As an avid birder, I have been fortunate to live in a number of fabulous birding areas over the years and, as I near retirement, we own property in three of the best. Our home in central Missouri sits at the crossroads of bird migration in the U.S., hosting huge flocks of waterfowl in spring and fall, joined by American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants and many other water birds. In addition, most birds that are seasonal residents in or regular migrants through the Temperate latitudes of eastern North America can be observed in this region.
Our Littleton, Colorado, farm sits near the foothills of the Front Range, offering access to five life zones within an hour's drive. While birds unique to western foothills, mountain forests, alpine tundra and canyons are the obvious highlights, especially for visiting birdwatchers, the regional birding opportunities extend across the Piedmont and High Plains as well, including the seasonal presence of species such as mountain plovers, lark buntings, various longspurs, avocets, migrant shorebirds, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, white-faced ibis and a rich diversity of waterfowl that one might not expect to find in that semiarid landscape. Finally, our condo on Longboat Key, Florida, looks out on Sarasota Bay with its spectacular variety of birdlife, including waders, anhingas, gulls, terns, ospreys, brown pelicans and wintering waterfowl, not to mention the shorebirds and seabirds on the Gulf beaches and the colorful songbirds that inhabit the mangroves and tidal creeks. Short drives into the South Florida peninsula provide additional opportunities to observe caracaras, burrowing owls, Florida sandhill cranes, Florida scrub jays and other subtropical species. Spending parts of the year in all three locations, I enjoy a birding trifecta that provides exposure to a fabulous diversity of natural habitat, each with its unique population of flora and fauna.
Of course, every region of this magnificent Continent hosts an interesting variety of resident and migrant birds, many of which cannot be found near our properties. What better excuse to visit the northern coasts, the Great Lakes region and the Desert Southwest?
