I started birding in May 2023. By the end of August my Life List had 76 species. My goal is to reach 100 by the end of the year. My latest number can be seen here: https://ebird.org/profile/Mzg0MTc1NA/US
(EDIT: As of November 1, I have reached 95 species.)
Pros:
I only need to average 6 new birds per month for the rest of the year
I am becoming more proficient at finding and identifying birds
I did not start birding until after the local winter birds were gone, so when they return this fall they are eligible to be added to my list
I will have at least one travel opportunity that brings a possibility of finding non-local species, although it's a business trip with little to no down time so any discoveries would be incidental (Edit: The travel opportunity is complete, I saw one new species. No additional out of state travel is planned at this time.)
I occasionally am able to join walks with a local birdwatching group, which significantly increases my chances of finding new birds
Cons:
I have already found the lowest-hanging fruit. In May I found 29 species but every month I found a decreasing number, down to 9 new species in August. There are more than 24 local species left but they are harder to find.
I am still a beginner birder and have difficulty identifying many of the more confusing birds, which include many of the remaining candidates. I also count conservatively which means I will not add a bird if I am doubtful of its identification.
I am often unable to join the birdwatching group due to personal obligations / schedule conflicts (I joined them twice in the last two months)
I do not intend to travel out of the country or spend large amounts of money in pursuit of this goal
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NOVEMBER OUTLOOK: October added 9 birds, and I only need 5 more to reach my goal, which I feel very confident about reaching with two months time.
I did not join the birding group in October, but I hope to be able to do so once in November. There are several small local wood-habitat birds I hope to be able to eventually find on my frequent local walks, such as Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pine Siskin, and White-Crowned Sparrow. There are also many winter waterfowl now present on local lakes, which I hope to be able to visit a few times over the next two months, including American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and Greater Scaup (although I do not expect to purchase a scope until 2024, so they will have to be both present on the particular lake when I visit and close/clear enough for my binoculars or camera to distinguish)
OCTOBER OUTLOOK: September was productive (10 new species) and ahead of pace. I joined a birding group once and found 3 species. I only need 14 more sightings, but they will also be harder to find.
I do not expect to join the birding group in October. Possibly once. I have a bike ride planned along the Mississippi River which might allow for some new species but might not.
I estimate 90%+ chance of finding White-Throated Sparrow, Dark-Eyed Junco, and Red-Breasted Nuthatch when they return for winter. I estimate 70% chance of finally finding Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, and Pileated Woodpecker, although all have eluded me so far. Those would bring me to 92. I don’t know where the other 8 will come from. There are over two dozen recently spotted local candidates according to eBird, it’s just a matter of chance if I will be able to find them.
@JoshuaHedlund do you ever use the Merlin app sound ID while taking walks to let you know what bird's you're hearing? Maybe you don't need to because you're more sophisticated than I, but I love having Merlin listen for birds with me.
@WrongoPhD yes I love the Merlin app and I absolutely need it! I don't like to count the birds on my checklists unless I see them (esp b/c Merlin is not perfect and some birds imitate others) but Merlin really helps me know what to look for sometimes if it's picking up sounds for certain birds. It also helps me gain confidence in a visual identification (ex. if I'm only ~80% sure on an ID but Merlin heard the same species at the same time, I get confident enough to count it). And having that instant connection between sound and ID helps train my brain to recognize the sounds even when I'm not using it. Such an awesome app!
@Aboczjr Missouri. I go birdwatching on walks three to four times per week, but most of those are return visits to local parks where I do not necessarily expect to find new birds. About once per week I go birding specifically to a location in pursuit of birds I have not yet seen which have been reported recently in that location on eBird. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I am not.