In addition to the podcast episodes this year has had some personal birding highlights.
Near the top of the list was my trip to Morocco with Legacy Tours. Michael Carmody, my guest on Episode #12 was a fine trip leader, and a really good guy. Be sure to check out Legacy Tours for his contact info and upcoming trips. On the trip I personally listed 214 of the about 225 species seen on the trip in eBird.

Desert Warbler from Morocco trip.

Not far behind was my trip to Asia with my son Brett, where I got to spend a full day birding in both Thailand and Cambodia with a guide. Country lists stand at 92 for Thailand and 55 for Cambodia with a combined 90 lifers for the trip, on a trip primarily focused on non-birding tourism and visiting Brett.

I had good listing years in both WA, with 310 species for WA and 213 for Pierce County as of today. I consider > 300 and >200 pretty good year lists, and feel great about these this year.

Besides listing, I had really good chances to get out birding with friends, especially Ken and Bruce, but also with other ABCers and with my girlfriend and novice birder Marian.

A trip to places not birded by me in the past, to the Sandpoil River area and to areas in Spokane County, WA was really fun, and I got to several other WA counties I’d birded little or not at all since using eBird in 2012. A winter trip with Ken, Ryan and Bryan to Columbia, Aostin and Garfield counties was especially rewarding. We saw fabulous numbers of Gray Partridge and Ring-necked Pheasant, a huge mixed flock of Horned Larks with Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs intermixed, a Glaucous Gull, Gyrfalcon and several owls.

I visited Maine as usual in the summer, and my friend there Don Mairs is still going strong, and we spent a brief time birding near his home.

I have lots of plans for 2020. Stay tuned on the podcast, and follow on Facebook and Twitter @birdbanter to stay in touch.

Good birding. Good day.