Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) Male photos by Larry Jordan
Yup, I’ve never really been into listing birds. Certainly I keep track of the birds I see on bird walks and outings and report sightings on eBird, but I never kept a yard list , county list, state list, or even a life list. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how many birds I’ve seen during my birding lifetime!
Some of the good folks over at 10000 Birds however keep lists, and being the West Coast Beat Writer for them, I thought it would be interesting to keep a year list to see just how many birds I see in a year (click on photos for full sized images).
I finally got a shot of an Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) that’s been hanging out (literally) from a cavity entrance in a snag on my property for quite awhile. I’m hoping he and his mate will be raising a family in the snag this Spring so that I can document it and of course watch the chicks!
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus)
So, I began a year list on January 1st and will be updating it as I go along. I set it up as a blog page that you can see here. I’m listing the birds I see in the order I see them. This way, I will know when each species makes it to my neck of the woods as it were.
Each species that I have written a post about is linked to that post, usually with plenty of photos and sometimes with videos.
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta anadensis)
I will also put a link in the right sidebar with a current count of my year list.
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) Male
These are all photos I took the other day in my yard.
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Female
I hope you are having a birdy New Year!
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) Male Oregon
To see more great bird photos, head on over to Anni’s The Bird D’pot and Stewart’s Wild Bird Wednesday and post some of your own bird photos!
I have also placed a Google Plus Followers Widget 
in the right sidebar. If you use Google Plus, please add me to your circles. If you are not using it, you might want to get the free copy of “What the Plus,” a manual on how to use it. I downloaded it but haven’t had time to read it yet. It is a 177 page, comprehensive guide on how to use this new social network.
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Oh for heaven’s sake….you make me so jealous!! I just can’t wait for updates on the acorn woodpecker family. I just bet they’re preparing to nest. I’m so excited, for you to have this in your own back yard, and for us who visit….updates are highly anticipated.
Thanks for linking up at the Bird D’Pot this week, and for always contributing such great posts and photos.
Love the woodpecker photo!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
the oak titmouse is a new one for me! so cute!!!
Great serie of photos!
They are so cute!
A perfect WBW post!
Great photos of all the birds and your year list already looks very impressive to me.
What a great selection of birds. From Findlay
What a timid little bird is the Oak Titmouse …. I worry how he will survive in the big wide bird world. Great idea to log your birds for 2013 …. something I should start doing in my own neighborhood.
oh what a sweetie that little titmouse is!
Excellent captures! That acorn woodpecker is delightful!
Larry, wonderful collection of birds. The Acorn Woodie is on my list of birds to see. I am terrible at keeping list. I started a yard list last year and never made it thru the whole year. I enjoyed all your bird photos, well done!
Oh my stars, that Oak Titmouse is precious! I’ve never seen that type of woodpecker either. I started a list recently of all the birds I’ve seen and when and where I saw them. Keeping a list by year would be good too.
Looks like you are off to a really good start Larry!
I adore your Acorn Woodpecker images and I am slightly green because I don’t see them here! Love all of the images Larry!
I have depended on eBird to keep my patch list, but maybe I should report my yard birds as well, if only to save me the trouble of doing it otherwise. Like that Oak Titmouse– so plain (wasn’t that what they used to be called?). I miss their New Mexico “cousins.”
eBird is great for keeping lists. I started doing my listing on eBird in 2012, and the website is really good way to keep all your lists and things organized.
Also, great pics! My favorite is the Acorn Woodpecker. They are amazing birds! I wish they came to Georgia.
-Sam
That woodpecker face is a great image. Good luck with the list.
Thanks for linking to WBW.
Cheers – Stewart M – Melbourne.
PS: sorry for slow reply – I’ve been out of internet range in Tasmania
I’ve never kept a list either, but you’ve inspired me to at least tuck a little sheet in my notebook, to keep tabs.