At the beginning of the year, I posted my “Little Year 2017” challenge to myself and any friends who wanted to try. I found this to be a very rewarding way to change how I observe the natural world and think that I have learned a lot. I ended the year with:

93 bird species (19 life list)
11 mammals (2 new life list)
3 reptiles

Birds:

	Common name	Species	General location	Date	New Life List
1	Canada goose	Branta candadiensis	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
2	Northern flicker	Colaptes auratus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
3	American robin	Turdus migratorius	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
4	Red-tailed hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
5	American crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
6	Mourning dove	Zenaida macroura	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
7	European starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
8	Fish crow	Corvus ossifragus	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
9	Boat-tailed grackle	Quiscalus major	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
10	White ibis	Eudocimus albus	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
11	House sparrow	Passer domesticus	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
12	Laughing gull	Larus atricilla	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
13	Common loon	Gavia immer	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
14	Green heron	Butorides virescens	Miami, FL	1/4/2017
15	Yellow-rumped warbler	Dendroica coronata	Miami, FL	1/5/2017	x
16	Rock dove	Columba livia	Miami, FL	1/5/2017
17	Red-bellied woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Miami, FL	1/5/2017	x
18	Eurasian collared dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Miami, FL	1/5/2017
19	Loggerhead shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Miami, FL	1/5/2017
20	Blue jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Miami, FL	1/5/2017
21	Ring-billed gull	Larus delawarensis	Miami, FL	1/6/2017
22	Brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Miami, FL	1/6/2017
23	Muscovy duck	Cairina moschata	Miami, FL	1/6/2017
24	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/14/2017
25	Dark-eyed junco	Junco hyemalis	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/14/2017
26	Black-capped chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/14/2017
27	Carolina wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/14/2017
28	Purple finch	Carpodacus mexicanus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/15/2017
29	Brown creeper	Certhia americana	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/15/2017	x
30	White-crowned sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/15/2017
31	Canvasback	Aythya salisineria	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/21/2017	x
32	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/21/2017
33	Great blue heron	Ardea herodias	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/23/2017
34	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Independence, MO	2/10/2017
35	American kestrel	Falco sparverius	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/12/2017
36	Gadwall	Anas strepera	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/12/2017	x
37	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/17/2017
38	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/19/2017
39	Northern harrier	Circus cyaneus	Blue Springs	2/20/2017
40	Hooded marganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/25/2017	x
41	Red-winged blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/27/2017
42	American coot	Fulica americana	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/27/2017
43	Bald eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Lee’s Summit, MO	3/1/2017
44	Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Lee’s Summit, MO	3/4/2017
45	Turkey vulture	Cathartes aura	Tennessee	3/17/2017
46	Carolina chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Nashville, Tennessee	3/18/2017	x
47	Black vulture	Coragyps atratus	Tennessee	3/20/2017
48	Common grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	Lee’s Summit, MO	3/26/2017
49	Western gull	Larus occidentalis	San Francisco	3/28/2017
50	Brewers black bird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	San Francisco	3/28/2017
51	Stellers jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	San Francisco	3/30/2017
52	Ruddy duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	San Francisco	3/30/2017	x
53	Northern shoveler	Anas clypeata	San Francisco	3/30/2017
54	Double-breasted cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus	San Francisco	3/30/2017
55	Cooper’s hawk	Accipiter cooperii	Lee’s Summit, MO	4/1/2017
56	Scissor-tail flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus	Liberty, MO	4/8/2017
57	Brown-headed cowbird	Molothrus ater	Kansas City, MO	4/11/2017
58	Cedar waxwing	Bombycilla cedorum	Atlanta, GA	4/19/2017
59	Song sparrow	Melospiza melodia	Atlanta, GA	4/19/2017	x
60	Eastern bluebird	Sialia sialis	Atlanta, GA	4/19/2017
61	Barn swallow	Hirundo rustica	Lee’s Summit, MO	4/22/2017
62	Hairy woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Lee’s Summit, MO	4/23/2017
63	American goldfinch	Carduelis tristis	Lee’s Summit, MO	5/7/2017
64	Eastern kingbird	Tryannus tyrannus	Lee’s Summit, MO	5/7/2017
65	Indigo bunting	Passerina cyanea	Lee’s Summit, MO	5/8/2017
66	Cliff swallow	Hirundo pyrrhonota	Lee’s Summit, MO	5/15/2017	x
67	Brown thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Lee’s Summit, MO	5/15/2017
68	Great egret	Ardea alba	Lake buena vista, Florida	5/24/2017
69	Common moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Orlando area	5/27/2017
70	Ruby-throated humming bird	Archilochus colubris	Lee’s Summit, MO	6/16/2017
71	Horned lark	Erenophila alpestris	San Diego	8/1/2017	x
72	Black phoebe	Sayornis nigricans	San Diego	8/1/2017
73	Heermann’s Gull	Larus heermanni	San Diego	8/1/2017
74	Snowy egret	Egretta thula	San Diego	8/2/2017
75	Caspian tern	Hydroprogne caspia	San Diego	8/2/2017
76	Anna’s Hummingbird	Calypte anna	San Diego	8/2/2017	x
77	Willet	Catoptrophorus semipalmatus	San Diego	8/2/2017	x
78	Hooded crow	Corvus cornix	Rome, Italy	9/19/2017
79	Yellow-legged gull	Larus michahellis	Rome, Italy	9/20/2017	x
80	Italian sparrow	Passer italiae	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017	x
81	Greylag goose	Anser anser	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017
82	Monk parakeet	Myiopsitta monachus	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017
83	Rose-winged parakeet	Psittacula krameri	Rome, Italy	9/19/2017
84	European robin	Erithacus rubecula	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017
85	Little egret	Egretta garzetta	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017
86	Blackbird	Turdus merula	Rome, Italy	9/23/2017
87	Downy woodpecker	Picoides pubescens	Lee’s Summit, MO	11/19/2017	x
88	Whimbrel	Numenius phaeopus	Orange County, CA	12/13/2017
89	Snowy plover	Charadrius alexandrius	Orange County, CA	12/13/2017	x
90	Allen’s hummingbird	Selasphorus sasin	Orange County, CA	12/13/2017	x
91	Royal tern	Sterna maxima	Orange County, CA	12/14/2017
92	California thrasher	Toxostoma redivivum	Orange County, CA	12/14/2017	x
93	Northwestern crow	Corvus caurinus	Vancouver, Canada	12/11/2017

Mammals:

	Common name	Species	General location	Date	New Life List
1	Grey squirrel	Sciurus carolinensis	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/1/2017
2	White tailed deer	Odocoileus virginianus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/2/2017
3	Eastern cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus	Lee’s Summit, MO	1/9/2017
4	Coyote	Canis latrans	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/4/2017
5	Fox squirrel	Sciurus niger	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/5/2017
6	Racoon	Procyon lotor	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/7/2017
7	Oppossum	Didelphis virginiana	Lee’s Summit, MO	2/21/2017
8	Groundhog	Marmota monax	Tennessee	3/17/2017
9	Townsend’s mole	Scapanus townsendii	San Francisco	3/30/2017	x
10	California sea lion	Zalophus californianus	San Francisco	3/30/2017
11	Red squirrel	Sciurius vulgaris	Rome, Italy	9/22/2017	x

One of the joys and frustrations of doing this were all of the “ones that got away”. Or more accurately, the ones that I saw, knew were “new” but couldn’t get enough detail to classify. For example, I watched huge numbers of diverse birds in an estuary near San Diego but couldn’t get pictures with enough detail to make a strong ID, though I was proud to id some willets based on their wing markings and added them to my life list. I also am very strict and only document IDs where I am confident that I have enough information. For example, where I live there are two overlapping species of meadowlarks. Their songs are different and they have very fine differences around their beaks. But I couldn’t make a good ID and have not included them.

I have already started my 2018 Little Year. For anybody who wants to do this, I’ve created a spreadsheet that helps me and am sharing it here. 2018 Little year template

As you fill it out, put “Aves” in the “Class” on the birds tab once you confirm a sighting and it will show up in the total on the face sheet. Same with “Mammalia” for confirmed mammals. Enjoy!

Little Year 2017 – Results!

Birds:

Mammals:

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Birds:

Mammals:

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