First of all, let me say that seeing five-hundred species of birds is a walk in the park for some birders. I know birders who have six hundred and more birds here in the US. Counting the ones they have seen in other countries they have a thousand or more.....BUT... FIVE HUNDRED is a lot for me. I started later in life keeping records. I had little time off during my active years at work. I couldn't hear the birds like others can. I never went off-shore birding. I didn't chase "rare birds" very often. I only had one or two guides in all those years. So there are some of my excuses. The good news is that I now have five-hundred!
It happened June 5th in Sam Houston National Forest near Conroe. Robert and Dolores Edwards had taken us to the "Spot". There were easy- to- see holes that had been made, but no birds. After a good while we moved to another prime spot where the Swainson's Warbler had been seen. That would also have been a "lifer" and five hundred. No Swainson's Warbler. We limped back to home base. I told them I would go again the next morning but much earlier. Ann said she would go with me. It wasn't easy for her and I carried a chair. We headed down the overgrown trail we had walked the morning earlier. I was thinking more about crawling things that flying ones. Arriving near the holes in two pine trees I got Ann seated and we began our wait. It was about 7:05. At 7:15 the first woodpecker came. He lit right in front of us and worked his way up the tree. The size and white face patch left no doubt. It was number 500. Basking in our success a second Red-cockaded Woodpecker showed. Now I was seeing two....up close. In ten minutes they had moved deeper in the woods and we made our way back to the car and headed for a king-sized breakfast at the Cracker Barrel! Who could ask for anything more? Thanks to Robert and Dolores. Thanks to all the birders who gave me tips or even pointed at a bird that was new. Thanks to Ann for putting up with a wacky husband with an equally wacky hobby.