I live in NE Ohio. I was lucky to have been to some places/parks in the western U.S. in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But, I wasn’t a birder back there. I would like to go to a few places again to concentrate more on the birds instead of just hiking. (Now, just being out there and hiking was fantastic. Don’t get me wrong.)
First of all, I would like to see the hawks that are out in the western U.S. But, there are so many other species that would be new to me that are out there that a trip would be a bonanza of new things for me. Since I started to search for dragonflies/damselflies the past few years, I would look for them, too. And, trees. Who wouldn’t want to see the giant sequoias and the redwoods? A trip to the Sierra Mountains to see the bristlecone pines would be cool, too. Ah…it’s all a dream.
I am similar to @ItsMeLucy in that I enjoy seeing places that have different geology - different terrain. Geology (and hydrology) informs what species are present quite often; maybe im just more aware of this because of cave & karst work but i always know changing this will be more interesting to me. I travel for nature not cities, so landscapes different to what I can easily access are priority.
I enjoy seeing new to me species regardless how rare - i loved my first Gyus titanus (spelling?) a giant harvestman with cute yellow “knobby knees”. But theyre super common in Europe. Dont care, get a bunch doing the lil harvestman booty dance as I call it and i love it!
But i also have bucket list species…i would love to be rich enough to travel lots and be able to see every big/long eared bat in the world. But i will be lucky if i can see all in north america alone. They dont often use caves in any quantity so it isnt as simple as one may think. Yeah some will, but they also are mostly near or threatened or endagered here. Ive only managed to see Rafinsqui and Townsends. Ive been told good luck ever seeing a Northern…even bat biologist working for almost a decade I passingly know, has yet to see one.
For sure #4 for me. I feel that is the option that will make you the least disappointed. I like the idea of going out to a new place/habitat or even a familiar one without any expectation of what you will find. Sometimes familiar places result in surprising finds, and certainly if you go to a new location with different climates and ecosystems then pretty much anything you find will be a lifer.
Definitely #3 and #4. Finding new lifers is a big motivator for me when considering travel. If I were to see a rare species it would almost definitely be new to me, so that counts for both! I’ll hopefully be visiting some of my relatives in New Mexico this spring, so at the very least I should see a few new bird species, some scorpions and some grasshoppers.