Michael Sheldon, Seattle, WA 2/7/22

“Beck showed us around Miami, looking for the parakeets, bulbuls, munias and other exotic species that the ABA has added to the North American checklist. A former resident, she knew all the far-flung neighborhoods and parks that these birds frequent. Unfortunately, we picked a day when a cold front had moved in and depressed the birds’ activity. Beck worked her tail off for us, checking and double checking the most promising sites. I ended up with three “countable” life birds, as well three parakeet species that haven’t made the checklist but were just as beautiful and fun to watch (and photograph) as the others!” -Michael Sheldon, Seattle, WA 2/7/22