100 Species or bust 2020!
Another year and another goal of 100 new species to see. In a blink of the eye its already mid-July and I'm a bit behind my lofty goal. The year started slowly with only 2 new species January through April, an American Three-toed Woodpecker and American Porcupine in Sax-Zim Bog, MN. After that a friend and I found a mega rarity male Ruff at a local WMA. This was later joined by a flock of Hudsonian Godwits to make 4 lifers for the year. Herping central Iowa got me a long-overdue Central Newt, and I saw both Muskellunge and Shortnose Gar while out birding near the Cedar river. A dry spell ensued until an early June vacation to Rocky Mountain NP, where I turned up 18 life critters. American Pika, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Abert's Squirrel and Franklin's Ground squirrel for mammals, and Bullock's Oriole, Western Wood-pewee, Lesser White-fronted goose, Broad-tailed Hummer, Pygmy Nuthatch, MacGillivray's warbler, Grace's Warbler, Clark's grebe, Williamson's and Red-naped sapsuckers, Dusky Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Townsend's Solitaire, and Cassin's Sparrow. American Dipper was ABA bird #500, a huge milestone for me! Since that trip the stifling Iowa summer has kept me mostly indoors, and nothing new has surfaced yet. I currently stand at 26 new species for the year with 5 1/2 months to go! It looks like 100 might be out of reach, but I'm still looking!
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