Monk Parakeet

On July 23, 2021 Judy and I were visiting Andrew in New York City and we took the subway into Brooklyn and visited the Green-Wood Cemetery which houses the remains of Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Morse, Horace Greeley and many other distinguished and not so distinguished New Yorkers. I was excited to see the monk parakeet that Andrew said were all over the entrance facade to the cemetery. 

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World. Wikipedia notes that they are native to South America, but feral populations can be found all over the world. It notes populations in New York and specifically mentions Green-Wood Cemetery. 

Lincoln's Sparrow

In July 2021 I was with Judy in Horseheads, New York, near the southern end of Seneca Lake. I got up early for a 64 mile drive to Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, five miles east of Seneca Falls at the northern end of Cayuga Lake. It was there that I saw my one and only, so far, Lincoln's sparrow. 

It is a less common sparrow that is often hidden under thick ground cover and often near water. It is very secretive and often not seen or heard, even where they are common. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World.

Dark-Eyed Junco

The dark-eyed junco is a surprisingly varied bird with 14 or 15 subspecies. At one time they were considered separate species, but they interbreed extensively in areas where they contact each other. There is an Oregon or brown-backed group which includes ssp. Thurber's dark-eyed junco found in the interior of California from San Bernardino to Modoc County. That is the ssp. I am most familiar with. 

Seen near the Chilao Visitor Center in the San Gabriel Mountains above Los Angeles. 

Seen at Lake Silverwood near the Cajon Pass in the San Bernardino Mountains. 

In our backyard in Redlands, California. 

In Oak Glen, San Bernardino Mountains. 

It also includes the Nevada dark-eyed junco, ssp. mutabilis, found in the Great Basin. I saw those below at Fish Springs NWR near Delta, Utah.

 Ssp. pinosus is found in coastal California from Santa Barbara to Del Norte County. 

Found at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum in Santa Cruz, California.

Found in Portola Redwood State Park in northern California.

I'm not sure what ssp. these are, found in Caprock Canyon State Park in the Texas Panhandle.

This slate-colored dark-eyed junco was seen in Shawnee Mission Park in Kansas.

Illustration of a slate-colored ssp. hyemalis male from Birds of the World. Females are less colorful. 

Illustration of a brown-backed ssp. oreganus male from Birds of the World. Females are less colorful.

Range from Birds of the World. 

Chipping Sparrow

I saw my first chipping sparrow at Letchworth State Park in western New York State on June 27, 2021. Judy and I were with our son, Andrew, and his girlfriend, Lauren, and it was on the edge of a parking lot while we were near the "Grand Canyon of the East." 

It is a breeding adult with a rusty crown, an unstreaked gray belly and black eyeline. 

This non-breeding chipping sparrow was seen in Shawnee Mission, Kansas on November 1, 2024 while I was accompanying Judy to a conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Note the more subdued color on the head. 

Given its range, particularly in California, I'm surprised I've not seen more of them. The answer might be that they mainly breed in coniferous forests in the west. 

Illustration from Birds of the World. 

Razorbill

On July 8, 2024 Judy and I were in the midst of a tour around Ireland. We were on the best part: the wild west coast. Two days before we'd done the Dingle Peninsula; the day before we did the Ring of Kerry. It was a Monday and we drove two and a quarter hours from Castleisland, Kerry to Doolin and the Doolin Ferry for a ferry ride for a seaside view of the Cliffs of Moher. I did not have my large camera, all I had was my iPhone. However, I did get a very poor photo of a razorbill, a lifer, riding the choppy waters. 

Illustration in breeding plumage from Birds of the World.

Illustration in non-breeding plumage from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. 

Little Gull

While in the Pamucak Wetlands in Turkey, nearing the Little Meander River where it empties into the Aegean Sea, I spotted a gull that did not look like any of the others I'd seen on our trip. It was on Pamucak Beach very near the water. 

This does look like a photo of a first winter little gull on Birds of the World, with a dark beak and blackish/red legs and feet. 

I identified it as a Mediterranean gull on iNaturalist, but an identifier named kocoleoptera disagreed and indicated it was a little gull. I went to kocoleoptera's iNat page and he identified himself as a Turkish student that is "mainly a birder..., especially those from Turkiye...On ebird, I've been a reviewer for Turkiye since March 14, 2026."  On eBird, his name is indicated as Koray Ogreten from Istanbul, the Regional Reviewer for Turkiye and the Hotspot Editor for Turkiye. 

Illustration of breeding from Birds of the World.

Illustration of non-breeding from Birds of the World. 

Range from Birds of the World. As I look at the range map, the little gull looks like it should be farther north at this time of the year and iNaturalist did not even show the little gull as an option. But after looking at the identifier's credentials, I decided to go with it. 

The little gull is the smallest gull in the world. Birds of the World's article focuses on the little gull in North America. The Wikipedia article does state that "In the early 21st Century non-breeding birds have summered in western Europe in increasing numbers..." It also indicates that they "typically arrive at their breeding areas from late-April up to late May and start to move away from the breeding areas from the middle of July." This was in western Asia, not western Europe, and was in late June, but I decided to go with the Turkey eBird expert. This is a new bird (lifer) for me. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

I've seen lesser yellowlegs a couple of times. The first time was in the mitigation wetlands along McDonald Road outside Niland, California on April 9, 2021. 

The second time was at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge in Juab County, Utah on October 20, 2022. 

Illustration of breeding from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of non-breeding from Birds of the World. 

Illustration of non-breeding flying from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World.

Black Turnstone

In March 2025 we visited our son, Sam, who was living at the time in Santa Cruz, California. On the 29th we took a circuitous drive, starting inland, looking for pileated woodpeckers (unsuccessfully), then circled around to the coast and drove south, stopping at a number of beautiful beaches, including Pescadero State Beach which is along SR 1, 14.5 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 1.5 miles west of the city of Pescadero, in San Mateo County. I found my first and only (so far) black turnstones, which look quite a bit like the ruddy turnstone, but are not as colorful. 

Illustration from Birds of the World.

Range from Birds of the World. 

It breeds in western Alaska with the bulk of the population in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. It winters on rock shores along the Pacific coast from southern Alaska southwards as far as northwest Mexico.