Happy 2010!
January 1st is one of the most important days in my birding year. The reason for this is the start of new "Year List". Listing is an activity that many birds partake in on various levels. I simply keep annual Staten Island and New York State lists. It's very interesting to see what rarities change from year to year, and also to track how many species you find each year! The real interest is, of course, is the comparison between years.
It's become an annual tradition that I spend New Year's Day traveling around Staten Island in an attempt to start the New Year off with a bang by tallying as many species as possible. This year I was joined by fellow birder, Dave Eib and what a great day it turned out to be! In fact, as far as I can tell from my record, with a total of 70 species this is my best January 1st ever!
