Meghan's Birding Life List

Over the past 2 years or so, I've slowly but surely been getting into birdwatching. It started out with me just trying to notice and identify birds that I saw out and about. Then I got some birdfeeders and a pair of binoculars and started to learn how to identify the birds that came to my birdfeeders. I'm not as hardcore as some people (for example, some people get up really early to go birdwatching and may even take trips just to go see different types of birds in different locations). As of this point in my life, I'm still mostly someone who just watches the birds in my backyard at my birdfeeders and tries to notice the birds I see when I'm out and about but I find myself slowly getting more and more into this hobby so maybe I'll eventually become the type of person who takes trips just to go look for birds that I've never seen before. Only time will tell.

Reasons why I like birdwatching:

You don't have to spend any money to birdwatch if you don't want to. It does help to have a pair of binoculars and some people go so far as to buy fancy cameras with long lenses but you don't technically need anything to birdwatch except for vision and the ability to hear (and even if you are vision or hearing impaired, as long as you have access to one of those senses, you can still participate in birdwatching).
I think it's honestly just a lovely hobby that inadvertently forces you to be mindful and present and also to be appreciative of nature and your surroundings. You also don't take anything in the process, you just simply observe and appreciate.
You can be as casual or as hardcore about it as you want.
I don't know if anyone played that pokemon game that was really popular a while back but each time you see a new bird or even just a bird you don't see very often, it feels special- like you're catching a new pokemon.

On this webpage, I am sharing my "life list" with you all. In the context of birdwatching, a "life list" is a list of all the species of birds that a person has seen over their lifetime. For me, my life list consists of all of the birds that I've seen and have been able to identify since I first started birdwatching a few years ago. I keep track of this by using the app Merlin Bird ID. This is a free app that helps you identify birds that you see or hear. It also allows you to track which birds you've seen and have been able to identify (hence my life list). Disclaimer: All of these birds were seen in the state of Virginia, mostly around Richmond.

So, without further ado, here is my life list broken down into several categories:

My favorites

great egret flying amongst a blue, cloudless sky. — Great Egret

Northern Flicker perched on top of a branch. — Northern Flicker

Honorable Mentions

Side silhouette of a Pileated Woodpecker perched on a branch. — Pileated Woodpecker

Cedar Waxwing perched on a branch with a blurry but lush, green background. — Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-bellied sapsucker resting on a branch. — Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-bellied woodpecker rests on branch, looking upward. — Red-bellied Woodpecker

A mourning dove sits upon a wooden post, it's feathers puffed out as if it is trying to stay warm. — Mourning Dove

A split screen image of 2 vultures. The vulture on the left is a turkey vulture and the vulture on the right is a black vulture. — Vultures (On the left is a turkey vulture and on the right is a black vulture)

A male rubythroated hummingbird sits on a small branch, with it's bright red neck in plain sight. — Ruby-throated hummingbird

Goldfinch

Common backyard birds

"Backyard birds" are birds that are likely to come to yards with birdfeeders in them.

A bright red cardinal perched on top of a snowy branch. — Northern Cardinal

Blue Jay perched on top of a branch. The Blue Jay was photographed from behind so you can see the details of its tailfeathers, while still seeing its face looking off to the right. — Blue Jay

A male house finch sits on top of a small branch. — House Finch

Side silhouette of a Carolina Wren perched on a branch. — Carolina Wren

A tufted titmouse rests on a small branch with small red flowers blooming off the branch. — Tufted Titmouse

A brown thrasher stands upon a snowy ground. — Brown Thrasher

A side silhouette view of a chickadee resting on a small branch. — Chickadee

A male downy woodpecker rests on a thick branch, pointing his beak up in the air. In this photo, you get a view of the bright red spot on his head. — Downy Woodpecker

A mockingbird stands on what appears to be a fence post, with its tail feathers pointing up into the air. — Mockingbird

A male robin perched on a branch. The robin is turned to the side but you can still see its orange belly. — American Robin

A male brown-headed cowbird rests on a branch, looking backward. — Brown-headed Cowbird

Scene with a grey catbird perched on a branch with a few red berries on it and a blue sky as a backdrop. — Grey Catbird

A dark eyed junco perched on a branch with a snowy background. — Dark-eyed Junco

A white-breasted nuthatch standing on a branch with a blurry background. — White-breasted Nuthatch

Male house sparrow resting on a gate. You can mostly see the front of the house sparrow: the belly and face. — House Sparrow

A chipping sparrow rests on a branch with a lush green background. — Chipping Sparrow

A white-throated sparrow sits on top of a thin branch, with a brown blurry background. — White-throated Sparrow

A grackle, photographted from behind, perched on some tall grass. You can see the irridescent sheen of its feathers. — Grackle

A starling stands on a wooden post, the irridescent sheen of its feathers glistening in the sun. — European Starling

A crow perched on a tree with a blurry backdrop of brown, dead leaves on the ground. — Crow

Birds you are more likely to see near a body of water

An osprey gazes to the left, standing inside of a big nest made of sturdy branches. — Osprey (also known as Sea Hawk)

A bald eagle soars through a cloudless blue sky. — Bald Eagle

A great blue heron stands on a fallen tree that is sticking out of a body of water. — Great Blue Heron

A double crested cormorant stands on top of a tree stump near a body of water. The cormorant has its wings outstretched. — Double-crested cormorant

Peaceful scene of a bufflehead swimming in still water. — Bufflehead

A hooded merganser swims through some water, giving a view of the side of its body and face. — Hooded Merganser

Side silhouette of a northern shoveler swimming in still water. — Northern Shoveler

A pair of mallards (one male, one female) stand on a mossy rock, gazing to the right of the image. The blue stripes on their wings are in plain sight. — Mallards

A brown pelican soars through a blue, cloudless sky. — Brown Pelican

Hawks

Excluding the Osprey, which I've already listed.

**BEWARE: Hawks will sometimes hunt at birdfeeders. If you ever see a hawk lurking near your birdfeeder (sometimes you won't be able to see them) but if you do see this happening, put your birdfeeders inside for a few days. Learn from my mistake and save yourself the trauma...