Here we stand, once again, at the end of another year, and what a year it has been! In keeping with established tradition, the last days of December are a time to reflect on the successes and surprises of the past 12 months worth of adventures. Without a hint of exaggeration, 2024 handily ranks as perhaps the single greatest year of my entire life to date. In addition to my first international trip in over 5 years, as well as a handful of shorter domestic trips, there were a number of thrilling experiences for Jacqi and me to enjoy closer to home, not least of all our long-awaited wedding! An impressive total of 230 avian lifers joined my cumulative career tally over the course of 2024, supplemented by 42 all-new mammals and 17 species of herps. With a final count of 601 birds on my year list, there is certainly no shortage of incredible options to choose from for my annual Top 10 review. Nevertheless, there were a number of noteworthy highlights that deserve special recognition as the most memorable birds of 2024!
Honorable Mention: The Vultures of Africa
Of all this year’s adventures, my honeymoon in Kenya was the obvious, indisputable standout for top honors. Jacqi and I had the good fortune to share the trip of a lifetime this past summer, and our experience exceeded all reasonable expectations. I could justifiably fill this countdown exclusively with birds we encountered during this expedition, and indeed it was something of a challenge to whittle down our expansive trip list to determine the best of the best. Many of our personal favorites from the trip were familiar savanna specialties, while others represented brand-new taxonomic families that I have never before encountered. For the unofficial 11th place slot on my Top 10, however, I feel compelled to share the prize with a group of birds that are every bit as much a quintessential element of the safari set dressing as a pride of lions or a herd of elephants: the vultures. These soaring scavengers are a classic and conspicuous component of the African landscape, but unfortunately they are currently suffering universal precipitous declines due to a combination of poisoning, hunting, and habitat disruption. Of the 5 species that we were lucky enough to encounter, the Lappet-faced Vulture is now considered endangered, while the White-backed Vulture, Rüppell’s Griffon, Hooded Vulture, and White-headed Vulture are all designated as critically endangered. It was an honor to meet so many of these iconic and important raptors during our international vacation, and I can only hope that the ongoing collaborative efforts of researchers and local communities will eventually be able to halt their population free fall, so that the vultures of Africa will be able to continue their valuable environmental cleanup services in perpetuity.
#10: Greater Roadrunner
My love of all things cuckoo is well documented, and North America’s world-famous ground-cuckoo is undoubtedly one of the most endearingly charismatic members of this remarkably unusual family. The Greater Roadrunner is a bird that I have grown quite familiar with over the course of many visits to the Southwest, but it had been several years since I last encountered this beloved old friend. After we somehow missed out on these dashing dinosaurs altogether during our last trip to Arizona in 2022, the species had understandably earned a high-ranking spot on Jacqi’s own list of most wanted birds. Fortunately, 2024 provided us with a golden opportunity in the form of an invitation to the wedding of my friends Nicole and Eric in Tucson this October. My wife and I made plans for some dedicated roadrunner search time in between scheduled festivities, but those schemes were quickly rendered unnecessary when we discovered that the grounds of the venue were home to multiple cooperative individuals. The birds proved nigh impossible to miss, scrounging around the periphery of the dining area and lounging in the shade on the front lawn. I will never forget Jacqi’s astonished reaction when her lifer roadrunner casually sauntered over to the table where we were eating breakfast, regarding her with curious eyes before scurrying away to feast on fallen home fries. With their animated antics and larger-than-life personalities, it is easy to see why these birds have captured so many hearts, ranging from the most casual observers to the most seasoned naturalists. I was grateful for the opportunity to get reacquainted with these charming denizens of the desert, and I hope that our paths will cross again before too long.
#9: Lazuli Bunting
2024 proved to be a fantastic year for state listing here in New York, with 6 brand new species bringing my lifetime home state total up to 416. Recent additions to my personal tally ranged from long-overdue ticks like Western Grebe to unexpected surprises like Bullock’s Oriole, gradually filling in the gaps for species that I had previously missed out on in years past. Some of the most exciting state birds, however, are the records that present second chances for previous blockers, like the Glaucous-winged Gull that put in several appearances upstate over the course of the winter. A late April report of a Lazuli Bunting visiting a private feeder out in Suffolk County was just such a rarity, with the initial rumors of this sighting setting the birding community abuzz with tentative excitement. Prior to this year, there had only been one documented occurrence of this species in the Empire State, that being a male up in Genesee County back in the spring of 1998. For a large percentage of active state listers, this would be their first opportunity to check off Lazuli Bunting. Local birders reached out to the original posters, who quickly confirmed the bird’s continuing presence and graciously granted permission for guests to visit their home in Flanders. On the heels of a pleasant morning of birding with friends, I was able to convince Dmitriy and Efua to join me for an impromptu chase out on Long Island. After a bit of a wait, the handsome blue bird eventually came in to munch on seeds alongside its more common eastern cousins like Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Northern Cardinal. This widely celebrated individual only stuck around for a few days, but it still proved to be much more cooperative than the unexpected third state record spotted by a handful of lucky observers in Dutchess County a few months later. Birds never cease to surprise!
#8: Fea’s Petrel
Seabirds are some of the best birds, and pelagic birding has long been one of my favorite forms of birding. Few experiences can compare to the magic of waking up at sea and spending an entire day exploring the waters over the shelf edge and the submarine canyons more than 100 miles from land. Any year that fails to provide me with a satisfactory pelagic fix feels woefully incomplete, and fortunately I was able to find my way offshore once again in 2024. My decision to sign up for this year’s June voyage was something of a last-minute audible, a choice I came to appreciate all the more after each of the trips I signed up for later in the summer and fall wound up being cancelled due to inclement weather and rough seas. The avian highlight of our time offshore was not one, but two different Fea’s Petrels that we encountered a bit south of the mouth of the Hudson Canyon. Records of this species are noteworthy anywhere in the western Atlantic, and this pair of individuals represented a long-awaited state first for New Jersey. Though a part of me wishes I had been able to add this species to my own home state list, I was still thrilled on behalf of the Garden State birders aboard the American Princess that morning, and it is always an honor to be present for the documentation of a first record! The full trip list for our fantastic expedition included a broad array of exciting birds, including alcids, shearwaters, and storm-petrels galore. The non-avian marine life also put in a remarkably strong showing, with an astonishing congregation of critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales in New York waters giving the Fea’s Petrels a run for their money as the biggest surprise of the day! A pelagic that features both a lifer seabird and a bucket list cetacean is indisputably one for the record books, and I appreciate that my one and only trip offshore this year pulled out all the stops to deliver the goods.
#7: Vulturine Guineafowl
When birders prepare for an international trip, it is customary to craft a wish list of most wanted species. One of the more unorthodox birds that managed to claim a top spot on my list of priority targets for Kenya was the beautifully bizarre Vulturine Guineafowl. With their intricately spangled plumage, vibrant blue and violet accents, and namesake naked heads, these fantastical chickens are among the most surreal and spectacular creatures in all of Africa. Given their rather limited range in the eastern portion of the continent, I knew my best chance to see this species was during our stay in the Laikipia region. The dry thornscrub habitat of this elevated plateau is home to a variety of animals found nowhere else in Kenya, and Jacqi and I were excited to see how many of these localized specialties we would be able to track down. The adventure began within minutes of our arrival at the Loisaba airstrip, with our incomparable guide, Solomon, quickly setting about the business of introducing us to the local fauna. We were fortunate enough to enjoy close observations of two confiding flocks of Vulturine Guineafowl, totaling more than 100 individuals and including some adorable young chicks, during our drive to the lodge at Ol Lentille. Successfully connecting with a hoped-for critter is a wonderful feeling in its own right, all the more so when the beasties somehow manage to exceed your expectations! Our encounters with these striking birds were accompanied by sightings of additional northern Kenyan icons like Reticulated Giraffes and Grévy’s Zebras, which made for a truly unforgettable first impression of the magnificent Laikipia ecosystem. Nothing quite compares to the experience of exploring a brand-new environment for the first time, and the unparalleled hospitality of the Ol Lentille team helped to make our time in this region one of the highlights of our honeymoon.
#6: Lilac-breasted Roller
In the collective minds of the general populace, the most famous fauna of the African savanna are, understandably, large and charismatic mammals. There are a handful of avian icons in the mix as well, mostly species like Bateleur and Marabou Stork that are conspicuous or striking enough to draw attention from non-birders. The flashiest of them all, however, is a relatively small but mighty predator with mind-blowingly vibrant plumage. The mesmerizing, multicolored Lilac-breasted Roller is all but impossible to ignore, often perching up prominently on shrubs and termite mounds, unbothered by safari vehicles packed with awestruck passengers that go rumbling past at close range. This species somehow manages to make gaudy look gorgeous, masterfully combining pastel purples and greens with multiple shades of fluorescent blues. These hues are painted in bold block patterns across a rakish silhouette, further decorated with fancy, elongated streamers on the tail. I had looked forward to meeting these blindingly brilliant birds for my entire life, and they genuinely surpassed the high hopes that I had built up in my mind. More than just a pretty face, rollers are renowned for their acrobatic flight displays and fearsome hunting prowess, and they represented a new taxonomic family for my life list as well. The Lilac-breasted Roller is also widely recognized as the national bird of Kenya, which prompted Jacqi and I to purchase a hand-carved ornament depicting this species so we can properly commemorate our honeymoon for years to come. I am always pleased when a universally hyped-up critter lives up to the hype. My first meeting with these dazzling winged rainbows positively blew me away, and I was just as impressed each and every time we were lucky enough to encounter them during our safari adventure!
#5: Spruce Grouse
2024 was undoubtedly a great year for exceptional chickens, but this one was encountered much closer to home than the guineafowl! My first-ever experience with Spruce Grouse back in 2020 was a brief glimpse along the shoulder of an Adirondack backroad, a fittingly fleeting observation for this legendary northwoods cryptid. I have been angling to improve on this split-second sighting ever since, but anyone who has spent an appreciable amount of time in the boreal forest will tell you that these birds can be surprisingly elusive. My luck finally took a turn for the better this April, with my now traditional spring break visit to the Dacks landing later than usual in the wake of a historically mild winter. The scattered handful of remaining Spruce Grouse strongholds in New York State are often rendered inaccessible by snow and mud outside the warmest months of the year, but milder conditions this spring opened the gates to these isolated backcountry sites a few weeks ahead of schedule. During an exploratory hike deep in the woods, I was stunned and thrilled to stumble upon a pair of handsome male grouse displaying for a curious female right along the trail. I do not know precisely how long I stood there, watching the birds strutting about, swishing their tails, and vaulting up into the tree branches overhead. Unexpectedly scoring front row seats for this incredible private performance was perhaps one of the most magical experiences of my birding career to date. The prolonged, close-up views that I was fortunate enough to enjoy certainly left a lasting impression, and I feel genuinely privileged to have witnessed this vanishingly rare spectacle in my own home state. I am thankful for the tireless efforts of local conservationists who have worked to recover populations of these taiga icons, and I hold out hope that Spruce Grouse will continue to roam the isolated bogs and berry thickets of the New York wilds for many generations to come.
#4: Common Ostrich
Thus far, I have done a reasonably good job of tracking down the world’s largest animals representing each of the major vertebrate lineages. I have marveled at the majesty of Blue Whales off the coast of California, cruised through mangrove channels alongside Saltwater Crocodiles, and even briefly glimpsed a Whale Shark in New York waters. Though I have not yet had the opportunity to finish the category with a search for the Chinese Giant Salamander, 2024 finally saw me adding the biggest of all extant birds to my life list. The Common Ostrich is rightfully famous the world over for its towering stature and an aspect that is grandiose and goofy in equal measure. In some ways, these remarkable ratites feel more similar to mammalian megafauna than to other birds, given their physical and behavioral adaptations for life as cursorial grazers on the open plains of Africa. With fully grown males standing up to 9 feet tall and pushing 300 pounds, these burly birds dwarf even cassowaries and Emus, the next largest representatives of their tribe. Thanks to an itinerary which saw us exploring multiple distinct regions of Kenya, Jacqi and I swiftly went from no ostriches to both ostriches over the course of our honeymoon. When it came time to draft this Top 10, I was tempted to highlight the more range-restricted Somali Ostrich, which we encountered during an extended, targeted quest organized by the team at Ol Lentille. In the end, however, I decided to give the nod to the Common Ostrich due to its status as an iconic symbol of the African savanna and the true titleholder in the avian size contest. We were treated to a number of memorable encounters with these magnificent creatures during our time in the Maasai Mara, ranging from close range views of a mated pair along the roadside to an individual spotted far below our aerial vantage point during a sunrise hot air balloon ride. Folks who have never had the opportunity to observe ostriches in their natural environment cannot fully comprehend just how impressive they truly are! There is something uniquely wondrous about a bird that can look down on you with both feet planted firmly on the ground!
#3: American Flamingo
In a stunning turn of events, this species has scored the highest yet combined placement in consecutive years in the 10-year history of my annual wrap-up reflections. Never before has a former #1 Bird landed itself in the Top 10 again, let alone earning a place on the podium in the immediate aftermath of its championship run! Then again, there are few species as special as the American Flamingo, to say nothing of their unprecedented all-star performances in both 2023 and 2024. As detailed exhaustively in previous posts on this website, the excitement began with the passage of Hurricane Idalia, which scattered flocks of flamingos across the eastern United States to locations as far afield as Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kansas. This saga was widely regarded as the birding event of the year, and my lifer encounter with a pair of birds at a Pennsylvania farm pond handily took top honors for my own retrospective ranking. Little did we know that the fun was only just getting started! Spring 2024 saw a surprising new crop of extralimital flamingo sightings as birds that overwintered in the Southeast resumed wandering with the warming weather. This unexpected epilogue finally delivered a sensational redemption opportunity for New York State, when a subadult American Flamingo surfaced at Georgica Pond out in the Hamptons at the end of May. The initial news of this discovery rocked my world, and I immediately made plans to chase. Jacqi and Ryan joined me for a predawn ride out to the easternmost reaches of Long Island, and our reward was, in the truest sense of the word, a perfect birding moment. Standing on the beach at daybreak, surrounded by a crowd of friends, watching this absurdly gangling, gloriously pink bird flying past at close range was an experience like no other. I was further delighted by the opportunity for a follow-up visit with my parents a few weeks later, enjoying a repeat performance on the morning of Father’s Day. This restless individual subsequently delivered first accepted records for several other states over the course of its travels, spreading joy throughout the community everywhere it went, as flamingos are wont to do!
#2: Secretarybird
In the past, I have been rather hesitant to craft a formal bucket list of most wanted animals on a global scale. Not knowing when or if I will have the opportunity to travel to various corners of the world, my personal lineup of “must see” critters has always been somewhat tentative. With that being said, there are certain special species, like Platypus and Steller’s Sea-Eagle, that have ranked near the top of my private wish list for most of my life. The spectacular Secretarybird is one such creature, a singular bird of prey that has captured my imagination ever since early childhood. These majestic raptors are classified in their own taxonomic family due to their unique structure and behavior. With their long and powerful legs, they prowl their expansive savanna territories on foot, stomping hapless prey to death with mighty kicks. With their fascinating ecology and striking appearance, there is no other bird on Earth quite like a Secretarybird. Once Jacqi and I finalized our plans to spend our honeymoon in Kenya, this species immediately took the undisputed top spot as my most highly desired target bird for the trip. With each passing day that we failed to find one, however, I could feel the pressure mounting, and I began to fear that I may have gotten my hopes up too high. On our last full day exploring the Maasai Mara, our guide from Bateleur Camp, the ever tenacious Denzol, took a gamble on an extended, intentional search which wound up paying off magnificently. To our immeasurable surprise and delight, we finally lucked into an up close and personal encounter with a staggeringly confiding pair of Secretarybirds hanging out smack dab in the middle of the road. Considering that my wife and I would have been plenty content with even a distant glimpse of our quarry, this stellar lifer observation completely blew us away. Watching the birds strut about and preen, fanning their expressive crests as they surveyed their surroundings, before eventually launching into the skies and soaring away together was a simply unparalleled experience. This sighting stands out as one of the clear highlights of our time in Africa, and we immortalized the memory, in traditional Healy fashion, with a lovely custom ornament courtesy of my goddaughter Riley and her parents Paige and Ryan. I had fervently hoped that this species would feature in this countdown when I was still looking ahead to 2024 a full year ago, and I am pleased to report that they absolutely lived up to up to a lifetime of eager anticipation and high expectations!
#1: Red-footed Booby
In all honesty, I still cannot quite believe that I am sitting here typing up this entry. I certainly never imagined that any species from back home in New York had a real chance of surpassing my top prizes from Kenya, let alone that a bird seen from my own apartment building would somehow claim the coveted crown for the #1 spot. There are no words to adequately describe my feelings about this gobsmacking experience. With my birding journey spanning more than 3 decades, beginning with the utterance of “bird” as my first spoken word at less than a year old, this observation stands out as the most surprising, significant, and humbling discovery of my entire life to date. Like so many birders, I have often found myself fantasizing about the possibility of finding some new and exciting species that has never before been seen within the borders of my home state. Even my most fanciful daydreams, however, never came close to the absurdity that unfolded in the skies over Astoria on the morning of August 22nd, 2024. For as long as I live, I will never forget the intense spike of adrenaline that I felt when I first realized that the strange seabird circling overhead was a sulid. The gradually dawning realization that the field marks I was seeing only added up to one possibility sent my brain into overdrive, and I am beyond grateful that I managed to secure diagnostic photographs despite the uncontrollable tremors that had taken hold of my body. Once I confirmed, through careful review of field guides and excited consultation with friends, that my initial impressions were indeed accurate, the high reached a peak that I still have yet to fully come down from. A subadult white morph Red-footed Booby: a ridiculously improbable yard bird, a long-awaited lifer, and a stunning New York State first, right over the roof of my own little domicile! Simply unthinkable, to say nothing of the revelation that this same exact individual had been spotted on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland less than 24 hours earlier! This sighting, more than any other I have yet experienced, perfectly embodies what birding is all about. That a day so ordinary in a setting so unremarkable can be shattered so spectacularly by an unexpected find is, in my opinion, nothing short of magical. The astronomically long odds involved in the complex suite of circumstances that conspired to put me in position on that rooftop at the precise moment that incredible vagrant flew by feel like a bespoke gift from the divine chaos of the universe. It certainly helps that the Red-footed Booby is an iconic and impressive bird in its own right, especially considering that the species is still so rare in much of the continental United States. One thing is certain: I will forever reserve a soft spot in my heart for the mind-blowing megararity that put my home on the map! The world is just awesome, and, in the immortal words of the great Sir David Attenborough, boobies are superb!
I feel like I have had the good fortune to make a variation on this statement at the end of every year, but 2025 undoubtedly has a tough act to follow after the amazing experiences of 2024! There is no telling what the next 12 months will bring, but if the preceding 12 are any indication, just about anything is possible! I wholeheartedly wish all of my friends, family, and dearest gentle readers only the best in the year to come. May your 2025 be rich with fulfilling accomplishments, unexpected joys, and countless unforgettable adventures! I am already looking forward to recounting my own annual highlights when December finally rolls around yet again. Happy New Year, everyone!