| Team members |
|
Bob H. (PA),
Corey H. (PA),
Nick K. (NJ),
Jonathan W. (England) and
Art W. (NJ). |
| Birding resume |
| Bob |
Birding for 26 years. Started off slow, but like many avid
birders eventually learned enough about the wonders of bird migration to
realize that birding is just about the best way to enjoy life, wherever it
leads you and whenever that may be. |
| Nick |
Birding for a little over 20 years now. I've enjoyed the outdoors ever since
I was born in a small village (pop. 90) in the mountains of North Western
Greece. |
| Art |
I got hooked on birding while taking a California Plants and
Animals class in 1977. My favorite class at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was
Ornithology in 1980. Birding is my favorite hobby and sharing my love for
birds has been one of the highlights of my career as a park ranger
naturalist. I have led birding activities at Olympic, Everglades, Grand
Teton, Joshua Tree, Virgin Islands, Prince William Forest Park, Abraham
Lincoln Birthplace, and Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. |
| Jonathan |
Birding since 1987. Initially watched the legendary Wath Area
and Barnsley Moors, South Yorkshire, England. The former was, and still is,
an excellent place to observe migrating waders (sorry, shorebirds), despite
it being located in the middle of the UK. Studies in Norfolk, arguably the
best birding county in the UK, allowed me to boost my UK list. Now I work in
London and focus more on twitching than
local patch work. Visited NJ for the first time in August 2000, and
made subsequent trips in the autumn (sorry, fall) over the last few years
– always based in Cape May, yet I’ve
never seen a Cape May Warbler there (or anywhere else)! |
| Corey |
I have been seriously
birding since for about 3 or 4 years, but have been interested in birds for
at least 10. |
| Day job |
| Bob |
Manager for a Pennsylvania energy company. Board member of the
Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge. |
| Nick |
Director of Information Technology for a Pennsylvania casino |
| Art |
Chief of Visitor Services, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife
Refuge |
| Jonathan |
University College London. |
| Corey |
Student |
| Why am I participating? |
| Bob |
To raise much needed funding for conservation efforts and
because team captain Nick K. is so darn persistent. |
| Nick |
To
do my part with conservation and for selfish reasons i.e. to enjoy nature and
the camaraderie of fellow birders |
| Art |
Nick talked me into it. To help raise $ for wild things. A good
excuse to go birding all over NJ. |
| Jonathan |
To raise funds for a good cause, and to have a great day chasing
birds across the state. Also, such an
activity promotes birding and it’s of particular importance to get more
people involved of all ages to keep
birding and conservation alive in the future. |
| Corey |
To raise money for bird conservation and to see birds! |
| Favorite bird |
| Bob |
The one beyond the next bend in the trail. I am partial to
raptors but would trade a good look at a Golden Eagle in fall migration for a
breeding plumaged warbler sitting still on a leafless branch in the spring. |
| Nick |
Gray
Catbirds. I just love their curiosity. |
| Art |
Hard to pick a favorite, but if I must--California Condor. |
| Jonathan |
Must be a gull, a difficult choice between Yellow-legged and
Caspian Gull |
| Corey |
Short-eared Owl |
| Favorite birding place |
| Bob |
The place at which I am birding on any given day. Given a
choice, that would be Cape May on most days. |
| Nick |
Cape May |
| Art |
Queensland
Australia with Everglades National Park a distant second. |
| Jonathan |
In the UK it’s a close call between the Barnsley area and the
North Norfolk coast. Abroad it’s got to be Cape May for its variety of
habitat and migration that can be covered easily in a day. |
| Corey |
Corkscrew Swamp Florida |
| Favorite birding outing |
| Bob |
Watching the falcons at Cape May in early October. |
| Nick |
A tie between banding hawks in Cape May and visiting Machias
Seal Island in Maine |
| Art |
Wherever my kids are excited to see the birds. When we lived in
Virginia when I gave them a choice on where to go camping and birding--Cape
May or Kiptopeke State Park. They chose Kiptopeke. At Kiptopeke they were
able to check the mist nets and help release birds after they were banded. |
| Jonathan |
Watching for raptors on the Barnsley Moors, when after hours of
nothing, you get 5 minutes of madness and the raptors show - sometimes all at
once, be it the king of accipiters or a Merlin, Buzzard, Hen Harrier or a
Peregrine. My first UK Pelagic – seeing Fea’s Petrel follow the ship
(Scillonian) for over an hour in August 2001 – wow what a performer! |
| Corey |
Cape May on an early summer morning |
| Funniest birding story |
| Bob |
Watching two immature Red-headed WPs land on the same vertical
branch on Nummy Island, north of Cape May, while a Merlin cruised by. My
buddy called to me to check out the Merlin but I did not want to give up the
two woodpeckers. He was aggravated because I would not look at
"his" good bird. Meanwhile, the two woodpeckers saw the Merlin and
froze. As the Merlin flew past them at a distance they carefully turned their
heads, tracking the raptor's flight path. Then at the precise moment, and in unison,
both WPs shifted their position on the branch to keep the vertical branch
between them and the Merlin. Later, my buddy agreed that I had a good reason
for ignoring his "good bird." |
| Nick |
Watching an immature Bald Eagle in flight being dive-bombed my
two Red-winged Blackbirds at the Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware. At one point
one of the Blackbirds landed on the back of the Eagle and made believe it was
Woody Woodpecker for a solid minute or two. |
| Art |
A couple of French women came into a visitor contact station at
Shark Valley in the Everglades. They asked the ranger at the info desk if we
had any Tampoons. The ranger pulled out a bird book and proceeded to flip
through pages looking for a Tampoon. A the end of the season, he got a Trammy
Award in the category of Most Unusual Bird Sighting -- A tampon with wings. |
| Jonathan |
Watching a Cattle Egret (scarce visitor to the UK from Europe)
having a face-off with a Cow. The egret made attempt after attempt of landing
on the cow’s back (as it would do to cattle, horses and sheep on its breeding
grounds) but the cow kept throwing it off. They then just glared at each
other across a dyke. The egret was very confused! |
| Corey |
I was making snow angels in the freshly laid snow in my
backyard, when while I was on my back, I noticed a hawk coming towards
me. When I stopped waving my arms and
legs, the hawk lost interest. When I
started again, it flew my direction, and I noticed it was an immature
light-phase rough-legged hawk. My
parents said I must have looked like a dying animal! |
| Prediction on
# of birds |
| Bob |
170. Not world class, but a challenging total for a first time
WSB team of rubes from two states, two continents and two (or three???)
different generations. |
| Nick |
175 |
| Art |
172 |
| Jonathan |
I’ll leave that to the locals. |
| Corey |
160 |
| Target bird
for WSB |
| Bob |
Black Rail...because team captain Nick says it does not exist. |
| Nick |
Black Rail so that we end the day on a high note. |
| Art |
Black Rail…never seen one. |
| Jonathan |
Cerulean Warbler (is this possible?) and/or Cape May Warbler
please. |
| Corey |
Red Knot |
| Location I
look forward to bird on WSB |
| Bob |
Northern Sussex County. |
| Nick |
Northern New Jersey |
| Art |
NJ Highlands |
| Jonathan |
Too many to mention, but I’m looking forward to birding places
in NJ that I’ve never visited before especially in the north and west of the
state. |
| Corey |
Jakes Landing |
| Type of food
that I will bring with me on the big day |
| Bob |
Fruit and light snacks. |
| Nick |
Candy bars, Chocolates and any other junk food that will keep me
awake |
| Art |
Fruit,
vegetables, meat, and complex carbohydrates. |
| Jonathan |
Sandwiches |
| Corey |
small snacks, granola bars |
| Type of drinks |
| Bob |
Water |
| Nick |
Water, Coke more Coke and any other soda that will keep me awake |
| Art |
Water and a thermos
of Oolong tea. |
| Jonathan |
In the absence of proper English tea (of the Tetleys variety) J
, Hot Chocolate will be my call |
| Corey |
Water |
|
|
