My Birding World

At the start of this year, a new birding project was launched for California: the first statewide bird breeding atlas bird effort. Participants can join the project and submit lists through eBird, with a focus on observing breeding activity.

With the breeding season kicking into gear in the Central Valley, I decided to join the project and pay particular attention to a local community park area where I had observed a Killdeer nest last year.

Shifting my focus to breeding activity opened my eyes to a whole world of bird behavior I had not previously noticed. I watched a bright red male House Finch feed his mate in a courtship ritual that strongly resembled a youngster being fed by a parent. Mockingbirds carved out their territory by singing at the same general location for days on end. Various species, from starlings to goldfinches, collected material for nests and flew out of sight to build a temporary home.

And of course I monitored the Killdeer for evidence of nesting. I didn’t have to try very hard – the Killdeer led me straight to the nest!

I was walking down a sidewalk completely oblivious to a well-camouflaged Killdeer that was sitting crouched in the dirt at the edge of the paved path. When I paused nearby to look at another bird, the Killdeer misinterpreted my intentions and charged at me. There was no “broken wing display” as is their usual defense. Instead, it ran at me while screaming an ear-piercing call, stopping within a couple inches of my shoe. Had I not been careful, I could have easily stepped on it! But because it had left its nest, I was able to observe three eggs.

During my walk on the next day, the Killdeer was foraging nearby, allowing me to see that it now had four eggs (I walked by quickly, never pausing, so as not to accidentally distress it again).

Such a lovely experience to report for the bird breeding project! But the excitement wasn’t over for the morning.

Near the Killdeer nest, a Horned Lark popped onto the wire fence, perched within a couple yards of me. Undeterred by my presence, it sang its heart out in a twinkling melody. I quickly pulled my phone, launched Merlin, and hit record, holding my breath and trying to quietly angle the phone to minimize the wind. I had the biggest smile on my face as I realized that this joyful song would be my 100th recorded species for 2026, reaching my Big Year Recording goal!

In a true Big Year fashion, I intend to continue my recording challenge to see how many species I can end the year with. But for now, I am reveling in the joy of having completed my goal of recording 100 species in a calendar year, with many months ahead of me to truly enjoy additional experiences.

To read more posts about this challenge, see the dedicated Bird Recording Challenge 2026 web page or click on “Bird Recording Challenge 2026” under “Tags” at the bottom of this post.

Total Species Recorded: 67

As March comes to a close, I find myself thinking about how my Big Recording Year has evolved. The initial adrenaline rush of recording a dozen or so new species each week has settled into a steady, but much slower pace. While I recorded some fascinating birds in March, such as the Bonaparte’s Gulls and Lawrence’s Goldfinches, I mainly recorded the birds we see year round.

With the recordings slowing down (for now), I shifted my focus to a new activity: submitting eBird lists to the California Bird Atlas. This is an ambitious five-year project to document bird breeding activity in California to support conservation efforts and expand our knowledge of our breeding birds.

I have to admit that diving into this project has been intimidating. The breeding codes feel daunting, and the birding involves a different focus that requires you to carefully observe bird behavior. I watched a webinar recording that helped me get over my nerves, and spent time reviewing the breeding codes to ensure I understand them.

It turns out that the atlas project supports my recording goals since one of the breeding codes is for a singing bird. You can also add a code if a bird has been singing in the same location for a week or more. Because of that, I’m attempting to take careful notes of the singing birds and their locations to track their territories.

There is a particular mockingbird that has caught my attention recently. I’ve been drawn to its complex song of mimicries, often lasting more than 2 minutes. I enjoy the challenge of identifying the mimics, which includes Mallards, American Crows, and fire alarms. Even though I’ve already recorded this species for the year, I’m submitting additional recordings because it’s helping me to tune in to the song and perhaps it will support the atlas project.

April is just around the corner, and with it will come a fresh new wave of birds to record for my Big Year, and observe for the breeding project. In the meantime, I hope to continue to monitor the mockingbird as long as it continues to sing for a mate.

To read more posts about this challenge, see the dedicated Bird Recording Challenge 2026 web page or click on “Bird Recording Challenge 2026” under “Tags” at the bottom of this post.