Today is my 27th birthday so I spent some time thinking about my 27 favorite birds. At first I figured it would be a breeze since there are so many awesome birds. Of course, that was what made it more difficult. I decided to only include birds that I’ve seen, thus limiting the pool to in the 360s.
In no particular order, here are my 27 favorite birds:
- Common Loon – love their haunting sound when in the northwoods
- White-breasted Nuthatch – always fun to watch
- Ovenbird – my favorite warbler
- Northern Cardinal – our state bird and one I see every day
- Greater Roadrunner – awesome bird on so many levels
- Harris’s Hawk – the coolest hawk there is
- Fox Sparrow – sweet sound and look
- Black-throated Blue Warbler – seen only twice and both times in my backyard
- Whip-poor-will – saw one singing at night, always enjoy their song
- Wood Thrush – their magical sound is hypnotizing
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird – three of them buzzing around our flowers just the other day
- White-eyed Vireo – harder to find in northern Illinois
- Baltimore Oriole – orange, black, and awesome
- Belted Kingfisher – check this photo for why this made the list
- Brown Thrasher – a favorite from bird banding and just fun to see
- Pileated Woodpecker – a bird that gives me goosebumps
- Barred Owl – one I can call out
- Snowy Owl – no explanation needed
- Elegant Trogon – my favorite of southeast Arizona
- Sora – I can imitate their sound nearly exact
- Mexican Jay – in Arizona, one begged for our breakfast
- Bald Eagle – our nation’s bird for a very good reason
- Osprey – can out-fish me any day of the week
- Great Blue Heron – elegant, gorgeous, and photogenic
- House Wren – personal gardening gnome
- Cactus Wren – tough as cactus spines and handsome to boot
- Eastern Towhee – drink your tea indeed!
Invariably some birds were on my list and then were cut, making room for an overlooked species. Here are the honorable mentions. If you don’t think this is hard task, try it for yourself!!
- Green Heron
- Great-crested Flycatcher
- Varied Thrush
Mexican Jay– what are you doing down here?
Happy B’day! Didn’t know you were such a young hopper! Thought you’d be at least 28! 😉
Good list! Have a great Birthday day!
Cheers, Klaus
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDDIE. LuAnn (Tim’s Mom)
Happy birthday! I agree with many of your picks (& enjoyed the kingfisher photo–how awesome!) I think the great white egret would be on my list, as well. If we’re not limiting ourselves to the US, I couldn’t limit my list to 27!
¡¡¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!!
Happy Birthday!!!
I have just seen ONE of the ones in your list 🙁
I guess I’ll have to visit your side of the world soon!
Best wishes from Perú 😛
Happy Birthday!
But cutting Green Heron? Really? Well, there is no accounting for taste…
🙂
Thanks all!!
I would not have cut Green Heron if they didn’t always hide from me!!
And to show how hard it was to choose, I somehow included AND cut Mexican Jay! Only a jay could manage to be on both lists 😉
It’s a dangerous way to get started – 27 favorites sounds like a lot, but you could spend the rest of the day tweaking the list! Black-backed, Red-headed, and Acorn Woodpeckers, for instance. Bobolink, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Turnstone, Black-throated Sparrow, Merlin, Painted Redstart, Varied Thrush, Tree Swallow, Long-billed Curlew, and on and on…
Hey! Happy Birthday!
I changed my banner to your #4 bird in your honor.
Not really but hope you enjoyed your special day.