February ended with another strong month of birding across two overlapping projects. The first is my Birding Big Year, with a goal of photographing 300 bird species. The second is the 2026 Bird Nerd Project, a November-to-November wildlife photography challenge. I track them together, although I’ve paused formal updates on Bird Nerd while I rethink the underlying data model.
I made a fundamental mistake when setting this up. I chose Apple Numbers instead of Excel because I wanted everything to live neatly inside the Mac ecosystem. Numbers is not Excel. I’ve since started over in Excel on a PC, redesigning the data model so it can properly support both projects. It’s taking longer than expected. I’d rather be out birding.
February brought plenty of rain, which cost me at least a week of outings. A few scheduling conflicts took care of additional days. Even so, I completed 15 checklists, including an unsuccessful owl hunt at Descanso Gardens.
Highlights
February highlights included photographing a Downy Woodpecker, an elusive Spotted Towhee, and a lifer Bell’s Vireo. I also captured a Lincoln’s Sparrow, a species I’ve seen several times but never successfully photographed, and the secretive Common Gallinule.
I repeated a Big Day at Bolsa Chica and came away with another 40 species. My photography improved again after mapping a button on my lens to toggle between my two most-used focusing modes. That small technical change saved precious seconds and kept me focused on birds instead of menu screens. It paid off when I encountered an Osprey hovering mid-hunt.
Video Improvements
I made two additional upgrades this month. First, I purchased a directional microphone for video recording. The audio improvement is dramatic, though I ruined a few early attempts by using the wrong cable. Lesson learned.
Second, I temporarily slowed video production to complete an online course and improve my workflow. I experimented with short-form content and published three shorts, but my focus remains on improving the technical side and learning to shoot with intention for short video formats.
If I had to summarize February, aside from celebrating a milestone birthday, I’d say it was a month of leveling up. I worked on becoming a better photographer, a more thoughtful videographer, and a more disciplined editor in Lightroom and iMovie. I’m optimistic about the trajectory.
Current Stats
Big Year: 136 species
Bird Nerd: 133 species
Life List: 217 species
Total Photos Taken: 10,324
Total Video Clips Taken: 94
Total YouTube Videos Published: 9 + 3 Shorts
Peanuts In My Pocket 
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