Since leaving the Island, I have gotten something like 35 State Year birds. The accumulation of State Year Birds has consumed my entire being. It is all that I think about. I have spent an enormous amount of time and energy on Sierra Yankee Bravos. I have had help from family, friends, and the hyper-secret society known as the Inner Circle of California Birding. As I write this, I have 18 days left to add to my CA 2013 list. This is a very small amount of days. My list stands at around 415, and I am hoping for at least ten more before I fly to Mexico fro the last week of 2013. Here are my Crushes of some post-SEFI birds. Most are Yankee Bravos, but not all.
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| Savannah Sparrow, Salt Springs Valley. Not a year bird. Not even a rare bird, but I thought that it was interestingly buffy. Buffiest Savannah I've ever seen. |
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| Scarlet Tanager, San Diego. |
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| This is a top secret Inner Circle San Diego bird. If you would like to see it, you must either check every Coral Tree in Mission Bay, or learn the Puppet-master's Secret Handshake. |
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| I had to pay twelve bucks for this State Year Bird. It was foolish of me to wait until November to see a Common Poorwill, but this was the Crushiest Poorwill I've ever gotten to see. Totally worth it. LA Natural History Museum. |
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| Just one more of this stunner. Kimball said that this bird is quite pale and is likely not the typical subspecies seen in S. California. I know little of such matters, but trust in this information wholeheartedly. |
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| Mmmm... Life Birds. So delicious. Oscar Johnson and family kindly shuttled my friends and me around Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands a few weeks ago. It was ridiculously fun. We saw the Jays on Santa Cruz and I found the first Island Record for Scarlet Tanager a few minutes later (not sufficiently Crushed for blogging purposes). |
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| Masked Booby, Long Beach Harbor Buoy. This is one of two MABOs that roost every night on a buoy near the entrance to the Long Beach Harbor. They are awesome, and you can see them by buying a ticket on a whale-watching boat. Again, totally worth it. We saw Blue and Fin Whales as an added bonus. |
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| I think it was Jon Feen who spotted this totally typical American Coot at my birthday party in Earvin Magic Johnson Park. Compton, CA. |
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| Outright State Bird. Also another birthday bird. Philadelphia Vireo at Legg Lake. Quite drab for a Philly. |
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| I shocked the birdwatching community to its very core by finding and Crushing this Blackpoll Warbler at Legg Lake this fall. Los Angeles will never be the same. |
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| I will never forget this day. The Inner Circle accepted me as one of their own. They introduced me to Puppet-master McCaskie, taught me the Handshake, issued me a personal Com-link unit, and allowed me to bask in the glory of this beautiful Wood Thrush somewhere in Southern California. |
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| The bird just kept walking up to me on the lawn like a lost puppy, so I did what came naturally. Crushing. This little booger had his face so Crushed in that by the time I was done, I don't think he could fly straight. Hopefully, the bird survived the Crushing process. |
