Location: Big Sur, California, USA

4) Blog about more ducks

© Bob Gunderson

With the possible exception of Crows and Jays, the duck family are my favorite birds. Heck, before I began my amateurnithological journey, I would say that ducks were my favorite animals full stop. I want this blog to reflect this with a strong contingent of duck pics this year. And what better duck to look for than Surf Scoter up there. What a face!
Possible Location: Lake Merritt, Oakland, California, USA

5)  Track down the elusive Snail Kite

© Jim Neiger

He's rare, he lives only in South Florida (where ur amat. is from), and eats a ton of snails. I have to get a picture of this weirdo. I think my fascination with him comes from the fact that I went for a hike last year in one of the few places he can commonly be found in the wild and didn't see him. Well, I'm going back. And this time, it's personal.
Possible Location: Grassy Waters Preserve, Palm Beach, Florida, USA

6) Find a Painted Bunting

© Danny Bales

Am I convinced that this bird will give me magic powers if I find it? No, no, that would be ridiculous. But you certainly can't argue that it doesn't look like it would. One of those birds you hear about and then just have to see. Utterly silly.
Possible Location: Merritt Island, Florida, USA

A seventh implied goal is to keep on producing great content for this web blog on a weekly basis and to keep making improvements. Is there anything I can do to make you a happier blog consumer? Sound off in the comments. Otherwise, have a great year, and may all your birds be new.