a new approach.

this year i'm going to try a new approach to listing. namely, i wont be using 'ebird' anymore, which makes you enter dates, times, and locations when submitting a list. instead i'll be using an old fashioned paper list. a paper list is beneficial because it will show me all birds recorded in san diego county alongside all the birds i've seen in san diego county, which 'ebird' doesn't do. that way, it'll be much easier for me to recognize and target the birds i've yet to see. it's a much simpler and more efficient way to do things in my opinion.

also, i'm going to try a new trip strategy. instead of just visiting a number of different locations in a given area, i'll be targeting specific groups of birds in specific habitat types - at least until the majority of common birds are out of the way. i think this more methodical approach will lead to more success in checking off whole sections of birds on my list. basically, if i see i'm missing some common species of raptor, i can check canyons and inland grassland areas, or, if i'm missing some waterfowl, i can check lakes and coastal wetlands, etc... this way i wont be driving around the county getting birds willy-nilly, but hopefully ticking them off in a more orderly fashion. i'm hoping this approach will also make my i.d.s better. my hypothesis is that it's easier to remember, recognize, and focus on the important field marks of certain groups of birds if you've been looking at, and thinking about them all day. so, i think it'll be better to go from flocks of peeps (small sandpipers), to other flocks of peeps, than from flocks of something else, to flocks of peeps. that way i wont need to reorient myself to new field marks at every location, but stay focused throughout my trip.

also, stay tuned for the first installment of the 'target bird' series: YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.