It’s 2017! What was your first bird of the year? Share it, and the story, in the comment section. Hopefully, it was a good one!
Related Posts
![](https://www.10000birds.com/wp-content/uploads/Picture2-630x347.png)
Recent Posts
Swift Departures
By David TGrowing up and Leaving the Nest
By Leslie KinrysThe Elusive GUIANAN TROGON: A Serendipitous Backyard Encounter
By a GuestBirding Tan Phu Forest, Vietnam (Part 2)
By Kai Pflug
Welcome to 10,000 Birds!
Learn about our site and writers, search the site, subscribe below, or contact us.
New writers welcome!
Newsletter
Signup and receive notice of new posts!
Thank you!
You have successfully joined our subscriber list.
Beat Writer Posting Calendar
Monday
7 AM: Kai Pflug
Tuesday
7 AM: Donna Schulman (monthly)
7 AM: Susan Wroble (monthly)
7 AM: Hannah Buschert (monthly)
7 AM: Fitzroy Rampersand (monthly)
Wednesday
7 AM: Patrick O’Donnell (monthly)
7 AM: Leslie Kinrys (biweekly)
1 PM: Faraaz Abdool (biweekly)
Thursday
7 AM: Paul Lewis
Friday
7 AM: David Tomlinson
Saturday:
7 AM: Luca Feuerriegel (biweekly)
7 AM: Peter Penning (biweekly)
Sunday:
7 AM: Clive Finlayson
All times are Eastern US.
Any-Time Contributors:
Jason Crotty
Mark Gamin
Sara Jentsch
Dragan Simic
My first bird in 2017 was a Rufous-collared Sparrow. No exciting for Costa Rica but certainly the most likely and nice to hear its song first thing in the morning. When the clock struck midnight, I made a cursory scan with binoculars to see if the fireworks had out any Barn Owls into flight but nope, no luck there.
Common Myna. Urban Melbourne seems to have more exotics than other Australian cities…
I think my first was a flock of 50 Rock Pigeons, but it would have been cooler if it were the Bald Eagle I saw 10 minutes later when I arrived at my CBC starting point.
I had Northern Mockingbird, which narrowly beat out Yellow-rumped Warbler.
My first bird of the year, as it has been several times, was a Common Raven seen in the parking lot of the Cypress Mountain cross-country ski area near Vancouver, BC.
Red-Shouldered Hawk screeching up a storm when I was getting ready to go Birding.
As I packed our suitcase into the car during the early dawn in Westerland, on the island of Sylt/Germany, I heard a Wren in full song. The first bird seen was a Herring Gull flying over the city a few minutes later.
First birds were a Great Tit & Italian Sparrow at the feeder.
Bufflehead, seen from our motel room in Ocracoke, NC!
Gray Kingbird