After visiting Texas in November I stayed close to home for the rest of the year. I did get one more bird - a Slaty-backed Gull in Muskegon - Michigan, #706. This was good enough for fifth place in the USA. (I am in 15,262 place for 2023 and don't expect to get much higher.)
Being a numbers man I am obliged to present some numbers associated with my big year:
Total species seen for the year in USA - 706
Lifetime total of species seen in the USA - 724
"Life birds" seen in 2022 (i.e. birds I saw for the first time in my life) - 345
Ranking among USA e-birders as of 1/1/2022 - #12,231
Ranking among USA e-birders as of 12/31/2022 - #643
Number of states I saw birds in - 29
Nights away from home - 125
# of times I checked into a hotel - 84
Number of takeoffs and landings (so glad they were the same number!) - 66
But this year was not just about the numbers or even just about the birds. It was a dream come true to see so much of this beautiful and diverse nation. From the Hawaiian Islands to Barrow, Alaska 350 miles above the Arctic Circle, to Key West Florida, the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura, California, to Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota in February, the deserts and mountains of Colorado, the frozen shores of Massachusetts, Cape May New Jersey in fall migration, July in Montana, Magee Marsh in May, three trips to Texas including the Rio Grande Birding Festival, and much more.
The birds, animals, and people were unforgettable. I will be forever grateful to my wife Joy for the greatest (and most expensive) present I could ever imagine. What a year!