My First Birds of 2020 are…
An American Crow on a fence rail – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I always get excited about what the first bird will be that I see at the beginning of the new year and for two years in a row now my first birds of the year have been American Crows. In 2019 I saw the American Crows at Farmington Bay WMA to start off my year and for 2020 I wanted a cheese bagel from my grocery store bakery and saw three American Crows in the parking lot before I went into the store. It was gloomy because of the thick clouds overhead and the dark plumage of the crows stood out from the snowy parking lot. Had it been a little brighter I might have spotted the Ring-billed Gull next to the crows first but as dark as it was the gull’s white plumage blended into the snow that surrounded it.
Now some people believe that whatever the first bird you see in the new year sets the tone or theme for your new year and quite frankly I can’t wrap my mind around that but if I did believe in that seeing a crow as my first bird of the year might mean a year filled with intelligence, flexibility, destiny, life, magic, and mysteries. My life is already filled with those things each and every year though.
American Crows in the marsh at Farmington Bay WMA – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
For a couple of years in a row I have asked my Facebook friends to tell me which birds they saw at the first of the year and yesterday my post about it rapidly filled up with common and not so common birds from North America and around the globe. You can check out the responses on my Facebook timeline here. I had so much fun seeing what the first bird of the year was for my friends this year. It was an interesting and varied listing of first of the year birds.
Oddly enough there haven’t always been American Crows at my grocery store parking lot, the crows started hanging around there in early 2019. We don’t have a lot of American Crows in Utah during the breeding season at all but during the winter American Crows from up north do come to Utah for the winter.
I might need to do a little bit of bird sleuthing to find out where the crows I see in my grocery store parking lot roost at night and then perhaps I will be able to photograph them before they leave their roost in the morning or when they head to it before night falls. I’d rather photograph them at their roost than in the parking lot but I have thought about taking my bird gear to the grocery store to get photos of them there. Just birds being birds where they want to hang out.
So friends… what was the first bird you saw in 2020? Please let us all know in the comments below!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Crow photos plus facts and information about this species.
I don’t suppose I can count the jerk in the BMW who thought I was driving too slow on the freeway. (BTW – I was doing 70 in the slow lane. San Diego drivers are nuts!)
Consistent with your post the first bird I saw this year was also a crow. He’s a big old guy who has been hanging around our house for years. We call him Carlton. We know him by his very distinctive and deep cry which, I am sure, is quite intimidating to other birdies. Sometimes he’ll sit on the fence just outside our kitchen and check out what’s going on inside. Although we’ve never fed him, he definitely cruises our yard for bugs, lizards and other yummies. He is not at all shy around us and will often hang close by even when we’re are outside working. We figure Carlton is at least 10/12 years old and know that whenever he’s around…all is right with the world.
Thanks for your post Mia.
Mine was a Great Egret high in a palm tree. It is one of those birds that I never thought that I would see when I was growing up in Montana and looking at Aunt Ruth’s Birds of the World book.
My first bird of the year was a great-tailed grackle rummaging in parking lot. So pedestrian!
As I looked out our window near Absarokee, MT a Raven was flying through the bird feeder area checking it out. They usually do not come this close to the house so it was quite the treat to have my favorite bird in our yard.
Love that first image of an American Crow. My first notice of a bird was today at the Moran Eye Center. Fantastic wall-to-wall glass gives an amazing view of the Salt Lake Valley. A magpie was high up on the brick exterior like it was looking for something. This, the weather and the good air quality made my day!
A magpie as your first bird of the year is terrific!
The cleaner air is wonderful.
Inside the house — saw ravens and gulls flying by the clerestory windows in the living room (actually, the first flying object was an airplane taking off 😉 )
Outside the house — first bird I saw yesterday was a Black Phoebe
It’s gonna be a weird year!
Marty, a nice mix of first of the year birds!
A short-beaked corella.
A little later in the morning I saw a flock of our Bearded Ravens though – and smiled. Such intelligent, family minded birds.
Terrific first birds EC!
Our daily winter favorites at the feeder: red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, all taking turns until the starlings arrive, as usual!
What a lively, lovely mix of first birds of the year!
Eastern Bluebirds in southeastern PA
Linda, I always think of bluebirds as “happy”, what a wonderful first bird of the year.
As I mentioned on Facebook, I first heard a whip-poor-will but never caught sight of it. A Red-shouldered Hawk was the first bird I saw in 2020. Google search of “what does seeing a hawk symbolize?” included these returns: “The hawk symbolizes the ability to use intuition and higher vision in order to complete tasks or make important decisions… When a hawk comes into your life, it’s telling you to trust your instincts and your intuition, and let them lead you to the next step in line with your path… Hawks represent clear-sightedness, being observant, our far memory and guardianship… They also bring courage, wisdom, illumination, creativity and truth.” Wow, I’m not sure I can handle all that responsibility!
Ken, that is fascinating information on the hawks!
Common buzzard !…. France
How awesome to have a Common Buzzard be the first bird of the year.
I do think that the first bird sets the tone also. So I am very excited this year as my first bird was a brown creeper! That is an unusual bird, not often seen so I’m expecting my birding year and my living year to be full of the unexpected and unusual, seeing that which is difficult to see but there in front of me. I birded the day and saw 35 named species! Yee Haw!
How lovely to have a Brown Creeper as the first bird of the year. They are wonderful.
On a Christmas Bird Count…first bird heard was a pair of Great Horned Owls.
first bird seen was a male Bufflehead.
Those are both terrific first birds of the year.
Carolina Chickadee. Gloomy in the Ozarks, didn’t see a crow until this morning.
A Carolina Chickadee is a sweet first bird of the year.
The first bird I saw was a Junco. I have five bird feeders in my back yard. My wife and I live outside of the city limits, with the woods in the back yard.. Several years ago I noticed a red shouldered hawk and a priarie falcon. The falcons roost in one of our trees in the back yard.
Lovely to have a snowbird be the first bird of the year!
Clarkes Nutcracker and Blue Jay at the same time.
How wonderful to have two first of the year birds at the same time!
Red-tailed hawk on a light-pole over the highway — San Francisco
That is a great first bird of the year!
I saw three Magpies at the feeder when I pulled back the patio curtains.
Love those magpies!
No sightings yet.
Soon I hope Bob!
Ring-billed Gull with one leg – Portland, Maine. (Endurance? Steadfastness?)
Tim, I think you might be right about endurance and steadfastness!
Two Ravens flying over early morning soak in the hot tub. Not actually a surprise though as they probably the nesting pair always around.
Ravens are great first birds of the year!