For birdwatchers a “lifer” is any bird you see for the first time. The longer you’ve been a birder the harder it is to get lifers. I’ve been birding for 10 years now, but I still have a very good chance to get more lifers.

My first one for this year is a Golden Eagle.

Not the greatest photo, but my mantra is always “Get a shot, then try to get a better one.”

I’m now working on updating my bird list photos. As I went through it I found there were lots of birds that I got photos of when I first started out, but that I know I have better photos of now. Here’s an example – the Brown Thrasher was the bird that started me out:

The first one was taken in 2011 and the second one was taken in 2020.

So, better camera, more knowledge and experience, and good luck leads to a better photo. That’s one thing I love about this hobby. Even if the bird you see isn’t a lifer, you might be able to get a better photo of it this time!