May 2026 Celebrations

Tobin Brown of Lincoln, Nebraska, set a new state Big Year record in 2025. At 355 species, he topped the previous tally by eight birds while traveling over 30,000 miles across the state. It was the year of the rarity in Nebraska. Tobin’s 2025 list included the state’s fifth reported Pacific Wren, fourth Costa’s Hummingbird, third Swallow-tailed Kite, first Couch’s Kingbird (continuing from 2024), and second Crested Caracara, which he found with his brother Keegan Brown and friend Eugene Huryn. Some of his most memorable birds included his 500th lifer (Smith’s Longspur), 350th state bird (Arctic Tern), a pair of juvenile Long-tailed Jaegers in August, and a very uncommon Common Crane found during the peak of the Sandhill Crane migration on the Platte River in March.

Persistence is the code word that Don Burlettof Oxford, Michigan, adheres to. Just keep going, no matter what it takes, and you will achieve your goals. Since June 2024, when he reached 6,000 birds on his life list, a new goal has appeared: 6,500. In Nov. 2024, Don ventured to remote islands off West Papua to reach #6,100, a Moluccan Scops Owl on Seram Island. In Aug. 2025, he ventured to the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil and observed a Scaled Spinetail on Mexiana Island for #6,200. In Jan. 2026, Don traveled to southern India and Sri Lanka in search of more lifers. At the Periyar Tiger Reserve in India, he saw a Jungle Myna for #6,300. And at the Sinharaja Forest Reserve on Sri Lanka, he saw an Ashy-headed Laughingthrush for #6,400. It’s been a fun run, and he can’t thank his fellow participants and guides enough for their hard work. On to 6,500!

The Horned Lark, the 2026 ABA Bird of the Year, is a “winter bird” for Sandy Darling,who lives above the Niagara Escarpment in Dundas, Ontario. In winter, the fields are wind-swept and covered in snow, habitat favored by Horned Larks, which often gather there with Snow Buntings and occasionally Lapland Longspurs. In some years, this is the only area in the Hamilton CBC circle where Horned Larks are recorded. In 2011, Sandy captured a photo with one of each of the three species, thereby providing a good contrast among them.

Dennis Kirkwood of Harford County, Maryland, leads a trip each winter to the fields and ponds near his farm in northwest Harford, ending at his home for hot soup. On a trip 20 years ago, a Harford Bird Club member brought two guests along who especially wanted to see Horned Larks, regularly encountered in the open fields near the farm. The larks showed well for everyone, and scope views were obtained. When the trip ended, Dennis was chatting with the two guests, who had introduced themselves at the beginning as Lee and Courtney from Pennsylvania. Lee handed Dennis a business card that showed his surname as Peterson. Dennis asked whether Lee knew the iconic Roger Tory Peterson, and Lee responded, “Yes, he was my father.” Dennis practically passed out after realizing that he had shown a life bird to such a famous guest. In Oct. 2024, Lee gave the keynote talk for the club’s 75th anniversary, and Dennis got a picture of Lee with Dennis’s grandson, Forest Feldmann.

Bill Lindley of London, Ontario, became the first Canadian to reach the 900 species milestone for the ABA Area, having seen the Yellow Grosbeak in Estes Park, Colorado, on Wed., July 9, 2025. Ironically, on Mon., Aug. 11, 2025, a Spotted Redshank showed up in Cambridge, Ontario, only 60 miles from Bill’s home, bumping his tally to 901.

Santa really came through for the Vancouver, British Columbia, birding community with the appearance on Christmas Day of a Taiga Flycatcher at a local park—a first for Canada! Word quickly spread, and by 1:30pm on Boxing Day this very obliging bird became ABA Continental bird #600 for local birder Graham Sunderland. Impaired mobility has drastically reduced Graham’s birding forays, but the flycatcher’s discovery by Ethan Moon in Sunset Beach Park a mere three kilometers from Graham’s home proved irresistible and had him scootering in pursuit aboard the mobility device that had returned him to the world of birding long denied him by infirmity. This sighting also capped 65 years of birding without car or driver’s license, so it is with much gratitude and delight that Graham extends his very sincere thanks to the many birders and non-birding drivers whose kind offers of rides made the attainment of this milestone possible.

On a sunny winter day in Dec. 2024, Ryan Taylor of Cincinnati, Ohio, set out to photograph some Horned Larks near where he lives. The birds were frequently seen at a community park along a gravel road bordering a sod farm. Lying flat on the ground with his camera, Ryan observed and waited as the larks moved into frame. It was mid-afternoon and the light was partly diffused through the clouds. Ryan says, “I positioned myself with the sun behind me, allowing the birds to be front-lit to show off their subtle yet stunning colors. The feeling of calm and stillness I felt was incredible, as these small birds carried on with daily life, uninterrupted by my presence. This photo of a male Horned Lark is one of several I captured of both males and females. The characteristic ‘horns’ give off a rather sinister appearance, juxtaposed with their unassuming demeanor.”

On a trip to Mexico with his fiancée, Mar. 2026 Birding contributor Joe Trezza spotted life bird #1,000, a Common Squirrel-Cuckoo, upon arrival at Cancun International Airport on Thurs., Feb. 5, 2026. A lifelong birder, Joe marched to 1K alongside Peter Kaestner, who helped him wrangle the final 275 birds as part of an upcoming book about the top world lister. The Big Life is coming in 2027. The better half of the couple, Alisa Ryncarz, also passed a milestone on the same day when a Keel-billed Toucan flew over Jaguar National Park in Tulum. Alisa, who began birding after the couple met in 2021, pointed skyward and exclaimed “flying banana!” at the sight of her 500th bird.

In 2022, Gary Warner declared that he was going to find a Horned Lark. After careful study, he went on four trips, striking out each time. On Thurs., Mar. 17, 2022, Gary and his wife, Carol, were headed to visit a family member in Ohio. On the way, they saw the Horned Lark which had been recently seen at McElroy Lake in Kentucky—about a one-hour detour. After checking in with employees, the couple wandered the flooded fields, where they spied pipits, coots, snipe, and yellowlegs. Eventually giving up, they headed back to the car. Carol, whom Gary calls his “spotter,” asked, “Is that bird you’re looking for?” And there, at the very end, were two Horned Larks, posing for photos!

Celebrate your birding experiences with the ABA community! Share stories and sightings from North America and beyond by sending an email to Birding Associate Editor Ioana Seritan. Submissions should be 50–150 words long, written in the third person; please include the location and date for your celebration, and please indicate your place of residence. Traditional numerical milestones (100 species at your local patch, 300 species in your state or province, 500 species in the ABA Area, etc.) are very welcome, but we also prize celebrations of any other sort: special sightings, cool discoveries, birthday birds, powerful experiences, nutty anecdotes, and more. If you celebrated birds and birding, we at Birding magazine want to hear about it—and so does the rest of the ABA membership.

—Ioana Seritan, Associate Editor

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