The 123 birds counted in 2025 all provided joy and insight
By Bob Confer, follow Exploring the Western NY Wilds on Facebook
Birdwatchers are, in some way, listers.
Most keep life lists, counting all the species of birds that they’ve ever seen.
Then you have birders who tabulate both species and numbers for various special annual events like the Christmas Bird Count, Feederwatch, and the Great Backyard Bird Count.
And, there are those who take on a competitive Big Year, trying to accumulate as many birds as possible in a calendar year. The North American record is held by John Weigel who saw 840 species in 2019, surpassing his 2016 record of 836.
Earlier in this decade, I started something I call the Little Year. By doing so, I keep count of all the species I see in New York State each year.
I’m not driven to accumulate as many species as possible, so I don’t go out of my way to gather gull species in the wintry Niagara Gorge, nor do I spy upon wetlands at wildlife refuges in May to get shorebird species, and I don’t chase down rare species whose locations were shared among birders online.
My only goal is to check off the birds I see in my regular travels, as they happen, not as I make them happen.
Nature spaces that I frequent in or near Niagara County include our home in Gasport, around my workplace in North Tonawanda, and the Erie Canalway Trail, all joined by a handful of hikes at the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge. In Allegany County, my birdwatching takes place in our forest in Alma, the WAG Trail, and Vandermark State Forest. I also spend one week every summer vacationing in the central Adirondacks near Eagle Bay.
By keeping to the places I love and the places that see me often in my quest to make this list, it brings a special sort of appreciation, wonder, and theorizing to the every day. It allows me to see trends, consider species new to a place, and ponder what happened to birds I didn’t see.
Consider the yellow-bellied sapsucker. I see them quite regularly in Allegany County. But, I hadn’t seen one in Niagara County in decades. When I say “decades” I literally mean it had been 30 years since I had seen one on the Lake Plains. That changed in 2025 when I saw them there twice. That led my mind to wander: They were relatively common there when I was a kid and so were elm trees; is it coincidental the bird disappeared when those trees succumbed to disease?
Another surprise sighting occurred one day when my six year old daughter and I were fishing the Genesee River in the town of Willing. Not only did Arielle outfish her proud father that day, she also directed my attention to a first for me. She asked, “why is that bird watching us?” I turned to see that it was watching us; and then I had to watch it – it was a Brewer’s blackbird, a bird of the Midwest and West which rarely wanders into New York.
I was also pleasantly surprised to again check off the merlin after a 2 year absence on the list. Prior to that, I could regularly count on seeing the bird of prey perched on the fence outside of the Wellsville airport. In 2025, they were back at their familiar hunting grounds. I was happy for their return.
There are many more stories around last year’s list – and the lists all the years before. Like every year that I get to spend time in the outdoors it was a good year. Over the course of 2025 I accumulated 123 species.
Many experienced birders might scoff at that number – especially from a nature columnist — as many hardcore bird chasers think 200 or more is a worthy goal.
But, my goal isn’t to get a number. It’s to get a better understanding of the birds I share my communities with. Those 123 provided enjoyment. They provided insight. They showed me how many birds are around me, birds adored and birds that maybe I took for granted.
I’m doing this list again in 2026…and again, I’ll use this checklist from the New York State Ornithological Association: tinyurl.com/NYbirds2026
I encourage you to do the same, whether your birdwatching takes place in your backyard, in the vast state forests in Allegany County, or the public trails along the Niagara River. If you get 123 birds, 200, or 50, it’s something. Like it did for me, it will open your mind and heart — you’ll maximize your understanding and love for our feathered friends, no matter the final total.
Good luck.
Bob Confer is the founder of the Exploring the Western NY Wilds nature series. An experienced naturalist and outdoorsman, Confer enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience with readers all over WNY. You can reach him anytime, Bob@ConferPlastics.com
