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Bird Life List: 355 Species
After so many years of ribbing birders for their strange hobby, and at the same time sitting countless hours perched next to my tripod, I slowly began to try to learn the names of that one animal order you can see anywhere, at any time. And I also felt myself asking more and more questions of these people with the everpresent binoculars.
A few months ago, I was on a trail with my wife, and a very old couple (birders so often are) with binoculars (dead giveaway) excitedly came up to us and told us a ruby-throated hummingbird was displaying aggressive behavior atop a perch above us.
It indeed was exciting to see this brightly colored hummingbird whizzing past our heads, defending its territory with an energy that seems impossible for such a small thing. But the whole time, I was thinking...that's not a ruby-throated hummingbird, that's a rufous hummingbird. Ruby-throated hummingbirds don't live anywhere close to here. And then I realized just how far away from normalcy I had gone. I was counting birds.
Of all the species you could collect, birds attract the most people because they are the only animals that can be found anywhere in the world, any time of year.
Keeping tabs of all the new species of birds you have seen is a wonderful way to complement a life of travel. I record the species, the date and place for each new species. I also keep a list for fishes, reptiles, mammals, orchids, cactuses and wildflowers - but those lists come slowly: collecting bird species is the only species identification you can do from your window, your car, in the city and on the trail.
Serious birders, who enjoy learning the intricacies of plumage and distribution, often find list-makers crass. On the other hand, many of my readers are birders, and are curious to keep tabs on what I may find along the way.
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| Acorn Woodpecker |
| Amazon Kingfisher |
American Avocet 
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American Bittern 
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| American Coot |
| American Crow |
American Dipper
 The American Dipper, found on the rocks of rough rivers, actually forages underwater. Try to catch them swimming underwater with binoculars. |
| American Golden Plover |
American Goldfinch 
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| American Kestrel |
| American Pipit |
| American Redstart |
| American Robin |
| American Tree Sparrow |
American White Pelican 
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| American Wigeon |
| Anhinga |
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird sticks around the cold winters of the Pacific Northwest, fluttering even during snowfall. This behavior would seem impossible for such a fragile family. But the Anna's Hummingbird has evolved the ability to fall into momentary states of torpor to cope and regenerate in such conditions. The male anna's hummingbirds have a brilliant pink throat (and sometimes entire head) in Spring - a brilliant color so rare in nature. |
| Antillean Palm Swift |
| Ash Throated Flycatcher |
| Bahama Mockingbird |
| Bahama Swallow |
Bald Eagle
The aerial courtship of bald eagles is a rare treat. This pair dropped hundreds of feet in a bizaare aerial dance above the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean. |
| Baltimore Oriole |
Bananaquit 
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| Band-Tailed Pigeon |
| Bank Swallow |
| Bare-Throated Tiger Heron |
| Barn Swallow |
Barred Owl 
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| Belted Kingfisher |
| Bewick's Wren |
| Black and White Warbler |
| Black Faced Grassquit |
Black Oystercatcher 
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| Black Phoebe |
| Black Swift |
| Black Turnstone |
| Black Vulture |
| Black-bellied Plover |
| Black-bellied Whistling Duck |
| Black-Billed Magpie |
Black-capped Chickadee 
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| Black-chinned Hummingbird |
Black-crowned Night Heron 
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| Black-Headed Grosbeak |
| Black-Hooded Parakeet |
Black-necked Stilt
The Black-necked stilt is my favorite North American bird. To some people, this may sound strange. But when you see one for yourself, you will understand it to be a form of pure avian aesthetics - a perfect shape, like a cheetah or a manta ray. |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler |
| Black-throated Sparrow |
| Blue-gray gnatcatcher |
| Blue Grosbeak |
| Blue Jay |
| Blue-crowned Motmot |
| Blue-Footed Booby |
| Blue-winged Teal |
| Bonaparte's Gull |
| Brandt's Cormorant |
| Brewer's Blackbird |
| Brewer's Sparrow |
| Brown Booby |
| Brown Creeper |
| Brown Jay |
Brown Pelican
The once endangered brown pelicans are among the most intriguing animals in North America. I wrote about them when I visited the islands of the Sea of Cortez. |
| Brown-headed Cowbird |
| Bufflehead |
| Bullock's Oriole |
| Bushtit |
| Cackling Goose |
| Cactus Wren |
| California Gull |
| California Quail |
| California Thrasher |
| California Towhee |
| Canada Goose |
| Canvasback |
| Canyon Wren |
| Cape May Warbler |
| Carib Grackle |
| Carolina Chickadee |
| Caspian Tern |
| Cassin's Finch |
| Cattle Egret |
| Cedar Waxwing |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee |
| chestnut-headed oropendula |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler |
| Chimney Swift |
| Chipping Sparrow |
| Chukar |
Cinnamon Teal 
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| Common Nighthawk |
| Clark's Nutcracker |
| Cliff Swallow |
| Collared Aracari |
| Common Goldeneye |
| Common Grackle |
Common Ground-Dove 
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| Common Loon |
| Common Magpie |
| Common Merganser |
Common Moorhen 
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Common Murre 
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| Common Poorwhil |
Common Raven 
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| Common Snipe |
| Common Yellowthroat |
Coopers Hawk
Cooper's hawks visit our douglas firs every year. In the spring, watching them fly through the trees is stunning. |
Crescent-eyed Pewee 
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| Crissal Thrasher |
Cuban Emerald 
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| Dark Eyed Junco |
| Domestic Goose |
Double-Crested Cormorant
This is a juvenile, and thus the striking blue eyes. |
Downey Woodpecker 
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| Dunlin |
| Dusky Flycatcher |
| Eared Grebe |
| Eastern Kingbird |
| Eastern Screech Owl |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove |
| Eurasian Wigeon |
| European Starling |
| Ferruginous Hawk |
| Fork-Tailed Flycatcher |
Forster's Tern 
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| Fox Sparrow |
| Franklin's Gull |
Gadwall 
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| Gila Woodpecker |
| Glaucous Gull |
| Glaucous Winged Gull |
| Golden Crowned Sparrow |
| Golden Eagle |
| Golden Fronted Woodpecker |
| Golden Hooded Tanager |
| Golden-Crowned Kinglet |
| Goldfinch |
| Grasshopper Sparrow |
| Gray Catbird |
| Gray Kingbird |
| Great Blue Heron |
| Great Cormorant |
| Great Crested Flycatcher |
| Great Egret |
| Great Grackle |
| Great Horned Owl |
| Great Kiskadee |
| Greater Antillean Grackle |
| Greater Roadrunner |
| Greater Scaup |
| Greater White Fronted Goose |
| Greater Yellowlegs |
| great-tailed grackle |
Green Heron 
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| Green Jay |
| Green Kingfisher |
| Green-tailed Towhee |
| Green-winged Teal |
| Hammond's Flycatcher |
| Hairy Woodpecker |
| Harlequin Duck |
| Heerman's Gull |
| Hermit Thrush |
| Hermit Warbler |
| Herring Gull |
| Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo |
| Hispaniolan Parrot |
| Hispaniolan Woodpecker |
| Hoffman's Woodpecker |
| Hooded Merganser |
| Hooded Oriole |
| Hoopoe |
| Horned Grebe |
| Horned Lark |
House Finch 
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| House Sparrow |
| House Wren |
| Inca Dove |
Killdeer 
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| Ladder backed Woodpecker |
La Sagra's Flycatcher 
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| Lapland Longspur |
Laughing Gull 
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| Lawrence's Goldfinch |
| Lazuli Bunting |
Least Grebe 
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| Least Sandpiper |
| Lesser Antillean Bullfinch |
| Lesser Goldfinch |
Lesser Ground-Cuckoo 
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| Lesser Scaup |
| Lesser Yellowlegs |
| Lewis's Woodpecker |
| Lincoln's Sparrow |
Little Blue Heron 
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| Loggerhead Shrike |
| Long-billed Curlew |
| Long-billed Dowitcher |
| Magnificent Frigatebird |
| Mallard |
| Marbled Godwit |
Marsh Wren 
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| Mew Gull |
| Montezuma Oropendula |
| Mountain Chickadee |
| Mourning Dove |
| Northern Cardinal |
| Northern Flicker |
Northern Harrier 
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| Northern Mockingbird |
| Northern Parula |
Northern Pintail 
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| Northern Shrike |
| Ocellated Turkey |
| Olive-Sided Flycatcher |
| Orange-crowned Warbler |
Osprey 
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| Pacific Loon |
| Palm Chat |
Palm Warbler |
| Passerini's Tanager |
| Pelagic Cormorant |
Peregrine Falcon 
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Pied-Billed Grebe 
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| Pigeon Guillemot |
| Pileated Woodpecker |
| Pine Siskin |
| Pinyon Jay |
| Plain Chachalaca |
| Prairie Falcon |
| Prairie Warbler |
| Purple Finch |
| Purple Martin |
| Purple-throated Carib |
| Red Breasted Sapsucker |
| Red Knot |
| Red Lored Parrot |
| Red Naped Sapsucker |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker |
| Red-breasted Merganser |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
| Reddish Egret |
| Red-headed Woodpecker |
| Red-Necked Phalarope |
| Red-Tailed Hawk |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| Rhinoceros Auklet |
Ring-billed Gull
This is the most common gull of North America's interior. |
| Ringed Kingfisher |
| Ring-necked Duck |
| Ring-Necked Pheasant |
| Roadside Hawk |
| Rock Dove |
| Rock Wren |
| Roseate Spoonbill |
| Ross's Goose |
Rough Legged Hawk 
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Royal Tern 
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| Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird |
| Ruddy Duck |
| Ruddy Turnstone |
| Ruffed Grouse |
| Rufous Hummingbird |
| Rufous Naped Wren |
| Rufous-crowned Sparrow |
| Sanderling |
Sandhill Crane 
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| Sandwich Tern |
| Savannah Sparrow |
| Say's Phoebe |
| Scaly-naped Pigeon |
| Sharp-Shinned Hawk |
| Shiny Cowbird |
Smooth-Billed Ani 
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| Snow Goose |
| Snowy Egret |
| Snowy Plover |
| Song Sparrow |
Sora
I dragged my wife for months trying to find our first sora. It took about 12 weekends during her pregnancy, and after. Sora can always be easily heard, even a few feet away. But they are incredible masters of disguise, and nearly impossible to find. A month after our son was born, we caught a glimpse of this migratory marsh bird. |
| Spotted Sandpiper |
| Spotted Towhee |
| Stellar's Jay |
| Surf Scoter |
| Swallow-tailed Kite |
| Swamp Sparrow |
| Thayer's Gull |
| Thick-billed Vireo |
| Townsend's Solitaire |
| Townsend's Warbler |
Tree Swallow 
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| Tricolored Blackbird |
| Tricolored Heron |
| Tropical Kingbird |
| Trumpeter Swan |
Tufted Puffin 
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| Tufted Titmouse |
| Tundra Swan |
| Turkey Vulture |
Varied Thrush 
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| Vaux's Swift |
| Verdin |
| Violaceous Trogan |
Violet-Green Swallow 
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Virginia Rail 
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| Warbling Vireo |
West Indian Woodpecker 
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| Western Bluebird |
| Western Grebe |
| Western Gull |
| Western Kingbird |
| Western Meadowlark |
| Western Sandpiper |
| Western Screech Owl |
| Western Scrub Jay |
| Western Stripe-headed Tanager |
| Western Tanager |
| Western Wood Pewee |
| Whimbrel |
| white fronted amazon |
| White Ibis |
| White Stork |
| White Throated Magpie Jay |
| White Throated Swift |
| White Wagtail |
| White Winged Dove |
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
White-cheeked Pintail 
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| White-crowned Sparrow |
White-faced Ibis
Seeing ibises on the West Coast is an experience. It feels like something that should exist only in the tropics, or the Everglades. I had seen them in California and Oregon, but when my wife and I ran into a few birders at Ridgefield NRA, Washington, we were reportedly among the first to see them west of the Cascades in Washington in five years. |
| White-headed Woodpecker |
White-tailed Kite
There is nothing as cool as seeing a white hawk. |
| White-Tailed Tropic Bird |
| White-winged Dove |
| White-Winged Scoter |
| Wild Turkey |
| Willet |
Willow Flycatcher 
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| Wilson's Phalarope |
| Wilson's Warbler |
| Winter Wren |
Wood Duck 
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| Yellow Warbler |
| Yellow-bellied Elaenia |
| Yellow-chevroned Parakeet |
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
We photographed this night heron from a kayak in Nicaragua. Their eyes are among the most unique and haunting I have ever seen. |
| Yellow-faced Grassquit |
| Yellow-footed Gull |
Yellow-headed Blackbird 
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Yellow-tailed Oreole |
Yellow-throated warbler 
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| Zenaida Dove |
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about home
The Notes from the Road story, about Erik Gauger, his equipment and approach.
along the way
Photos I took along the way, and just had to show you.
Worthwhile Sites
A list of travel websites, science websites, outdoor websites, adventure websites, art and photography websites that have maintained an independent and unique spirit.
Reviews
Reviews, press clippings, criticism and more of Notes from the Road.
Lost Sons of Afghanistan
The first of two articles I wrote in the San Fernando Valley in 2001.
a museum for kabul
The follow-up to A Museum for Kabul.
Birds
A collection of birds I have identified while on the road. I always keep an eye out for new birds and this is one of the greatest pleasures of travel.
Count: 355
Fishes
A collection of fish species I've counted in the wild over the course of my life.
Count: 141
Mammals
A collection of every mammal I have positively identified over the course of my life.
Count: 53
Reptiles & Amphibians
A collection of reptiles and amphibians I have managed to identify positively.
Count: 39
Seashore Creatures
Tidepooling and snorkeling is one of the greatest joys of independent travel. This is my collection of seashore creatures I have identified during my Notes from the Road years.
Count: 65
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