Bird Nerd List Update - July '12 - Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

I just got back from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska last night. I spent more time fishing than birding, but between pulling in the mighty sockeye salmon, I was able to add 18 birds to my life list, giving me total of 145. I saw most of the sea birds while fishing for halibut off of Homer. The bed and breakfast where I stayed had several good feeders and I got a look at several new perching birds there. Yesterday I spent the morning at Potter Marsh and added a few water fowl and tree birds, but I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see any of the male ducks with their cool markings and colors. I saw more than 20 bald eagles while I was there. I actually saw my first bald eagle a few days before I left for Alaska out on the causeway to Antelope Island. My favorite one for this trip was probably the red-breased nuthatch.

I just finished watching "The Big Year" with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. I was starting to think my list was impressive until I found out there are crazy people who see over 700 in a year. I do hope to break 200 on my life list by the end of the year, but I'm not quitting my job to do it.
(The videos of the red-breasted nuthatch and the gray jay are my own.)
Update: We're in Arizona for the weekend for my sister Evie's Wedding. We saw the quintessential Arizona birds, the greater roadrunner and the cactus wren, and also the anna's hummingbird and the white winged dove. That makes an even 150. Only 50 more to go for the year.


1. Muscovy Duck (CR)
2. Neotropic Cormorant (CR)
3. Anhinga (CR)
4. Bare-troated Tiger-Heron (CR)
5. Little Blue Heron (CR)
6. Great Egret (CR)
7. Great Blue Heron (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
8. Cattle Egret (CR)
9. Snowy Egret (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
10. Green Heron (CR)
11. Tricolored Heron (CR)
12. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (CR)
13. Black Vulture (CR)
14. Turkey Vulture (CR)
15. Broad-winged Hawk (CR)
16. Common Black-Hawk (CR)
17. Merlin (CR)
18. Northern Jacana (CR)
19. Black-necked Stilt (CR)(Farmington Bay, Ut., April '12)
20. Sanderling (CR)
21. Least Sandpiper (CR)
22. Red-lored Parrot (CR)
23. Mealy Parrot (CR)
24. Squirrel Cuckoo (CR)
25. Groove-billed Ani (CR)
26. Band-tailed Barbthroat Hummingbird (CR)
27. Violaceous Trogon (CR)
28. Green Kingfisher (CR)
29. Belted Kingfisher (CR)
30. Amazon Kingfisher (CR)
31. Chestnut-mandibled Toucan (CR)
32. Keel-billed Toucan (CR)
33. Collared Aracari (CR)
34. Chestnut-backed Antbird (CR)
35. Yellow-bellied Elaenia (CR)
36. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (CR)
37. Boat-billed Flycatcher (CR)
38. Great Kiskadee (CR)
39. Social Flycatcher (CR)
40. Tropical Kingbird (CR)
41. Mangrove Swallow (CR)
42. Clay-colerd Robin (CR)
43. Northern Parula (CR)
44. Summer Tanager (CR)
45. Passerini's Tanager (CR)
46. Great-tailed Grackle (CR)
47. Scarlet-rumped Cacique (CR)
49. Baltimore Oriole (CR)
50. Chestnut-headed Oropendola (CR)
51. Montezuma Oropendola (CR)
52. European Starling (Ut)
53. Read-winged Blackbird (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
54. Black-billed Magpie (Ut)
55. Osprey (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March '12)
56. Pine Siskin (Ut)
57. House Finch (Ut)
58. American Tree Sparow (Ut)
59. Cassin's Finch (Ut)
60. White-crowned Sparrow (Ut)
61. Mourning Dove (Ut)
62. Mallard (Ut)
63. Northern Pintail (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March, '12)
64. Northern Shoveler (Pineview Reservoir, Ut., March, '12)
65. Northern Harrier (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
66. Black-capped Chicadee (Ut)
67. American Robin (Ut)
68. Eurasian Collared-Dova (Ut)
69. Rock Pigeon (Ut)
70. Canada Goose (Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12)
71. Common Merganser (Male, Pineview Reservior, Ut., March '12) female (Causey Reservoir, Ut., May '12)
72. California Gull (Ut)
73. Western Meadowlark (Antelope Island, Ut., March, '12)
74. Wood duck(Ut, March, '12)
75. Gambel's Quail - (Ogden Nature Center - March, '12)
76. House Sparrow - (Ut., March, '12)
77. Dark Eyed Junco (Ut., March, '12)
78. American Goldfinch (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
79. Sandhill Crane (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
80. Killdeer (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
81. Bufflehead (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
82. American Coot (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
83. American Avocet (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
84. Chipping Sparrow (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
85. American Kestrel (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
86. American White Pelican (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
87. Green-Winged Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
88. Cinnamon Teal (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
89. Gadwall (Farmington Bay, Ut., March, '12)
90. Downy Woodpecker (Layton, Ut., March, '12)
91. Double Crested Cormorant (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
92. Yellow-headed Blackbird (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April, '12)
93. American Wigeon (Jensen's Nature Park, Ut., April '12)
94. Barn Swallow (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
95. Horned Grebe (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
96. Eared Grebe (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
97. Redhead (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
98. Greater Scaup (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
99. Lesser Scaup (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
100. Chukar (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
101. Willet (Antelope Island, Ut., April '12)
102. American Crow (Ut.)
103. Common Raven (Ut.)
104. Ring-billed Gull (Ut.)
105. Long-billed Curlew (Famington Bay, Ut., April '12)
106. Franklin's Gull
107. Caspian Tern
108. White-faced Ibis (Farmington Bay, Ut., April, '12)
109. Forster's Tern (Farminton Bay, Ut., April, '12)
110. California Quail (Jordan River Temple, Ut., May, '12)
111. Black Bellied Plover (antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
112. Bonaparte's Gull (Antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
113. Brewer's Black Bird (Antelope Island, Ut., May '12)
114. Red Tailed Hawk (Ogden Nature Center, Ut., May, '12)
115. Yellow Warbler (Memorial Park Campground, Ut., May '12)
116. Golden Eagle (Memorial Park Campground, Ut., May '12)
117. Bank Swallow (Jensen Nature Park, Ut., June '12)
118. Ring-necked pheasant (Farmington Bay, Ut., June '12)
119. Western Kingbird (Farminton, Ut., June '12)
120. Wilson's phalarope (Antelope Island, Ut., June '12)
121. Short-billed dowitcher (Antelope Island, Ut., June '12)
122. Rudy duck (Antelope Island, Ut., June '12)
123. Long-billed Dowitcher (Antelope Island, Ut., June'12)
124. Lazuli Bunting - (Bonneville Trail, Ut., July '12)
125. Loggerhead Shrike - (Antelope Island, Ut., July '12)
126. Bald Eagle - (Antelope Island, Ut., July '12)
127. Whimbrel (Antelope Island, Ut., July '12)
128. Horned puffin (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
129. Tufted puffin (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
130. Sooty Shearwater (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
131. Glaucous-winged gull (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
132. Common murre - (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
133. Red-breasted nuthatch - (Silver Bullet B&B - Sterling, Alaska - July '12)
134. Red breasted merganser - (Kenai River, Alaska - July '12)
135. Gray jay - (Silver Bullet B&B - Sterling, Alaska - July '12)
136. Golden crowned sparrow (Silver Bullet B&B, Sterling, Alaska - July '12)
137. Chestnut backed chickadee (Silver Bullet B&B, Sterling Alaska - July '12)
138. Harlequin duck (female) - Quartz Creek, Alaska - July '12)
139. Greater yellow legs - (Potter Marsh, Alaska - July '12)
140. Hermit thrush (Potter Marsh, Alaska - July '12)
141. Yellow rumped warbler (Potter Marsh, Alaska - July '12)
142. Lincoln sparrow (Potter Marsh, Alaska - July '12)
143. Lesser yellow legs (Potter Marsh, Alaska - July '12)
144. Mew gull (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
145. Black-legged kittiwake (Homer, Alaska - July '12)
146. House Wren (Home, Syracuse, Ut. - Aug. '12)
147. White-winged dove (Stapley's pool, Mesa, Az. - Aug. '12)
148. Anna's Hummingbird (Parent's Home, Mesa, Arizona - Aug. '12) 149. Greater Roadrunner (Brown Road, Mesa, Arizona - Aug. '12)
150. Cactus Wren (Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona - Aug. '12)
151. Black-headed Grosbeak (Home, Syracuse, Ut. - Aug. '12)
152. Northern Cardinal (Vince Woolf's House, Omaha, NE, August, '12)
153. Harry Woodpecker (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha - August, "12) 154. Tree Swallow (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha, NE - August, '12) 155. Orchard Oriole (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha, NE - August '12) 156. Blue Jay (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha, NE - August '12) 157. White Breasted Nuthatch (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha, NE - August '12) 158. Wild Turkey (Glen Cunningham Lake, Omaha, NE - August '12)