Have you ever found yourself off to a great start birding in a certain area and decided maybe you should see how many species you can find in that area for the year, sort of a kinda-big-year? That describes many of the recent years of my guest this episode, Alex Patia. The ABA, New Mexico, Washington and Clallam County big years have come about this way for Alex since he became an avid birder and lister in about 2014.
We talk about his career as an environmental educator. He has worked for Nature Bridge, as well as at a camp in Maine, Camp Chiwonki
While at Camp Chiwonki he led several trips to Eastern Egg Rock. You can learn lots more about this area as well as Atlantic Puffin Reintroduction programs on The Bird Banter Podcast #57 with “Puffin” Pete Salmonsohn. The boat ride out to Eastern Egg Rock is one of my favorite easy short boat rides ever. I got my life Atlantic Puffin and Northern Gannet on this ride years ago.
I was fascinated to learn about the great birding in New Mexico too. I have birded just a little in NM, on a soccer trip with my daughter Jean when she was 13 and playing a regional tournament in Albuquerque, and on a vacation in Santa Fe with friends when we made it up to the Sandia Crest Lodge in Cibola to see Black Rosy-Finches at a feeder there.
I would love to get to Guadalupe Canyon there if that is still within my physical capability. This is a link to the eBird Bar Chart of species that can be found there.

Here is a link to Birds of the World that I talk about in the introduction. I love this website.
Last, here is a link to the Bird Banter Podcast #55 with Suzie Gilbert to hear and learn more about bird rehab centers and Suzie’s novel Unflappable.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thanks for listening. Until next time. Good birding and Good Day!