Ken Allaire's regional and chronological birdlists.

Presumably, anyone who's reading this page is aware of my passion for birding. But you may not be aware that there are numerous variations in the manner in which one birds; I am what one calls a "lister": I keep track of the different species I see on a daily basis, those that I have seen or not seen, and the locations in which I have seen them, from very local cities and parks, to broader defintions such as state, nation, or region. In the 21st century we are blessed with software to help us track such information, and the data raw listers such as myself provides has helped improve the scientific understanding of the movements, flucuations, and vulnerabilites of bird populations. Mind you, I stop and smell the coffee; I never let my passion for chasing new species keep me from stopping and enjoying the behavior and beauty of an individual bird, no matter how common. In this way I differ from some of the really big listers, some of whom seem more interested in the catalog than the contents.

Below you will find the lists of birds I have actually seen in various locations, ranging from the world to my local urban park. I have found that regional listing has added extra excitement to my hobby; I may see a bird, and it's far from the first time I've ever seen it, but it's the first time I've seen it in New York City: all of a sudden, the bird is new to me again. I've also included annual lists, i.e. the birds I've seen in a given state/region within the calendar year. I've never set out to have a "Big Year", but I've had some good ones through sheer luck.

I feel somewhat blessed to have seen the variety of birds catalogued below, both for the opportunity to travel to a variety of locales, and the serendipity required to put any odd bird in eye's reach. But before you become too impressed with the length of these lists, remember this; I have still only seen slightly more than ten percent of the known species of birds on this planet. There's a long way yet to go....
A new feature of this page is the Inwood Hill Park Master List, featuring not just my own sightings, but those of other birders, with a particular nod to Joe DiCostanzo and George Karsch, who graciously shared with me their sightings from decades of birding IHP. This is by no means the official list (the NYSARC is the final authority on this matter), but it is, to the best of my knowledge, as close as possible to a complete and publicly accesible record online. I welcome any corrections/additions to this list; please e-mail me with any comments to this end.
Another new category is the "Birds Captured on Video" section. I've been collecting some humble wildlife videos for the last two years or so, and I've been fortunate enough to record a good variety of birds. The only criterion for inclusion in this category is that the species be clearly identifiable in the video- some of the material is excellent, some of it merely functional. I am nonetheless quite proud of the variety of species captured thus far.

A quirk of my bird-listing program: an "F" before the name of a species means I saw my first one in the specified geographic location.

If you any questions regarding the species below, or the locations in which they were seen, feel free to email me!

LIFE LISTS (birds seen in certain categories over the course of my life)

  • Inwood Hill Park Master List (all birders)
  • Birds Captured on Video: A bunch of species added on a south-of-the border summer in 2007.


    ANNUAL LISTS (only birds seen in a particular calendar year)