Many regular and part-time bird watching enthusiasts like to keep life lists of every species of bird they have seen. A new bird added to the list is called a life bird since it is the first time they have seen that species in their lifetime. For those who are not able to go out searching various bird habitats daily or even weekly, adding new life birds can be a difficult task. For those in New Hampshire, at least, relying on the shared expertise of local experts can be a great help in finding elusive or rare new species to add to the list.
New Hampshire is blessed with an active and friendly bird watching community. Many New Hampshire birders are involved in conservation efforts or birding clubs and most are not only willing, but often eager to share their findings with others. One of the best tools that I have found to listen in to these experts discussing their latest findings is the NH.BIRDS email listserv group. This electronic resource allows birders to share their daily sightings with others. For others, it is a great way to read about what birds have been spotted and where. Often, the information given is enough to allow a targeted search to find the same bird again for those looking to add it to their life list. With a specific species and a known location in hand, even novice birders can often grab a good set of birdwatching binoculars and find the bird for which they are looking after spending a little time studying their field marks and photo guides for the target species of bird.
Anyone can subscribe to the list which is owned by David Blezard of The University of New Hampshire and moderated by Steve Mirick, author of “Birding the New Hampshire Seacoast.” Many other renowned area birding experts also take part in the discussion on a daily basis. Many are also accomplished photographers and regularly post pictures of their latest finds. In addition to information about the latest rare bird sightings in the New Hampshire area, there is often discussion about changing habitat trends and behavior patterns of New Hampshire birds.
David Blezard’s free printable “Unoffical Checklist of the Birds of New Hampshire” provides a wonderful tool to help get your life list started or to help add a few more species to your life bird goals for New Hampshire.
A compilation of the NH.BIRDS listserv postings can be found at thevirtualbirder.com.
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I found you! Beautiful pictures.
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