A New Year

Barbara Seith
Jan 1
3 min read

So before we talk about the new year, let's wrap up the old year...

My 2025 birding year ended with 277 year birds in Rhode Island (#8 eBirder), 355 in the US and 939 in the World. My life birds are 335 in Rhode Island 533 in the US, 1,211 in the World. My last life bird in 2025 was a Red-crowned Ant-Tanager in Costa Rica on 11/23/25.

My last Rhode Island bird was a Brown Pelican on 12/19/25.

I don’t think I will even approach that world year number again – I started the year In Southern California, went to the Southern Ocean at the end of January, Minnesota at the end of February, back to South Africa at the end of May and to Costa Rica in November. That was a lot of travel!

My year end in Rhode Island and slightly in Connecticut

Eider Landing

Red-shouldered Hawk

Brant

Black Scoter

Common Loon (look closely)

Long-tailed Duck

Common Loon

Cackling Goose

Great Blue Heron

Horned Larks

White-winged Scoter

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter close to hunters, yet the hunters do not shoot???

Pink-footed Goose -- No. 939 on World Year List

Chocolate Goose!

Bald Eagle

This year is going to be different… I don’t say that every year, but I’m changing my birding focus this year. I am not doing a “Big Year” in Rhode Island – why is that different you might ask – well it means I’m not going to chase birds to achieve a number. I do not expect to be one of the Top 10 eBirders in RI in 2026. My goal is to commune with the birds I do see, spend time with them and appreciate them more… maybe even create art based on them.

If I was doing a Big Year – I would have started the day before dawn listening for Owls and probably in Newport to pick up all the sea ducks and run around the state trying to see all rarities that were spotted yesterday. I did not do that. I wasn’t planning on going out at all, but once a Rough-legged Hawk was reported around the corner from me, I needed coffee, I was out, so I birded, but only in my town.

This afternoon I buzzed by the State Beach parking lot, but it is closed for construction, so not easy to comb through 100+ birds looking for the odd one out from outside the lot. I decided to try to commune with the Short-eared Owl that has been in South Kingstown. I did not see it, but that’s ok – it was a beautiful (albeit cold!) evening and I know it (maybe they) are still around. I’m off to Maine in the morning, so hopefully I will have a visit when I get back.

I’m just started to plan the 2026 travel although I’m going to Florida/Georgia in the end of January and the Brazilian Amazon at the end of May. Looking to return to South Africa in late summer. I may do something else in March/April and possibly toward the end of the year as well. Although that seems like a lot of travel again – none of these places have a lot of birds I haven’t seen before – so I look forward to getting reacquainted with some old friends.

My favorite sighting today was of a few American Pipits at the Watch Hill Lighthouse – they were foraging near a rock wall which gave them a little cover from the wind, but as you’ll see from the photos, they were struggling. At one point, one of them flew right over to me. Nothing beats that feeling! That’s how I want to feel all during 2026!

I was trying to take a photo of ducks -- the wind had other ideas, but I like it...