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January 2

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 The second day of the year started close to home again.  I would soon have to pick up my good friend Jeff Shenot at the airport as he would join me for a whirlwind trip across north and west Texas.  I decided to get a late start and just look for the overwintering Thayer's Gull that was only a few miles from my house.  On the way to the airport I looked for the gull for about 30 minutes with no success, but just as I was about to leave, I spotted the gull flying across the causeway!  A very nice bird to get out of the way for the year! Around noon, I picked up Jeff at the Corpus Christi airport and we were on our way to west Texas.  A few quick stops were planned along the way, but they would have to be VERY quick to get them all done before dark.   First stop were some sod farms in Frio county where we picked up Mountain Plovers for the year.  Then it was on to a friend's house in Uvalde for the wintering Allen's Hummingbird that he has had.  Luckily, the hummingbird show
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January 1

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 With our New Year's Eve party ending at midnight, I set off at 12:05am to try to get a couple birds close to the house.  A friend has always said that beginning the year with a House Sparrow or some other "trash" bird is bad luck....so I always make it a point to find a "decent" bird to start the year. I made a quick 5 minute drive over to the causeway and pointed my car headlights towards the water.  Then, at 12:12am, my first bird of the year...a Redhead!  This was quickly followed by 9 more species, including Snowy and Piping Plovers.  A good start to the year.   Morning came early at 6am (especially after going to bed at 1:30am) and I was off to try to get a few target birds that were "close" to home.   My first stop of the day was the Fulton Beach Road in Rockport where a few Black Scoters have been hanging out.  I spent about 30 minutes scanning the bay into horrible light, but no sign of the scoters.  I decided to give up and try for them later
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523?

Will 2021 finally be the year that Lynn Barber's record of 522 species is broken?  Hopefully that is the case!  Lynn's record has stood since 2005, which was the last amazing year for rarities in Texas.  However, as 2021 begins, many similar birds are in place at the start of this year as well.  This is the first year since 2005 that someone may really have a shot at breaking the record. Follow me on my quest to try to find at least 523 species of birds in Texas this year!
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