That made me wonder why someone would put so much energy into a species that is regular in New York and not a lifer. As of Friday, 11 May, Anthony had already seen 283 species in New York State, a blistering and likely record-setting pace ( Richard Fried is the current record-holder with 352 species seen in 2011 ). MORE >>

Here’s hoping I don’t have to go two years before my next Sandwich Tern , though, considering how rare they are in New York, I would be lucky if it is only two years until I see one again! Birds cupsogue larids New York ternsUntil recently I had only ever seen a single Sandwich Tern. Absurdly distant. MORE >>

Sure, this is normal occurrence across much of Europe and southwest Asia but this particular tale comes from out on the east end of New York’s Long Island, in the town of Medford, where this happened to an unsuspecting non-birder, Celeste Rovner. Thanks to Derek Rogers for getting this story onto the New York State listserv. MORE >>

Richard Fried spent 2011 doing a New York State Big Year and managed to top the record of 350 species which was only set in 2008 by Scott Whittle. Richard totaled 352 species, an impressive number, by seeing almost all of the regularly occurring New York birds and the vast majority of the rarities that showed up in 2011. MORE >>

That changed when I got on the computer and learned that a birder way up in northern New York, on the Tug Hill Plateau, had reported a heck of a bird coming to her feeder. Nancy Loomis had a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch , New York’s second* record, and I was not going to miss this bird again. Disaster! Noooooo!!! MORE >>