I decided to focus my 2025 birding on my own backyard (Missouri, USA). Here are some of the results.
Total species: 86
Slowest month: Feb (27 species)
Biggest month: May (46 species)
Biggest day: 24 May (19 species)
Species observed for more than 100 calendar days:
- Blue Jay - 347 days
- House Finch - 294 days
- Northern Cardinal - 279 days
- American Robin - 246 days
- Black-capped Chickadee - 215 days
- House Sparrow - 182 days
- Eastern Bluebird - 164 days
- Red-bellied Woodpecker - 140 days
- Carolina Wren - 136 days
- Downy Woodpecker - 127 days
- Dark-eyed Junco - 125 days
- Cedar Waxwing - 116 days
- American Goldfinch - 111 days
- Northern Flicker - 108 days
Notable Seasonal Species:
| Summer Birds | First of Season | Last of Season | Calendar Days Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barn Swallow | 9 Apr | 2 Sep | 45 |
| Northern House Wren | 15 Apr | 9 Jul | 33 |
| Brown Thrasher | 29 Mar | 8 Jul | 33 |
| Grey Catbird | 2 May | 26 Aug | 18 |
| Chimney Swift | 9 May | 6 Aug | 18 |
| Winter Birds | Last of Season | First of Season | Calendar Days Observed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark-eyed Junco | 27 Mar | 14 Oct | 125 |
| White-throated Sparrow | 28 Apr | 8 Oct | 44 |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | 18 Jan | 8 Oct | 14 |
Other bird notes:
- A Swainson's Thrush showed up in late April and sang almost nonstop for 2 weeks
- Red-breasted Nuthatch is not a common bird in my area. But after coming to my yard in early September, these 65 observations represent about 6% of all historical county records of the species. White-breasted Nuthatches are generally more common, but I only had 18 observations in 2025.
Methodology notes:
- I submitted at least one checklist to eBird everyday. The vast majority of these checklists were tagged "incidental" since I added species to the list throughout the day
- "Early" = days 1-10, "Mid" = 11-20, "Late" = 21+
- Charts were generated by downloading my eBird data and processing it with some of my own terrible Python code
My thoughts:
- No, I didn't add a lot to my life list, but that wasn't the goal.
- I've gained a deeper appreciation for the everyday birds. I've never been one to chase rarities & vagrants anyway.
- Consistent observation over time can be immensely rewarding.
Very nice, I do love some good data!
Thank you!