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World Series of Birding > 2002 Report
WORLD SERIES OF BIRDING
May 11, 2002
Team Members - Paul Guris
(Captain), Adrian Binns, Mike Fritz, Rick
Mellon, Bill Stocku
Species Seen - 222
Place - 2nd Place
Sponsor - Nikon
Sport Optics
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L. to R. Bill Stocku, Rick Mellon, Mike Fritz, Paul Guris
(Captain) and Adrian Binns. |
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After finishing 1st or tied for first for each of the last three years in New Jersey's fabled World Series of Birding, the DVOC Team again shone this year with the astounding total of 222 species of birds within the designated 24 hour period. This was good for second place to the Cornell Team, which came in with 224 species--seen or heard on May 11 in New Jersey. Details of our team's accomplishment as reported by Adrian Binns below:
Route: Great Swamp; Highpoint; Worthington; Culver's Lake; Stokes; Florence; Salem County; Cumberland County; Cape May County; C-View Tavern
Highlights: We left Great Swamp with both bitterns, Virginia Rail, Sora, the necessary owls, both cuckoos, 3 thrushes (incl. Swainson's and Gray-cheeked), Willow Flycatcher, and a pack of Coyotes. We had the two woodpecker nest holes, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Pileated Woodpecker (and reserved the campsite to "preserve" access to them); two Wilson's Warblers, flyby Goshawk, migratory Red-breasted Nuthatch (thank heavens since we didn't really have one staked) and left the north at 9:35AM with 140 species. In all we finished with a total of 33 species of warbler incl. Swainson's (Pete's team had 34 since they got Mourning). Picked up Glaucous Gull at Florence; drive-by Horned Lark in Salem; a mid-afternoon King Rail at Bivalve; light morph Parasitic Jaeger in the rips; drive-by Little Blue Heron; drive-up Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed, and the surprise of the day, a signing and full view Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (subvirgatis). The nightjars were, as usual, cooperative and so were the Black Rails. We ended at the C-View to nail two pitchers of Bass Ale (by sight, call, AND taste) topping off a great day.
Missed: Sharp-shinned Hawk; Merlin; Red-throated Loon (one hanging on by a thread must have died before we got there). Two minor mistakes in hindsight - not going for Vesper Sparrow (about a 15 minute drive) and dismissing the Dickcissel at Mike O'Brien's (as having long gone). That should be a lesson for everyone.
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