It's 2012...and I'm blogging again...?

With my head hanging in shame, I am pointlessly dredging up Cerulean Sky once again from the depths. I can't promise many posts but since my last post appears to be May of 2011, surely I can do better than that...?

Anyway, the reason I'm putting up a post is because I really want to add 10 species to my Ontario List in the upcoming year. It's a resolution in fact. My only fun one. The others involve saving money and running more. Yeah right.

I'm not going to air all my dirty birdy laundry here (there are some birds I'm missing that nobody has to know about...) but I do want to list some of the species I either a) predict I will see, or b) I really want to see.

I was fortunate in 2011 to add a number of species to my Ontario list including Great Gray Owl in the last few days of the year in Essex County, Black-legged Kittiwake, Bell's Vireo, and a # of species at Algonquin (thank you, Matt!) including White-winged Crossbill, Boreal Chickadee, and Gray Jay.

One of these years it would be fun to try a big Ontario year but I can get pretty obsessed w/ listing for those that know me so I would have to be careful that it wouldn't take up too much time. One of these years it will happen...?

So here are some Ontario birds I predict I'll add:

- Red-throated Loon (I know what you're thinking, and yes, I am shocked, appalled, and ashamed as well)
- The northern species I suck at: Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak
- Long-tailed Jaegar
- Ross's Goose
- Barrow's Goldeneye
- California Gull
- CAVE SWALLOW

And some I'd like to add, but probably won't:

Sabine's Gull
Franklin's Gull
Common Eider
Gyrfalcon
Swainson's Hawk
Curlew Sandpiper
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Northern Hawk-Owl
Western Tanager
Blue Grosbeak
Hoary Redpoll

And don't like, hold me accountable to any of these 'cause who knows what a year might bring, right?