Sarah Elizabeth Gillespie

Birdwatching Adventures

I've been incredibly fortunate to look at birds across the world. In the United States, I grew up in Southern California and currently live in Boston. In the past couple years, I've also gotten to visit Copenhagen (Denmark), Tokyo (Japan), and Montreal (Canada). I generally use the CornellLab of Ornithology's Merlin Bird ID app and eBird website to identify birds and keep track of my life list. During the chilly winter months in Boston, I fill my evenings with reading ornithology-adjacent books and planning future outdoor adventures.

World map with countries that Sarah has looked at birds in: United States, Canada, Denmark, Japan.

Life List of Birds Seen

I reached 100 unique species seen in the United States, as of December 2025.

  • Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)
  • American Coot (Fulica americana)
  • American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
  • American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
  • American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)
  • American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
  • American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
  • Asian House-Martin (Delichon dasypus)
  • Asian Tit (Parus cinereus)
  • Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus)
  • Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
  • Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
  • Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
  • Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
  • Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)
  • Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
  • Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
  • Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)
  • Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
  • Brandt's Cormorant (Urile penicillatus)
  • Brant (Branta bernicla)
  • Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
  • Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
  • Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
  • Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis)
  • Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
  • Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
  • Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
  • Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
  • Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
  • Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
  • Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
  • Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
  • Common Loon (Gavia immer)
  • Common Raven (Corvus corax)
  • Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
  • Common Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
  • Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii)
  • Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
  • Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)
  • Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
  • Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
  • Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
  • Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
  • Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
  • Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha)
  • Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)
  • Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
  • Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
  • Eurasian Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
  • Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
  • Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
  • Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
  • European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
  • European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
  • Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)
  • Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
  • Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)
  • Graylag Goose (Anser anser)
  • Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
  • Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
  • Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
  • Great Egret (Ardea alba)
  • Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
  • Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
  • Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
  • Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
  • Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
  • House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
  • House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
  • Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis)
  • Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
  • Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
  • Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
  • Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
  • Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
  • Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
  • Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
  • Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
  • Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
  • Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
  • Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
  • Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
  • Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
  • Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  • Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)
  • Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)
  • Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus)
  • Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica)
  • Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
  • Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
  • Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)
  • Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
  • Purple Martin (Progne subis)
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
  • Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
  • Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
  • Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
  • Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
  • Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
  • Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
  • Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
  • Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
  • Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
  • Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
  • Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
  • Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
  • Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
  • Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
  • Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
  • Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
  • Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
  • Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
  • Western House-Martin (Delichon urbicum)
  • White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
  • White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
  • White-cheeked Starling (Spodiopsar cineraceus)
  • White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)
  • White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi)
  • Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
  • Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
  • Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
  • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)

Nature Books

I've been able to read through so many books due to my fantastic local library system. Feel free to email additional recommendations!

  • The world's most ridiculous* animals: *or are they?! by Bunting, Philip
  • Best bike rides Boston: great recreational rides in the metro area by Musgrave, Shannon
  • Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation by Hites, Tiya
  • Explore Europe on foot: your complete guide to planning a cultural hiking adventure by Overby, Cassandra
  • Giant anteaters by Seiple, Samantha
  • Knit your own zoo: easy-to-follow patterns for 24 animals by Muir, Sally
  • Oddballs by Klungel, John
  • The adventures of Dr. Sloth: Rebecca Cliffe and her quest to protect sloths by Easterhas, Suzi
  • For The Love Of Pawpaws: a Mini Manual for Growing and Caring for Pawpaws by Judd, Michael
  • The big book of climbing: an illustrated history of mountaineering, bouldering, and beyond by Addy†*, Xina
  • Bird day: a story of 24 hours and 24 birds by Haubner, Mary
  • Medieval cats: claws, paws, and kitties of yore by Nappington, Irina
  • The Ark of Taste: delicious and distinctive foods that define the United States by Long, Brodie
  • The bucket list wild: 1000 adventures big and small animals birds fish nature by Stathers, Kath
  • Pawpaw: in search of America's forgotten fruit by Moore, Andrew
  • 'Tis, Boobies and Loons: And Other Birds Named by People Who Clearly Hate Birds by Royal, Stuart
  • Complete national parks of the United States: 400+ parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites, scenic by White, Mel
  • Footnotes from the most fascinating creatures: stories and memorable moments from people who love mus by Eckstein, Bobi
  • Frog day: a story of 24 hours and 24 amphibian lives by Crump, Martha
  • Balancing on an island: birds, extinction, and evolution in Hawaii by Lewis, Daniel
  • Rare birds: the extraordinary tale of the Bermuda petrel and the man who brought it back from extinction by Gehrman, Elizabeth
  • The falcon thief: a true tale of adventure, treachery, and the hunt for the perfect bird by Hammer, Joshua
  • Migrating birds: a colors book by Daignault, Christian
  • A libertarian walks into a bear: the utopian plot to liberate an American town (and some bears) by Hongoltz-Hetling, Matthew
  • What it's like to be a bird: from flying to nesting, eating to singing -- what birds are doing, and why by Sibley, David
  • How Iceland changed the world: the big history of a small island by Egill Bjarnason
  • The seal keeper: a novel by Wilson, Diana
  • Birding without borders: an obsession, a quest, and the biggest year in the world by Strycker, Noah
  • Unseen city: the majesty of pigeons, the discreet charm of snails & other wonders of the urban wilderness by Johnson, Nathanael
  • Why peacocks?: an unlikely search for meaning in the world's most magnificent bird by Flynn, Sean
  • The genius of birds by Ackerman, Jennifer
  • The lost journals of Sacajewea: a novel by Earing, Debra
  • World of wonders: in praise of fireflies, whale sharks, and other astonishments by Nezhukumatathil, Aimee
  • Better living through birding: notes from a life outside by Cooper, Margaux
  • Some assembly required: decoding four billion years of life, from ancient fossils to DNA by Shubin, Neil
A pigeon overlooking Longfellow Bridge and the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. Sarah feeding a nuthatch bird a handful of sunflower seeds. White geese and their goslings eating grass at the Charles River Espanlade.