One nice benefit of having birded for many years is the fact that you get to see a lot of really nice birds. You develop a lengthy Life List. The more you bird, the longer your list.
But that has a down side as well. The more you bird, the harder it is to find new species to add to your life list.
During 2013 I added only one species to my personal life list – the Barnacle Goose that showed up at Larchmont Reservoir. The first time one has been recorded in Westchester. In the previous year, 2012, I added only one new species – the Northern Wheatear at Croton. The first time seen in Westchester in 25 years. In 2011, I added the Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Stamford, Connecticut, another first time appearance. At the rate of one new bird per year it will take decades for my Life List to grow.
So I adopted a new technique that will make my life list grow faster.
My technique appears in the Jan/Feb issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest (BWD) magazine. Maybe other birders will read it and start using my technique. And I can start a trend.
Below is the article:
My Way: Starting Over
I can recall the thrill of seeing my first Scarlet Tanager and can still picture my young hand proudly printing the name at the bottom of my modest life list. The brilliant red bird glowing in the bright morning sunshine is imbedded in my memory. It was a magical experience.
My life list has grown nicely since then. But new species have become more difficult and less frequent each year as my list has grown. I still enjoy adding each new species. But it is not the same as the joy of adding that tanager. I’d love to re-experience that feeling.
Obviously you can never truly repeat a first time experience. However recently I was introduced to a simple new technique that comes close: I started over.
That’s right. I re-set my life list to zero and started accumulating new species again. Even a common species, such as an American Robin, became new again. In reality, of course, I have seen most of these “new” species before. But they are “new” for my new list. Surprisingly adding a new bird is almost, but not quite, as exciting the second time around.
This practice is similar to my year list but it is different. It doesn’t end on December 31st. It keeps going. It is my new life list.
My goal, which probably won’t happen, is to someday make my new life list as long as my original list. Then, maybe, I’ll start over again.
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