Nebraska Big Year: THE BIG RECAP

February 11, 2026

Updated: March 01, 2026

How can I fit an entire year on one page? 525,600 minutes, 35,691 miles, 1.5 million birds, 1,020 checklists, 25+ cumulative DAYS of birding time, and it all boils down to one number: 355. I'm going to try to make this brief, but I can tell already that will be difficult. For month-by-month recaps, check out my other blog posts. For graphs and a full list of species I saw in 2025, check out my dedicated Big Year page. This post will cover my planning, execution, short stories, and reflections on my experience in 2025 and some tips for attempting your own big year (if for some reason you also think that's a good idea)!

The Plan

So, what possessed me to even do this? The idea of a Big Year attempt took root in me in late 2024. In my first full year of birding in the state, I managed to rack up over 300 species, and I couldn't help but think if I had gone a little harder out of the gate, I could have achieved an even bigger number. I thought that with a bit of planning and luck, I could reach the incredible record of 347 birds set by Paul Dunbar before the prevalence of eBird. 350 has always been a great milestone in Nebraska birding...in a lifetime, so why not try to take that on in one year? Based on data from eBird for the past 5 years, an average of 371 species are found in the state each year, so to reach my goal, I needed to keep up with 94.3% of the species seen. Easy, right? Time for some research.

So in October of 2024, I started working on The Spreadsheet. I spent hours and hours compiling data from eBird, Birds of Nebraska Online, and other sources to create a one-stop shop for all my big year planning and tracking needs. The spreadsheet evolved a ton as the year went on, but the most important bits to me were the "where" and "when" for every bird on the state list.

A small subsection of "The Spreadsheet" detailing the arrival dates, locations, and bar charts for shorebirds.

From there, I began to make my plans. Look for winter finches in January, gulls in February, Waterfowl should be knocked out by March, don't forget shorebirds in April. May is for warblers, summer for breeding birds, August for vagrants, September for western migrants, October for sparrows, November for more waterfowl, and December for any last-minute additions to the list. Phew! From there, I mapped out at least 8 trips that I would take to execute the plan, along with multiple smaller trips in the east, and a 5 week period I dubbed "Warbler Mania". I was ready to go.

The Execution

For more detailed reports, check out the other posts in my blog! I wrote those as I went, so the experience and recounting was fresh. If you don't feel like reading all that, here's the TLDR, 355 species.

Overall, I think I executed my plan very well. Naive Tobin thought that the year would include 8 trips to the western part of the state (which I defined as anything past North Platte). Boy was I wrong. I went no fewer than 15 times. The mantra of big year birding is "Always chase the rarest bird", and I only broke this twice. In May, I passed up chasing a Black-throated Blue Warbler in Cheyenne County (5 hours away) hoping I could get one later that fall, I didn't, and that bird stayed for 3 days. The other time was when there was a Laughing Gull at Calamus Reservoir. This one I give myself a pass on. Without a boat, and a huge lake, my odds of refinding that bird were slim. But I did follow the rule 3 other times for a single bird (Pacific Wren, Arctic Tern, Mexican Duck). And for the Mexican Duck (really a hybrid), I had to go twice...

Throughout the entire year, I kept my ear to the ground for hints of any rare birds that were showing up. I scoured Facebook posts, the listserv, Discord, and eBird daily for hints of any birds that I needed, as well as getting texts and tips from dozens of people througout the year (see Acknowledgements). This effort paid off with quite a few birds!

As far as the rest of my birding went when I was home, I tried to put myself in places where I had the best chances of finding good birds. In late summer, I often had some free afternoons, so I went out looking for Laughing Gull, where I turned up Long-tailed Jaegers. When the time presented itself later in Nov/Dec, I went looking for winter finches. And while a lot of that time resulted in 0 birds, it still got me out appreciating nature, and building "bird karma" for dumb luck instances like the Jaegers and Crested Caracara (I think I'm still paying off that one).

Birders often have a "nemesis" bird, which is a bird that you look for many, many times and can never seem to find. That bird for me this year was Redpoll. In late September, it seemed like Redpoll were going to make a good push into Nebraska. There were a few reports into October. I spent nearly all of my free time in the last few months of the year scouring goldfinch flocks in hopes of finding one with a red cap, but could never seem to find one. It was one of the main targets on my mid-December trip to the panhandle. I even spent 3 mornings in Seward, standing in the cold waiting at a feeder, to no avail. As of writing, I still don't have a Redpoll, but Keegan finally got his at Fontenelle Forest! With spring just around the corner, I fear this bird will have to wait until next winter.

For more information on my effort each month, check out the following blog posts and trip reports! Also check out my Google Photos Album for more photos from the year.

Month	Total	Links
Jan	118	Blog Post	eBird Report
Feb	131	Blog Post	eBird Report
Mar	165	Blog Post	eBird Report
Apr	247	Blog Post	eBird Report
May	322	Blog Post	eBird Report
Jun	328	Blog Post	eBird Report
Jul	330	Blog Post	eBird Report
Aug	341	Blog Post	eBird Report
Sep	350	Blog Post	eBird Report
Oct	352	Blog Post	eBird Report
Nov	353	Blog Post	eBird Report
Dec	356	Blog Post	eBird Report

Top 10 Birds of 2025

Crested Caracara: (#354, Dec 6) This one is probably no surprise. Keegan, Eugene, and I found the state's 2nd record of Crested Caracara at the late date of Dec 6th in Garden County. The bird showed well for nearly 2 weeks so many others were able to add it to their state list!
Long-tailed Jaeger: (#335, Aug 15) This is probably higher on the list than others would put it, but that's mostly because it wasn't just one, it was TWO juvenile Long-tailed Jaegers that I found myself on a hot afternoon in August. This will represent the 14th record for the state and the first record of more than one.
Common Crane: (#159, Mar 24) Common Crane was a huge target bird for me this year. I knew that in order to beat the record I had to dream about the mega rarities. I chased 3 separate reports spending over 12 hours sifting through Sandhill Cranes before finally catching up with one at Clear Creek WMA in Garden County. It was one of 3 or maybe 4 Common Cranes seen this year in Nebraska!
Swallow-tailed Kite: (#336, Aug 17) I visited Florida twice in 2025, and there were a number of Florida birds that were on my mind to find back home. I saw the reports of kites wandering into the north and northeast in late summer and held onto some hope. That hope paid off in late August when John and Shari found one at Pioneers Park. I was cautiously optimistic when we chased it, but we found it almost immediately as it flew over the car on the way to look for it. Lee's Chicken became the center of Nebraska birding for a couple weeks after that.
Costa's Hummingbird: (#352, Oct 30) Any Hummingbird in October is extraordinary. I was one of the first to go look for this bird the day after it was positively identified. Special thanks to Jennifer for hosting pretty much all Nebraska birders for a couple weeks to enjoy the 4th state record of this bird. Luckily for the bird, it was able to hitch a ride with some wildlife rehabbers back to Arizona and was released in Saguaro National Park!
Pacific Loon: (#132, Mar 1) This bird was quite the surprise. Keegan and I were going to Sutherland in early March to see the spectacle of Snow Geese. As we were driving up, a loon popped up about 30 yards from the car. I snapped some photos and we both wrote it off as a Common Loon. Fast forward 4 hours, we're back at the campsite and I'm looking through photos and we realize it is in fact an uncommon Loon. This will represent the first "spring" record of Pacific Loon, I wasn't planning on looking for PALO until October and November!
Arctic Tern: (#334, Aug 11) This was the first of my stupid one-day chases. Stephen Brenner found the bird in the morning and I set out immediately, drove 6 hours, spent 2 birding, and drove 6 hours back home. Definitely not an itinerary I would recommend unless you're doing a big year. 8th state record!
Pacific Wren: (#350, Sep 30) And this is the second of my stupid one-day chases. Again, a Stephen Brenner find that was nearly 6 hours away. It was only the 5th record for the state, so I had to try. I drove all the way out there, birded for over an hour, saw the bird for 30 seconds, snapped a terrible photo, and then it disappeared. Not the most satisfying lifer of the year, but they can't all be perfect!
Eurasian Wigeon: (#43, Jan 1) Lifers are always special, and I knew I had a shot at one on day 1 of the year. After listening for owls before dawn, I arrived at Lake Ogallala and began scoping the vast raft of ducks with Colleen and Boni. It was early and many ducks were still tucked in sleeping, but after 15 minutes or so I found it and we all got to share a state bird together!
White-eyed Vireo: (#333, Aug 2) Keegan and I were birding up in northern Sioux County after looking for hummingbirds in Scotts Bluff, and after not finding much, we were heading back to the car when we heard a different song. After a moment, I finally made the connection to a bird I'd heard just 6 days earlier in Florida, White-eyed Vireo! The ratty adult bird was mid-molt, and about 500 miles northwest of where it should be.

Honorable Mentions: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Great Black-backed Gull, Gray Partridge, White Ibis, Connecticut Warbler, Red-throated Loon, Black-billed Cuckoo, American Black Duck, Pine Warbler, Snowy Plover, Glossy Ibis

Final Numbers

I kept meticulous logs throughout the year, and was able to pull a lot of data from ebird. For graphs, check out my Big Year overview page.

355 species, 22 life birds, 35 state birds
288 species with photos or audio
32 species seen or heard only once!
1,020 complete checklists over 269 days
25.17 days of cumulative birding time
72 counties visited, year birds in 32
Biggest Day: 116, May 1st
35,691 miles driven
$5,311 spent on gas, camping (15 nights), and hotels (30 nights)
7 oil changes, new tires, new brakes

Favorite Moments

(Besides the top 10 birds)

Gull-a-palooza: One very memorable moment from early in the year was when I ran across a large flock of gulls at Marsh Wren Wetlands of all places. Apparently the location was being used as a staging or loafing site while they went to forage at the dump. Over the next 4 days, we called it "Gullapalooza". In total, the flock consisted of 7 different species, including rare Iceland, California, and Glaucous gulls. I really enjoy looking through gulls over multiple days. Among the other rare gulls, one of the coolest birds to me (and most difficult to identify) was a hybrid American Herring x Lesser Black-backed Gull, only the 2nd record for the state.
Warbler Trade: In early May, I was birding at Tierra Park. I was just leaving to chase a Bay-breasted Warbler and Mourning Warbler that Judson found at Wilderness park (both would-be lifers), when I heard an unfamiliar warbler song. It ended up being a Canada Warbler! I took a recording, and continued to Wilderness Park, where I picked up both lifers, and Judson was able to go to Tierra and get great photos of the Canada Warbler.
January 1: The first day of the year couldn't have been a more perfect start to the big year. I picked up Saw-whet owls before dawn, dozens of waterfowl (including all Scoters, and a lifer Eurasian Wigeon), and the continuing Couch's Kingbird in North Platte. I finished the day with 78 species and 8/8 rare targets.
White-eyed Vireo: Sometimes you catch people talking in your bird recordings, and I caught Keegan and I discovering the White-eyed Vireo. Tobin: "It's a White-eyed Vireo!", Keegan: "Holy ****, you're right".
Breeding Bird Survey: I ran my first breeding bird survey in Crescent Lake NWR, and it was great. I was overwhelmed by the birdsong at the first few stops, but eventually got into a good rhythm. The highlight of the day was a Long-tailed Weasel!

Top 5 Photos of 2025

Here are my top 5 photos of the year!

Long-tailed Jaeger, Lancaster County

Common Crane, Keith County

Evening Grosbeak, Sioux County

Fox Sparrow, Seward County

Yellow-throated Vireo, Washington County

And some non-bird photos

Common Wood-Nymph, Pawnee County

Bighorn Sheep, Scotts Bluff County

Cream-edged Tiger Beetle, Lancaster County

Thin-spined Jumping Spider on a Milkweed, Lancaster County

Other Animals

Being out in nature, I was bound to run into some non-Avian life, and I saw quite a few species! I saw many of these species in the state for the first time in 2025 (bolded). In summer, when the birding targets were slim to none, I dabbled in macro photography, finding spiders and insects. I especially enjoyed finding weevils and tiger beetles.

Mammals (24): Elk, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep, Coyote, American Mink, Long-tailed Weasel, Raccoon, Red Fox, Big Brown Bat, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, White-tailed Jackrabbit, Eastern Cottontail, American Beaver, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Deer Mouse, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Fox Squirrel, Groundhog, Least Chipmunk, Meadow Vole, Muskrat, Plains Harvest Mouse, Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel.

Reptiles/Amphibians (13): Woodhouse's Toad, American Bullfrog, Ornate Box Turtle, Plains Leopard Frog, Western Ratsnake, North American Racer, Spiny Softshell, Common Snapping Turtle, Common Garter Snake, Blanchard's Cricket Frog, Pond Slider, Painted Turtle, Cope's Gray Treefrog

Arachnids (26): Too many to list, highlight was a Dark Fishing Spider, and the Thin-spined Jumping Spider pictured above.

Insects (269): I did a lot of backyard macro photography this year, which pumped this list up. My favroties were a state-first weevil (Ophryastes vittatus), and the Tiger Beetles

Tips for your own Big Year

You need free time: If I were to do this again, I would do it when I'm retired. Seriously, it's so hard to juggle a full-time job with all the traveling that is required. Luckily for me, my remote work from home situation, and nearly 30 days of accrued PTO that I had made it work. You have to have a job flexible enough that you can leave on a road trip at a moment's notice.
Planning is everything: Make plans, and be efficient. If you make plans to look for the rare birds, the rest will just come along the way. The spreadsheet I made helped me filter this down, any bird with more than a 1% frequency on ebird, I could basically ignore. On each trip, have an idea of the target rare or specialty birds, and put yourself in the position to find those.
Chase the rarest bird: The rare birds are what really boost the big year numbers, the common birds will come naturally along the way. Don't go looking for a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher when there's a much rarer Black-throated Blue Warbler to chase! (who could have done that?)
eBird Alerts: Use the eBird "Year Needs" alert feature. This will become more useful later in the year, as it's full of a lot of comon stuff early on.
No day is wasted: Go out and bird whenever you can, even a hot summer day with 0 year birds gets you more in tune with the birds you do see, and makes it easier to notice something different.
Reliable car: Make sure you have a reliable car. I got new tires and brakes, along with the 7 oil changes that I made this year. A serious attempt will take A LOT of driving.
Don't forget to have fun!: There were a few discouraging points this year. It's easy to let chasing numbers become an obsession to the detriment of the whole experience. Remember to ennjoy the common birds.

Acknowledgements

Finally, I couldn't have done this without everyone supporting me along the way. Thank You!

My Family: My family was supportive, often calling and saying "where are you birding today?" when I was on trips.
Caroline: HUGE shoutout to my fiance, who I "abandoned" for most weekends, and even some weeknights to make my crazy trips, and for putting up with my antics, like getting up at 2am to drive to Scotts Bluff to look for a Worm-eating Warbler.
Keegan: My brother Keegan came along on many of the trips, and completed his own Big Year, at 340 species!
Paul Dunbar: Paul was incredibly supportive, giving me tips at multiple times, which led to finding Glossy Ibis and Smith's Longspur.
Steve and Steve: Stephen Brenner and Steven Mlodinow were my panhandle scouts! I ended up chasing some great birds that they found in the western half of the state.
Mark Brogie: I called Mark a few times, and vice versa for advice. If you're looking for info on birds, might as well go the the best birder in the state! Mark and Caleb are responsible for getting me a Little Blue Heron in April, and Mark and Ed got me onto a Pine Warbler and Sprague's Pipit in September.
Caleb Strand: Caleb was a huge help this spring, I texted him many many times about various bird IDs especially shorebirds. It's so nice to have knowledgeable people like Caleb in Nebraska birding.
Ross Silcock and Joel Jorgensen: Ross and Joels' incredible resource BONO (Birds of Nebraska Online) was instrumental in my research. I probably visited this website a thousand times to reference the years of data and trends that they have compiled there.
Everyone else who was involved: Kojo Baidoo, Lauren Bell, Ed Brogie, Simba, John Carlini, Colleen Childers, Tommy Childers, Mary Clausen, Joey Colanino, Jacob Cooper, Colin Croft, Rita Cunha, David Cunningham, Olivia DaRugna, Kathy DeLara, Thane Dinsdale, Boni Edwards, Larry Einemann, William Flack, Terry Gibbs, Katie Gooby, Robin Harding, Connor Harrison, Amanda Hegg, Connie Hoffman, Eugene Huryn, Bill Huser, Peggy Huss, Joel Jorgensen, Lynette Keeshan, Thomas Labedz, Daniel Leger, Robert Manning, Sam Manning, Kevin Marquez-Ledezma, Cody McGregor, Zach McMullen, Steven Mlodinow, Jennifer Munson, Christine Nelson, Robert Nelson, Mike Nelson, Paul Pearson, Robyn Prieto, Jerry Probst, Liam Rader, Owen Reeves, Hugh Riek, Carolyn Rieke, Paul Roisen, Shari Schwartz, Brian Seger, Scott Seier, Darrin Siefken, Ruth Stearns, Em Stephen, Barbara Strauss, Jason St. Sauver, Phil Swanson, Anne Troyer, T.J. Walker, Eli Weber, Leo Weiskittel, Jonathan Wentz, Matt Wieseler, Michael Willison

Edit History

2026-02-11: bulk of the content
2026-03-01: added non-avian animals, tips, more acknowledgements