Be the Roadrunner - an update on my Little Big Year

Greater Roadrunner

The past four months have been very exciting and rewarding, and I know there's more to come!  Actually, ever since I started birding just a few years ago my world changed - it gave me wings and I'm flying high.  Being out in nature discovering and learning about birds brings me so much joy that sometimes I feel like I'm about to burst.  Yes, I LOVE birding!

My Little Big Year at the Glendale Recharge Ponds is coming along better than I expected.  More seasoned birders would be well beyond where I'm at, but I'm very happy with what I've accomplished so for.  Besides, this isn't a competition with others - it's my own personal goal.  I talked about it briefly in a previous post and more info is in the tab titled "My Little Big Year - Birding GRP 2016", but I'll expand a little more here.

For non-birders who are wondering what the heck am I doing, and what is a "Big Year", here's the short version.  Obviously birders love birds, and we are constantly working on our Life List (basically a record of how many species seen in our lifetime).  A Big Year (BY) is simply an informal competition to identify the most species in a calendar year.  There are different types of BY's, but they're all done by geographical location.  For instance you can do a BY by country, state, county, hotspot, backyard, etc.  So for this year I chose the Glendale Recharge Ponds (GRP) - an excellent birding hotspot.

Because I'm not able to bird as much as I want (at this time), I set my little goal for 150 species, which is very doable at the GRP.  I hope to exceed that goal, but will be completely satisfied with whatever I end up with.  As of today, I have 107 species - only 43 more to go!  I won't be able to work on it hardly at all during the summer, so I'm trying to get in what I can until our lovely heat kicks in and then resume in the Fall.

Yesterday I saw the Greater Roadrunner (above pic) at the GRP, as well as many other species, plus two more lifers!  I love and admire this bird.  Do you know that the roadrunner can outrun a human? Wile E. Coyote never had a chance!  And if you're into this kind of thing (I am) the roadrunner symbolizes courage, strength and endurance.

Be the Roadrunner.

Peace and happy birding!
Rocki