Date: 5/6/26 10:17 am From: Jerry Butler <jerrysharon.butler...> Subject: A bird a minute or better?
Two weeks ago I went to a friend's house who keeps a well stocked feeder in hopes of seeing my FOS rose-breasted grosbeak. I never saw it, but I sat there 37 minutes with my Merlin on and I also counted counted a few species I saw that were not vocalizing. Later at home, when I posted them all, I noticed that I had seen 37 species in 37 minutes.
It got me wondering, how long a person might continue successful birding at that pace?. Not much longer I guessed, I figured that 37 min span might have been a record for me. However, yesterday, I birded the Greenway in Hot Springs and I walked only about 2 tenths of a mile and counted 51 species in 41 minutes, breaking my newly set personal record. Most of what I saw and heard was the bird species you would expect, but I did see a blackpoll warbler which was a Garland County first for me.
I usually bird for much longer spans of time but I seldom see more than fifty species, particularly when I'm alone. What is your experience?
