<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Thanks for this thread! About 5 years ago, we moved here from California and it was a birding adjustment! I was kind of obsessed for years about birding and photography and many places mentioned here either brought me back to my California days or introduced me to ideas for places I'd like to go in the future, like Texas.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">JIm, Bosque is such a wonderful place, although I believe the drought has resulted in some changes for the populations and it seems more are finding birding at Bernardo Area productive. I also love Arizona. Birding at Madera Canyon, Ramsey Canyon (by the way, did anyone read Julie Zickefoose's article in BWD on Arizona birding. It was wonderful), Whitewater Draw, and the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert were frequent birding trips for us. Made me think about going to Arizona soon.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Thank you, Hans, for the information about Texas. We are thinking about Texas and I'm a bit overwhelmed about all the locations. It seems like one could spend weeks there.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Chuq, You took me back to my earlier birding days at the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival, which I think I attended twice. Although as a photographer, I found Consumnew better for images, the trips out to Staten Island with the sunset fly in's were thrilling. I think it really infected me with the birding spirit, leading me to visit the Platte in Nebraska and Whitewater Draw in Arizona and Bosque, in my opinion the most spectacular place for Sandhill Cranes. But I also found Merced a great birding spot. I miss so much the California birding. I lived not too far from San Jacinto Wildlife Area. On an Audubon field trip, the trip leader said it was the best birding in Southern California, and it doesn't disappoint. I was there in April for Avocets, although the shifting of the ponds made the courtships a bit more difficult to photograph than several years ago. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Thanks also, Lori, for the "Birdfinder" book reference. I ordered it for around $6 on Abe Books. I also found some older books on Texas and Louisiana there as well. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">I mostly peek in for information and updates, but wanted to thank Tweeters for being here. When we moved here, I found the WOS Birders Guide a helpful Bible. We never had such a comprehensive birding guide in California. I'm so grateful for the information and the people who put that book together, a true wealth of information even though the second edition is 10 years old.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Much appreciation to Terence Wahl, Dennis Paulson, Hal Opperman, Andy Stepniewski and the numerous folks who contributed to this excellent guide! </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">I have been kind of consumed with getting our home together, gardening and volunteering on the board at Skagit Audubon in the past years. Although we've taken some extraordinary trips to Alberta for the Great Grey, and Malheur and Ridgefield, as well as Reifl and the local stops such as Fir Island and Wylie Slough, I am restless lately to explore new spots. Very grateful to you all for your thoughts. </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small">Ann K</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 5:10 AM LMarkoff via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div class="msg7870130920146390764"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="m_7870130920146390764WordSection1"><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Jim, you might want to pick up a copy of Jerry A. Cooper’s ABA Guide from 1995, “Birdfinder: A Birder’s Guide to Planning North American Trips”. Dated perhaps, but it gives a good idea of the best places to go for birds at certain times of the year throughout NA. <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Back in the 90s when my kids got old enough for me to leave them for a week or so, or in the case of two of them, who got old enough to join me, I used Cooper’s book as a planning tool for my bird treks. It’s a great source for bird people who are just starting out on the bird-questing road. <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Right now, there are a slew of copies available on both <a href="http://www.alibris.com" target="_blank">www.alibris.com</a> and on <a href="http://www.ebay.com" target="_blank">www.ebay.com</a> starting as low as a few bucks. <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">I’ve roamed all over NA for birds, am still roaming, and Cooper’s book helped me zero-in on some great places.<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Happy trails,<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Lori Markoff<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">-----Original Message-----<br>From: Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu" target="_blank">tweeters-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu</a>> On Behalf Of Jim Betz via Tweeters<br>Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2025 6:10 PM<br>To: via Tweeters <<a href="mailto:tweeters@u.washington.edu" target="_blank">tweeters@u.washington.edu</a>><br>Subject: [Tweeters] Where would you go ...<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"> ... if you had a week to 10 days - in 2026 - and birding here in the <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">U.S. ... ???<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"> I'm thinking Bosque del Apache, somewhere in Texas, Florida, Maine, <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Arizona, or ....<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"> My primary interest is in photographing <u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">birds ... not new/rare species.<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"> - Jim<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">P.S. If time of year is important, please include that. Thanks!<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">_______________________________________________<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText">Tweeters mailing list<u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><a href="mailto:Tweeters@u.washington.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">Tweeters@u.washington.edu</span></a><u></u><u></u></p><p class="m_7870130920146390764MsoPlainText"><a href="http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters" target="_blank"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none">http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters</span></a><u></u><u></u></p></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>
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