OT: World Series of Birding

[QuikSand]

2003 World Series of Birding

This year, for my first time, I am preparing to participate in the World Series of Birding. As some of you may know, I am a birdwatcher by avocation, and this is one of the bigger events in that growing pastime.

The official WSOB is an event, hosted in New Jersey by various environmental and ornithological organizations as a major fundraiser. The concept is pretty simple – get various teams of birdwatchers in the same area on the same day, and see who can identify the most species of birds on one day. This year, the event is being held on Saturday May 10—right in the middle of the Spring migration, where the potential species to be seen will be at its zenith. There will be teams of expert birders from across the country, including some who take this event very seriously.

I, myself, am doing this for the first time, and will be part of a group sponsored by the Cape May Bird Observatory. I attended one of their workshops last spring (about a week after last year’s WSOB) and decided that I wanted to be there for “the big day” this time around. It sounds to me like a very interesting event. While I’ve never been a “competitive” birder (which is to say, focusing solely on the ability to verify numbers of species), I am intrigued by the concept of doing so. And this is the best stage to give it a try—Cape May during the spring migration might feature the widest array of bird species of anywhere in North America.


Anyway, I mention this here for two reasons. First, some people here have expressed at least some casual interest in birdwatching, and I though discussing this event might be of interest to some of you. Birdwatching is a very rapidly growing hobby (along with related things like eco-tourism) and there has been a real upswing of interest in this sort of thing. I don’t exactly plan to make a “dynasty thread” out of this, but if anyone is interested, I might be able to discuss what I’m doing to get ready, and how the day will be structured. (Since you want to maximize what you see on one day, it involves strategically driving all around the state to get to various “hot spots” at the right time of day… very carefully planned) I find that stuff interesting, and if anyone else does, I’m happy to share.


Secondly, and perhaps more importantly (here’s the hook) is the fact that this is first and foremost a fundraising event. Participants, like myself, do this in order to raise money for the various organizations involved with the environment and natural area protection in the Mid-Atlantic region. The structure for doing this is along the same lines as a children’s “book-a-thon.” That is—the participants go out in advance and seek sponsorships from people, based on the number of species that they will see during the event. In order to qualify as a participant, I need to gain at least $1.00 in sponsorships for each species that my team will see on the big day.

So, how much is that? Well, I am told that a reasonable expectation for the day is about 150 species. (If you’re not a birdwatcher, I will say that to me, that is a staggeringly high number. I frequently come home after a very productive spring day of birding, and get excited if I have seen 70 species. Especially with all the “easy” ones off the table, doubling that figure is positively shocking.) The very top teams in the contest, in a good year, will threaten 200 species for the day. Part of this depends on the weather, and just the luck involved (whether there are good conditions for a “fallout” of migrants that day). However, that’s the right neck of the woods.

And therefore, I am humbly seeking support for my efforts. If any of you here might be inclined to make a contribution, I would be very grateful to list you on my sponsor sheets. The “Pledge Sheet” link below will locate the document that I am passing around (in person) to friends and colleagues, seeking their help.

World Series of Birding

Pledge Sheet

If you are inclined to make a donation to support the efforts, you have a couple of options. The easiest one is to simply let me know that you are willing to pledge a certain amount. For example – if you pledge 3¢ per species, that would likely translate to around four or five dollars when the event has wrapped up. You can do the math. Feel free to simply post your pledge in this thread, or you may (if you prefer) send me a private message via this board. I will set up a PayPal account to receive this sort of contribution in May, and than I will consolidate the contributions into one payment to the Observatory.

If you like, I can add your full name and address to my sponsor sheet – which probably means that the Cape May Bird Observatory will send you materials in the future. Some will be informational, some will be more soliciting in nature – just like anyone else, I imagine. I personally have been a member of CMBO for several years, and am extremely supportive of the work that they do.

Alternatively, if you are somewhat more serious about your support, there are slightly more complex options. If you seek to have your contribution be tax-deductible, the best way to do so is by check, made out directly to "NJAS World Series of Birding." I can make arrangements with you to do this-- you will appear on my sponsor list, send me the check, and I will submit it to them along with my comncolidated payment. If you contribution ends up reaching the amount of $35 (which is what they charge for an annual membership), you will receive a complementary membership of your own, along with the newsletters and other material that comes with it (plus certain privileges should you visit the area). Again- I am more than happy to make arrangements for anyone with such inclinations.


I really don’t mean to pressure – I’m perfectly happy to share this experience with you all in the absence of support. But if you are interested, I’m also happy to act as a conduit for your support to benefit a very worthy cause. It’s a win-win. I and scores of others get to have an exciting day of birding, and some good causes make out as the real winners.

Feel free to follow up with any questions, or other thoughts about this whole event, about birding in general, or about the fundraising mechanism involved.

[Anrhydeddu]

A general question. Do you have to have proof in the contest that you saw a particular specie or they take your word for it?

[Fritz]

Can you share with us more information about the orgainzations this will support?

[QuikSand]

A very common question.

First, let me point out - this is not a contest that features huge prizes for the winners. The competitors aren't in it for money, but rather for the thrill of the competition itself, and the joy of accomplishment.

That said, among the very top tier of birders, the type of people who are going to be among the top finishers in an event like this, there is both a good deal of honor, and an inherenbtly strong reinfrcement mechanism. Nearly everyone will be completely honest - even when that "borderline call" might cost you first place (seeing a bird, being 90% sure you know what it was, but still harboring some tiny sliver of doubt... most of these people will not include that species).

In addition to the honor system, though, there's an implicit issue of embarassment. With so many top-tier birders around a small state at the same time - it's pretty unlikely that only one person or group would be able to see a given bird, without somebody else seeing it, too. If you're the only team that reports seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher, unless you have a well-established reputation, the people in the room are most likely to think you've just been "optimistic" and discount your claims. In the 20 year hostory, I'm unaware of any controversy at all in this regard, at least as it concerns the top finishers.

It's basically an honor system... but the people involved generally have earned their stripes.

[QuikSand]

Fritz, here is a link to more information about the Cape may Bird Observatory, which is the target I will be supporting with my own efforts.

CMBO link

I'm not particularly impressed with their web presence, but there are links to their two centers, and a few of the programs that they are offering throughout the spring. I can personally vouch for their efforts both in habitat preservation (my top priority, personally) and public education - they are a very active player in one of the most critical areas for bird habitat. If you have ever traveled in the Cape May area, it's rather remarkable the way that this beach community has maintained a fairly agrarian and rustic feel - a good deal of that is due to the efforts of the birding community, preserving land through a variety of acquisition and easement programs.

If I come across anything more detailed, I will gladly supply more links.

[Anrhydeddu]

In traveling through the Delmarva peninsula region (and will do so again in June), I had been impressed with its agrarian and rustic feel. In the same manner as Cape May, are there preservation efforts going on there as well or perhaps a more accurate question, are there specific development pressures?

Part of my motivation to learn about this is that one of my key "causes" is the preservation of historical sites, particularly the Civil War battlefield. I had never been in favor of locking up huge swaths of land (like here in the West) but always felt that the relatively small number of acres of a historical site is a small price to pay to show our heritage (particularly the battles going on around Manassas). I am just curious as to the parallel between habitat preservation and historical preservation, esp. in the Mid-Atlantic states.

[QuikSand]

I think there are development pressures everywhere close to the ocean - and that's why Cape May's feel is so surprising. There is a downtown area, and plenty of stuff to do - but you don't have the sense that the whole place has been taken over by developers, strip malls, marinas and condos. I'm sure those forces would be interested, but so far it's been held off. I think it is the absence of this overgrowth that keeps Cape May as attractive a destination as it is, for those who prefer a little mroe open space and a little less concrete.

Other places in Delmarva are under variable pressures for growth. It's mostly a function of water access - anyoen on the ocean itself or on the bay is in demand. The State of maryland has an aggressive "critical areas" program protecting land withint 1,000 feet of the bay - that is a meaningful curb on overdevelopment. But there are still areas (the middle of the peninsula, away from the water itself) that face very little growth pressure - and therefore, the agricultural backbone remains strong there.

From a birding perspective, most of the best areas for bird breeding (and viewing) are fairly near water - and so we end up often at odds with the forces of development. Good wetlands and watered woodlands for birdwatchers are also nice targets for future marinas and developments.

[Fritz]

Anrhydeddu - The lack of development on much of the southern eastern shore is amazing.


Quik - that was enough information for me. Thank you.

[QuikSand]

A quick word of thanks fo the FOFCers who have privately contacted me to share support. You have my gratitude, and that of the beneficiary organization.

Im bumping this thread back to the top, just to make sure that anyopne who is interested gets an easy chance to see this.

[QuikSand]

Thanks again for your generous support for this endeavor.

I got a chance to get out for some birding on the lower Maryland shore last weekend, and saw the beginnings of the Spring migration. Turns out (perhaps due to some weird weather) it looks liek a lot of migrants are a little behidn schedule this year - which might make the WSB day even more challenging than in years past. I'm predicting that the species counts come in a little lower than usual. Regardless, I'm certain that I'll have a lot of fun, will learn a lot, and will be supporting some very beneficial causes.

[QuikSand]

I've had about eight visits to the field in the last cople of weeks, as the migration has started in earnest. I am pretty excited about Saturday... the big day. However, I have two major presentations to deliver today and tomorrow, and that has really shifted my focus away from birding the last few days. However, noon Friday I am free, and I'll be getting ready for the 16-hour marathon on Saturday.

The weather forceast doesn't look so hot... might be drizzling throughout the day. That will probably bring down the number of birds that will be out and about, at least among the smaller, perchins birds. Hiwever, inclement weather is sometimes good for other things - sometimes pelagic sea birds will drift more towards the shore during bad weather... so there's a chance to make up some numbers that way. In any event, I'm sure it will be interesting.

Plus, Mrs. Q and I are haded to Atlantic City afterwards (on Sunday) to hit the poker tables. Should be good fun all around.

[Anrhydeddu]

Good luck and have fun. Be sure to have Fritz and yourself promise me good weather when I come through your areas next month.

[Franklinnoble]

I did a lot of waterfowl and upland bird hunting as a kid... does that count as bird watching?

[QuikSand]

Well, I am back from the big event. It was quite an experience... I was out in the field (and trekking from place to place) for nearly 18 straight hours, and we ended up with the second-highest count for my team in its history (I think all 20 years of the event). The weather actually cooperated with us very well, despite ominous forecasts overall leading up to Saturday.

I'll post some more details tomorrow, and hopefully my final count checklist. It was a very interesting day... I learned quite a bit, and met some really good birders along the way.

[Anrhydeddu]

Interested in hearing the details.

[QuikSand]

2003 World Series of Birding

The day started early – we got on the road shortly after 5am, and started out at one of the several good birding spots in and around the town of Cape may, right on the southernmost point of New Jersey. Cape May is famous for its great birding – its geography makes it an ideal resting spot for traveling migrants, and it’s varied habitats (pretty well protected by various organizations over the years) allow some suitable space for many different kinds of birds to either temporarily rest or permanently nest.

In the early morning, our group of about 40 people had to rely mostly on sound – the sky was filled with a pretty dense misty fog, and visibility was low. It became a joke to call “visual!” when any bird was actually in sight – even if the bird was a robin or other mundane sighting.

As the morning went on, we found that there was indeed a pretty good “fallout” – meaning migratory birds that were probably new arrivals to the area that night/morning. That’s the best time to be out looking for migrant perching birds, and we had a pretty good morning, seeing many of the reasonably common species in the area. Atop most people’s list of interesting birds in this lot are warblers – a family of very small, active, and frequently colorful birds. During the morning, we saw about 12-14 species of warblers – including some of the most eye-catching of the lot:

Blackburnian Warbler
(the picture doesn’t do justice to his bright flame-colored throat)
Northern Parula
Blue-Winged Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
American Redstart

In addition to these eye-catchers, we did run across a couple less common, but also less “eye-catching” species:

Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler

We also found some other very beautiful birds along the way, as our morning was filled with busy trees and both migrants and breeders:

Scarlet Tanager
Veery
Yellow-Throated Vireo
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird


As the days leading up to the WSOB are notorious for lots of “pre-scouting,” we benefited from this by making a particular point to visit a field where a Lark Sparrow had been seen the day before. The Lark Sparrow basically has no business being on the East Coast, especially this time of year (they are very uncommon in the fall, but downright rare in the spring). We did indeed get to see it, and pretty clearly, too. This is the first addition to my life list on the day – it’s a bird that I had never seen before. It’s not a visually striking bird – not nearly as beautiful as some I posted above – but it is exciting to add a new bird to my life list, and to get a good enough look to see and recognize its characteristic markings. And for the group, we got a coveted “write-in” – a bird so unexpected, that it wasn’t even included on the pre-printed “checklist” used by participants in the WSOB event.

I’m personally at a point in my birding where I pretty infrequently add birds to my life list, unless I am traveling to a new place, where the birds will be unfamiliar to me. I added only two all of last year on the East Coast… so getting one here was a nice experience.


We got out of the morning, and moved on to wetter climates – in search of water birds. Along the day, we had already seen a variety of ducks, gulls, terns, and shorebirds in various “flyovers” but we got a chance to really fill in some of the water species with trips to various beaches and saltmarshes. We did a good job spotting most of the “expected” birds along the way, and sorted out the various types of gulls and shorebirds on the beach. Our informal species count ticked 100 at just about noon – a pretty good pace for the day. Adding more and more gets harder, once you have so many of the common species out of the way, like we did at that time.

On the very southernmost point of Cape May, we made an early afternoon stop, and I added another life bird. A White-Winged Scoter was sitting in plain sight, and was readily viewable. It’s probably a bird I have seen before, and never been able to properly pick out from other ducks – but here with so many advanced birders around, it was easy to figure out. (Most of the leaders in the group were advanced to the point where they no longer carry a bird guide – they have a practically encyclopedic knowledge of birds, and generally don’t need to use any references at all)


We made a brief stop in the mid-afternoon, about 2:30 or 3:00, to tally up our lists and plot out strategies for the rest of the day. At that time, we had 124 species counted – about 10 behind last year, but last year was the “forever year” that nobody expected to ever approach again. In 2002 they had a massive fallout on the WSOB day, and “got” lots and lots of oddball birds along the way – the “century run” team I was part of this year posted 166 species that year, breaking their previous record by nearly 20.

From that point on, it was a matter of traveling to locations with specific birds in mind. Without knowledge of the birds at hand, the context isn’t too meaningful – but it was pretty interesting to me as a participant. The conversation was like this:

“So, we’ll go to Stone Harbor, where we can probably get Whimbrel, Little Blue Heron, and probably a couple others.”
”Then we will go up a few miles to Nummy Island – they saw the Tricolored Heron there all week, and we should get a Black-Crowned Night Heron there, too.”
“What about Yellow-Crowned?”
”Probably not. Need to go on up to Jake’s Landing. But we’ll get the Clapper Rail there, too… and the Bittern, probably.”
“Okay. here can we get the Phoebe? I can’t believe we still need a Phoebe!”
”We’ll get that up at Belleplain – at the Old Narrows Bridge. If not there, there’s a nest over at the camping area entrance gate.”

So, we spent the rest of the day scrambling place to place, trying to fill in the fairly common birds remaining on our list. Along the way, we often picked up “bonus birds” – seeing something new to our list that we hadn’t really expected, but just lucked into.

Into the evening, as the daylight was waning, it became hectic. We still had a fair number of reasonably common birds left, and were scrambling through a State Forest some 30 miles north of Cape May trying to fill in holes. It’s 7:00, then 7:20, then 7:45… and the skies are darkening. At this point, every new bird is a big deal – and those left in the group are cheering (quietly) with each addition.


My day ended around 10:00pm. We spent about an hour in the dark of the woods, trying to call in owls (with no luck at all). The last bird I added to my list was a Whip-poor-will, which made a sound exactly like it’s represented in any recordings I’ve ever heard.

Here’s a link to the Whip-poor-will’s song, as a wav file. The one we heard just called and called, for easily ten minutes straight.


I’m still compiling my final list for the day, but when I have it completed, I will post it here. I believe that the group’s total while I was with them (they made another stop or two after I peeled off, hoping to add two or three more species-- will be 154 birds. In any event, it seems clear that we’ll place as the second-highest total by the century run team in its many year history, behind only last year’s unbelievable tally.

Interestingly enough – even with all those sets of eyes, and visiting so many different habitats, we still missed some pretty common birds. No Eastern Bluebird – wow. We never saw a Bald Eagle, and though it’s an endangered species, it was definitely on our “we’ll get one eventually” list. There are a few other things that, after it’s all over, I’m sure people will be surprised that we managed to miss.

Overall, it was a grueling day, very tiring, but also very rewarding. I ended up adding three new birds to my life list, and probably got my “best look ever” to another four or five species. I got a chance to talk with a number of very good birders, and get some insights from them in the field – which is really the very best way to learn this stuff. A worthwhile experience for me, certainly – though at the moment, I’m reserving judgment about whether I’ll do it again.


I may have more details to fill in as I think of them… and if anyone has any questions, I’m happy to offer more thoughts. I don’t think the play-by-play narrative works too well for an event like this, but I wanted to provide some links to give at least a little perspective for the day.

[ctmason]

Enough about our feathered friends.

I want to hear how the Taj was since going Non-Smoking and doing the remodel I've heard so much about.

[QuikSand]

I like the remodeldd Taj poker room, and personally love the fact that it is truly non-smoking.

I was very tired as we got there, and so I agreed to play low-level hold 'em, but planned to sit back very conservatively, as I was having trouble focusing very well. I ended up at the same table as Mrs. Q, which was sort of weird (but beneficial for us to talk about later).

I ended up slightly down on the day, after catching some awful luck. I jacked up a pot holding pocket kings and getting a third on the flop - only to watch a pat straight to the king show up among the five common cards (and I, of course, lost to the guy seeing all my bets with an unsuited A-7). I also fell apart losing with pocket queens to the pocket kings on my right... but got pocket queens again on the very next hand and deliberately continued my labored moaning and screaming enough to call attention to my (apparently) wild betting. Looking like I was trying to "lash out," I grabbed a very nice pot, and left the table for the day - hit the ponies for a while, and we split afterwards.

[QuikSand]

Well, I have my final tally sheet for the event. I am attaching a pdf file, for those who might be interested. (Who knows?)

My final tally for the day is 154 species, which exceeded just about everyone's expectations, and was the second-highest this group has ever gotten on "the big day."

For those of you who sponsored me, you will eb receiving PMs with further instructions. Thanks to the sponsors and to those who otherwise showed interest. It was a really interesting event for me, and I helped raise money for a very good cause.