396. Red Crossbill

Date         October 16, 2026

Location    Salinas Pueblos Missions National Monument, Quarai, NM

This species is notoriously difficult to find due to their nomadic nature. I was fortunate to have a "guide" help identify this one for me.

We were participating in the ranger-led tour of the mission ruins, and he constantly interrupted himself to point out birds. He was an avid birder. Based on what he was saying and identifying, it was clear that he was the real deal. So I eventually trusted him on the ID, although I was pretty much able to confirm the call notes and behavior.

So as we're walking along, he stops and points out a small flock of birds overhead. We heard lots of call notes. He said they were red crossbills, and that they nest in the nearby Manzano mountains. I can't say that I got a great look at them -- I didn't even have binoculars, but again, based on his obvious skill and confidence, and after reading up on the species later, I was comfortable making the call.

Cornell: Red Crossbill

395. Western Bluebird

Date         October 13, 2026

Location    El Morro National Monument, Ramah, NM

We were on the return hike, up on the crest of the rock formation, when we heard a lot of noise and saw an active flock of birds below us. One look through the binoculars confirmed that it was a flock of bluebirds. As Cornell says:

"This small thrush . . . often gathers in small flocks outside of the breeding season to feed on insects or berries, giving their quiet, chortling calls."

I like to confirm the ID through other clues, like behavior, habitat, etc. It makes it more fun.

Cornell: Western Bluebird

394. Pygmy Nuthatch

Date         October 13, 2026

Location    El Morro National Monument, Ramah, NM

Shortly after leaving the visitor center, we began hiking on the Inscription trail, which was lined with pine trees. We heard a lot of chatter and saw a lot of movement in them. I managed to get a quick look at one bird through binoculars. I knew it was a nuthatch, and I hoped that it was Pygmy.

I wanted to be sure to eliminate White-breasted Nuthatch since they are also within range. (I had Merlin listening on my phone, and it had Pygmy listed, but I still wanted to be sure.) I looked at a picture of the White-breasted and instantly knew -- in my brief look I was quite sure that the color went down to the eye, whereas White-breasted basically has an all-white face. I also heard some vocalizations that sounded like Pygmy.

The behavior fits Pygmy as well. They are described as gregarious and commonly found in flocks.

Cornell: Pygmy Nuthatch

393. Monk Parakeet

Date         May 2, 2026

Location    Great Western Trail & Swift Rd, North Glen Ellyn, IL

Monk Parakeets have established a population in the Chicago area. They have built several nests on some electric towers at a ComEd plant. I spotted several working on the nests, including one with an almost comically long twig.

Cornell: Monk Parakeet

392. Brown-headed Nuthatch

Date         April 10, 2026

Location    Niney Six National Historic Park, Ninety Six, SC

We were walking on the trail to the site of the fortress. I was half-listening to all the usual suspects as I read interpretive plaques, tried to avoid fire ants, etc. I heard an unfamiliar noise that immediately grabbed my attention. I turned on Merlin and saw this species listed. I then confirmed the song myself.

I heard them several times, and I made some diligent attempts to see one, but I was never able to. So this is unfortunately an audio-only sighting, but it was definitive, so I counted it.

Cornell: Brown-headed Nuthatch

391. Zenaida Dove

Date         November 26, 2025

Location    Basseterre, St. Kitts

As we were making our way back to the ship, I saw this dove at our feet and had just enough time to take a quick picture. While it's obviously not a great picture, it was enough, along with range information (and confirmation from Merlin), to identify it. The little bit of white on the wing tip and the rounded tail distinguishes it from Mourning Dove.

Wikipedia: Zenaida Dove

390. Scaly-naped Pigeon

Date         November 26, 2025

Location    St. Kitts

Later on during the train ride, I saw several of these flying among some trees. They were obviously pigeons, they were rather gregarious as described in the field guide, and had a dark coloration.

Wikipedia: Scaly-naped Pigeon

389. Gray Kingbird

Date         November 26, 2025

Location    St. Kitts

We boarded a train that went around most of the island of St. Kitts. The tour guide described what we were seeing. We were served drinks and enjoyed dancers in native dress.

Believe it or not, I was able to identify two birds while on a moving train without binoculars. Well, I had binoculars with me, but they were virtually worthless as the train cars had a habit of violently rocking back and forth. But I am confident I have these correct even with just naked eye views. Again the field guide was very useful, especially with respect to range.

I saw this kingbird fairly early on in the trip, perched on a wire. In fact, my view of it, to the left of the train, looked very much like this picture.

Cornell: Gray Kingbird

398. Carib Grackle

Date         November 26, 2025

Location    Basseterre, St. Kitts

No question, range maps helped identifying this one, as it was very similar to all other grackles that I was familiar with. I saw this at the port as we waited for a bus to take us to our scenic train trip.

Wikipedia: Carib Grackle

387. Brown Booby

Date         November 25, 2025

Location    on the ocean near the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico

About 30 minutes before docking in San Juan, while still out in the ocean but approaching land, I saw several birds including at least of couple of these. They were much easier to identify than the red-footed since they were full adults. The flesh-colored bill and the distinct brown and white coloration were a good field marks.

Cornell: Brown Booby

386. Greater Antillean Grackle

Date         November 24, 2025

Location    Ocean World, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

After spending the day at a place called Ocean World where we swam with the dolphins and fed some tropical birds, we were sitting outside the gift shop waiting for the bus that would take us back to our ship. There was a small wooded area across the way, so I decided to explore. I did not have binoculars, but I gave it a try anyway.

There were lots of different bird calls that I was hearing, and I was getting glimpses of birds in the trees, but the only one that I could definitively identify were several of these grackles that were hopping about on the lawn areas. Their behavior was very similar to the Common Grackle in the US. The identification was greatly helped by the range information in the West Indies field guide that I had purchased for the cruise.

Wikipedia: Greater Antillean Grackle

385. Red-footed Booby

Date         November 23, 2025

Location    on the ocean in the northern Bahamas

In November of 2025, Mieka and I went on a Caribbean cruise. Our cabin was at the rear of the ship with a balcony, which afforded lots of opportunity for searching out pelagic species. I managed to get two on the trip. This juvenile Red-footed Booby was the first.

This photo is of the actual bird that I saw. It's obviously not great, but it was taken from a phone on the 10th deck of a cruise ship, and it actually shows some field marks, most notably the bluish bill.

I saw this particular bird -- at least, I think it was the same bird -- three times as it flew from behind the ship and over to the port side. Each circuit showed a very similar pattern.

It was fascinating to watch it fly just above the water, never getting clipped by the waves jutting up.

Cornell: Red-footed Booby

384. Common Eider

Date         May 27, 2025

Location    Race Point Beach, Provincetown, MA

To my left, I saw several ducks at the water's edge. Only one of them was an adult male; the rest were brownish. I strongly suspected this species, but I wanted to get closer to be sure AND get a nice look at this cool duck.

As I slowly made my way over -- taking a few steps, then pausing to look through binoculars, repeat -- a woman was walking to my left with a camera on a tripod. She was walking briskly and not stopping at all, so I was rather annoyed at her because I was afraid she would scare them off. So I quickened my pace somewhat.

She indeed made them head into the bay and swim away, but I got close enough to see it clearly. And at least they didn't fly away.

Cornell: Common Eider

383. White-winged Scoter

Date         May 27, 2025

Location    Race Point Beach, Provincetown, MA

Group of about five flying from my left to my right.

Cornell: White-winged Scoter

382. Crested Carcara

Date         May 3, 2025

Location    US Highway 90, Brackettville, TX

We were just driving from Del Rio to San Antonio and saw one on the side of the highway. It was a brief look, but these are so unmistakable.

Cornell: Crested Caracara

381. Couch's Kingbird

Date         May 2, 2025

Location    Moore Park, Del Rio, TX

We were still trying to make our way out, but the birds weren't done yet! Range and voice were extremely helpful in making this call vs. Cassin's and Western and Tropical. In just a matter of minutes, after deciding to go home, we picked up three flycatchers.

Cornell: Couch's Kingbird

380. Brown-crested Flycatcher

Date         May 2, 2025

Location    Moore Park, Del Rio, TX

Still making our way back, we heard and saw this bird high up in a tree. The more distinct yellow in the belly, the song, and the range helped us determine this species.

Cornell: Brown-crested Flycatcher

379. Great Kiskadee

Date         May 2, 2025

Location    Moore Park, Del Rio, TX

We made our way back to the opposite end of the park, and by this point, we were going to head back to the car and be done for the day. As we started back, we spied him/her high up in a tree. We eventually found a nest as well.

Cornell: Great Kiskadee

378. Cave Swallow

Date         May 2, 2025

Location    Moore Park, Del Rio, TX

Our last stop of the day was to a place called Moore Park, where Green Kingfisher had been reported. This was a city park, next to schools and civic buildings, with a stream running through it. It was a nice green space, but I had my doubts that we'd see anything interesting there beyond the usual suspects. It turned out to be an extremely productive area, despite all the cars and people about.

First we walked down to an overpass. There were dozens of swallows flying around. We soon spotted mud nests attached underneath the overpass. It was clear they were either Cliff or Cave Swallows (due to the nests and lack of forked tail).

However, it was quite difficult to make out details from the flying birds, and the ones on the nest were constantly moving as well, and heavily shaded. There were two things that made us determine that they were Cave, not Cliff: 1) the sounds they were making were distinct from Cliff and matched the sounds for Cave on the app; 2) the nests were not jug-like like Cliff nests; they were, as described in the Sibley's app, "a partially enclosed half-bowl of mud." Bingo!

Cornell: Cave Swallow

377. Common Ground Dove

Date         May 2, 2025

Location    Spur 406, Amistad National Recreation Area, TX

There were a few of these on the opposite side of the road from the bobwhites. They were acting pretty similar -- walking along the ground, foraging.

Cornell: Common Ground Dove