As the new year began, I had the urge to do something different, but I wasn't sure what.  As January progressed, I had seen many birds that I don't often get a chance to see.  Birds such as White-winged Crossbill, Northern Goshawk and King Eider had all made timely appearances.  I decided I wanted to do a "Big Month" and find 100 kinds in January.  Arlene Borko and I decided to give it a try.  I was amazed that with many trips to Long Island and upstate I was able to see 102 species that month.   I was on a roll and the idea of doing a "Big Year" (300 species in the state) came to me.  February was also productive and I decided to go for it.

As one month after another passed, I had added many great birds.  I wasn't in this alone either.   Arlene, Renee Davis and Ed DeBellevue had all joined in to see how many birds they could see as well.  We had birds such as Eurasian Widgeon, Hoary Redpoll, Bohemian Waxwing, Red Crossbill, Barrow's Goldeneye and Greater White-fronted Goose!  As spring arrived, the migrants came through and some great species showed up:  Kentucky Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Prothonotary Warbler, Caspian and Black Terns!  There was no doubt that we were seeing birds that you don't get to see every year.  I even got the Bar-tailed Godwit in Mecox, Long Island.  A pelagic trip to Hudson Canyon produced eight new species for the year, including Pomarine Jaeger, Leach's Storm Petrel and Cory's and Manx Shearwaters, to name a few.

There was a brief lull, but then most unexpectedly July became very productive. We saw things like Hudsonian Godwit, Gull-billed Tern, American White Pelican, Seaside and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrows.  At the end of August, I had amassed a list of 298 species!  Then on September 6th on a trip to the Bashakill, I spotted a Bay-breasted Warbler, species number 300!!  As far as I know, I am the first person from Sullivan County to complete a successful "Big Year," and what a year it had been, and it was just the beginning of September!

All of this birding involved a great deal of traveling.  We have made over 30 trips to Long Island, a trip to the Adirondacks, one to western NYS and at least a dozen trips to north central New York.  A Niagara Falls trip for gulls and at least a couple of more trips to Long Island are still to come.

Once you have reached 300, birds do get harder to add, and the possibilities decrease significantly.  I've continued to add a few species here and there, and have had some good days.  As of this date (November 1), I have added 19 new birds to my state life list, 5 life birds and am up to 308 species for the year!  And we still have two months to go. My birding friends have all accomplished personal bests and a couple of them are on the threshold of breaking 300 themselves.  So many people have helped make this a wonderful birding experience and I can't thank them enough.  If you ever want a challenging and exciting experience that will test your abilities as a birder, try a New York State "Big Year"!

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