The “Show Me” State Shows WC

In 2005, on a birding trip to Trinidad, WC met two extraordinary birders, two pharmacists from St. Louis, Missouri. We got along well and, as things turned out, over the next 18 years we have made a dozen or more birding trips together. They were along on WC’s and Mrs. WC’s recent trip to the Dry Tortugas.

This year, for the first time, we visited them in Missouri to sample the midwestern birding. One of the two, until very recently, was the Missouri state Big Year record holder, so we were pretty confident of our guides. And our guides and Missouri did not disappoint. The birding was great; the company was delightful. Bird photos were taken. A few are shown here. We were a bit early for most of the warblers and orioles, but we were able to pick up some new birds and photos of new birds.

Here’s a Missouri sampler. Click on a gallery to scroll through larger versions of the photos.

White-throated Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Sparrows – Little Brown Jobs – aren’t everyone’s favorite, but WC likes them, even struggling to identify them. Note: WC has struggled to see White-throated Sparrows in Idaho. Tower Grove Park, in St. Louis, was busy with them.

Northern Parula

Louisiana Waterthrush

Yellow-throated Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Palm Warbler

Our buddies said that only about half of the warblers had arrived. For non-birders: not all wood warblers are called “warblers.” Waterthrushes aren’t thrushes; they are warblers. As are parulas.

Swampe Sparrow

Red-shouldered Hawk

White-eyed Vireo

Wilson’s Snipe

Pectoral Sandpiper

White-faced Ibis

Finally, a few miscellaneous birds that you can see in Idaho as well as Missouri.

Altogether, WC saw 106 species in Missouri, and 93 species in Florida. And the trip brought WC’s lifetime total bird species seen in the United States to 684. And five lifers, which may not sound like much but lifers are getting pretty tough in the United States.

The bird photo count is over 1,650 but still a work in progress.

Thanks, Dave and Jeff. Great birding.