Peanuts In My Pocket

Birding in 2026 is off to a slow start, mostly because of the rain. I’ve only managed two short outings so far, both at local parks. I figured staying close to home would be smart in case the weather turned. Of course, it rained yesterday, and I got caught a half mile from my car. I must have looked ridiculous speed-walking through puddles, my camera wrapped in my shirt like a soggy burrito.

I ended 2025 with 206 lifers. This year, my goal is to reach 300. It’s ambitious but doable. I’ve got a few trips planned that should help, and some regional travel into San Diego County and Central California should open up new possibilities.

I also finished 2025 with 205 species submitted on eBird checklists. That number overlaps with my lifer count, though not completely. Twelve of the birds on my life list were found in earlier years before I began documenting my sightings seriously. For 2026, the goal is to record 300 unique species with photos, submitted to eBird checklists.

So far, I’ve recorded 28 total species across three checklists, with 22 of them being unique. Here’s the breakdown:

• Jan 1 – 14 species at Don Knabe Regional Park
• Jan 2 – 10 species at Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
• Jan 2 – 4 species in my backyard

Lifer #207 came by accident during my first birding outing of the year: a Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) swimming in the community pond at Don Knabe Park. I recognized it on sight but had apparently never added one to a checklist. It felt like a lucky find and maybe a sign that this year will be a good one.

Common Goldeneyes breed in boreal forests near lakes and rivers across Canada, Alaska, and parts of northern Eurasia. In winter, they migrate to more temperate coastal and inland waters across much of North America and Europe.
— via ChatGPT

The year ahead will be challenging. I’ve made it harder by tying my count to photography, but I feel good about that choice. I’m hearing impaired, so identifying birds by song is nearly impossible. I also have poor vision, am color blind, and am still recovering from a painful round of glaucoma. Visual identification without help is difficult. Photography gives me the best chance to confirm what I’ve seen.

I’ll still record birds I observe without photos if they’re common and I already have a solid image. But the main goal is to photograph every species I can, and when possible, capture video too.