Birding WNY | Chirps and Cheeps

My Bird Wish List

I've already seen all of the birds that normally frequent WNY as well as many of the more rare birds that have visited our area. But there are still a few of the vagrants that have eluded me. Birders refer to a species you've missed or can't find as a "nemesis bird". Well, I have a few of those as well as some hoped-for birds that might be possible to catch up to here in the Northeast (and beyond!).

If you've just seen one of these birds on the list below and are pretty confident I can find it pretty reliably (within the WNY area), please click here to let me know! Chances are pretty good I'll drop what I'm doing and dash out in hot pursuit!

Black Rail A secretive marsh bird that I wasn't willing to pursue in Louisiana. I hope another chance will come around.
Long-billed Curlew As far as shorebirds go, this one takes the prize with its super long bill. I can't seem to catch up to him though - I missed him in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Costa Rica. Ugh!
Heermann's Gull They're so different looking than the gulls we have in Western New York! I really hope to see one soon!
White-tailed Tropicbird I've been seeing photos of this bird from Flickr posts of someone I follow - what a super beautiful bird! Someday...
Yellow-billed Loon A very pretty loon from out west - I would love to catch up to this bird some day.
Lewis's Woodpecker What a beautiful woodpecker. I've heard the stories of how one visited our region several years ago. I sure wish I had been birding then!
American Three-toed Woodpecker This bird is virtually non-existent in the eastern half of the United States. I hope to see it out west one day - or in the Adirondacks or up in Algonquin if one should return to either of those regions.
Couch's Kingbird Willie, Celeste, and I missed this bird in December of 2016, so now I really want to see it!
Fork-tailed Flycatcher I just think they look soooo cool with those really long, long tails!
Florida Scrub-Jay I tried a couple of times in Florida for this bird with no luck. This species is in serious decline and I hope I get another chance before they are gone.
Black-billed Magpie Both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Magpies look so cool - and I hear they have a lot of personality!
Yellow-billed Magpie Both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Magpies look so cool - and I hear they have a lot of personality!
Sprague's Pipit Missed in Louisiana, I have hopes for another day...
Lazuli Bunting One of the prettiest birds in North America that I've seen photos of - a definite MUST!