World Series of Birding: places

If you've read previous posts this week, you know that I took part in this year's World Series of Birding as a member of a "chase car" that shadowed Team Zeiss during the 24-hour competition. You know that I enjoyed hanging out with great folks -- but did you know that I love to drive? That my daily driver of 14 years is a 1972 BMW 2002? That I volunteer to work at BMW club driving schools at racetracks? That I relish the chance to try out twisty backcountry roads?

That's exactly what the chase car gave me: the opportunity to see much more of NooJOYzee -- my previous experiences being limited to highways leading to/from Philadelphia as well as the Garden State Parkway and Cape May County -- and the chance to drive some wonderful asphalt while in hot pursuit of a swiftly moving target. (That... would be Team Zeiss.)

Rest assured, Marleen and Sheila. We didn't drive recklessly or endanger ourselves or anyone else... well, maybe that little rodent that ran in front of the chase car at the last second.

During my seven-hour stint behind the wheel, I might've irritated my navigator and passenger with the number of times that the words "Lookit this gorgeous scenery!" -- or some variation thereof -- came out of my mouth. My previous trips to Cape May involved driving from Philadelphia, so my eyes knew how pretty southern New Jersey can but hadn't seen anything of northern Jersey. My finger became a little snap-happy on the camera, but maybe you -- like me -- didn't know how appropriate the state nickname truly is.

Click on an image to see a larger version.

World Series of Birding: faces

Last Saturday, I participated in the World Series of Birding as a member of the "chase car" that shadowed Team Zeiss. As for most folks who take part in the 24-hour competition, my sleep deprivation didn't begin at 12:00 a.m. Saturday.

Oh no, it began Thursday night with a red-eye flight from Orange County, Calif., to Detroit, Mich., followed by a delayed flight to Philadelphia. After landing in the City of Brotherly Love on Friday morning, I rode with Zeiss employee Stephen Ingraham to Basking Ridge, N.J., where we collected Catherine Hamilton from an Amtrak station.

Despite the lack of mental refreshment Thursday, my spirits remained high on Friday and Saturday because of the people around me. One of the best perks of my business trips remains the community of birders. As a group, they're utterly wonderful. WildBird trips often seem like reunions of far-flung friends and colleagues.

With many familiar faces among Team Zeiss and the chase car, this crazy undertaking -- to shadow these five birders as they competed for 24 hours to find and identify the most species throughout the Garden State -- seemed a little less daunting. Thanks to Stephen, Catherine, Pete Dunne, Don Freiday, Michael O'Brien, Tom Reed, Will Russell -- and Murphy the golden retriever -- for the memorable night/day/night!

Click on an image to see a larger version.

Tom (left) and Michael

Will (way down the road), Don, Pete and Catherine

Stephen (left) and Catherine

Don (left), Michael, Will, Catherine, Stephen and Pete

Catherine

Don (left), Michael, Pete, Tom and Will

Tom (left), Pete, Michael, Will and Don

Hm, maybe this post should've been called "Fronts and Rears."

Tweeting the World Series of Birding

Part of the fun of attending this year's World Series of Birding stemmed from the increased role of social media. Many birders used Facebook, Twitter and other means to electronically share info about birds and the 24-hour competition.

Among the "tweeters" were @paloons, @aphriza, @canagica, @trbirds, @RedheadsWSB, @Team_eBird, @woodcreeper, @billtacular, @ammodramus88 and @CultureDove. (Who did I miss in that list?) Many of us used the hashtag #wsob to make our 140-character updates more searchable in the "Twitterverse."

During the 2010 World Series, I drove and rode (and catnapped) in a "chase car" that shadowed Team Zeiss: Pete Dunne, Don Freiday, Michael O'Brien, Tom Reed and Will Russell. Stephen Ingraham (@singraham) invited me and Catherine Hamilton (@birdspot) to share the driving/birding/documenting experience with him.

Stephen created a summary post with photos for his blog, and this post combines the tweets from Catherine and me (@WBeditor). Our updates began on May 13 and continued through awards brunch on the 16th, giving friends and followers a peek into the 27-year competition -- sans the sleep deprivation.

Note: The time stamps here are Pacific Daylight Time, as my Twitter account is set to display PDT regardless of my location or the time zone of the originating tweeter. Add three hours to see when we actually tweeted.

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@birdspot: I'm deep into preparations for #wsob, which means I'm speed drawing, making food, listening to tapes, packing and missing good birds in CP. 12:42 PM May 13th [CP = Central Park, NYC.]

@birdspot: Parmesan skillet bread. Having a hard time saving this for the 24hr food sahara I'm about to embark on. #wsob http://twitpic.com/1nion5 3:19 PM May 13th

@birdspot: Will trade snacks and pearls of wisdom for birds. The bacon bar I will only share for Bar-tailed Godwit. #wsob http://twitpic.com/1nofwj 6:23 AM May 14th

@birdspot: The pearls of wisdom bit of my last tweet. #wsob http://twitpic.com/1nogfs 6:25 AM May 14th


@birdspot: Naps are happening here for the team Zeiss chase team. Prepping rigorously ;) #wsob 12:39 PM May 14th

@birdspot: After big planning meet w/team Zeiss (@singraham for pics), it's off for some zzz's...except I'm awake.. #wsob #Ican'tfallasleepat5pm 4:02 PM May 14th

@WBeditor: We're off! Team Zeiss is on the move after good-luck licks from Murphy. #wsob 7:45 PM May 14th [We started driving from Basking Ridge, N.J.]

@birdspot: And we're off! Like mad mad people (just who is driving the Zeiss van?) into a gravid NJ evening (for you @WBeditor). 7:46 PM May 14th [Stephen took the first shift behind the steering wheel.]

@WBeditor: Caffeine stop! 3 Mt Dews now in hand. #wsob 8:30 PM May 14th

@WBeditor: Glorious stars! Crickets. Pinky shake w/ @birdspot. #wsob 8:58 PM May 14th

@birdspot: Hot damn nocturnal flight calls! I don't know em all but boy do I know some and more now. 10:07 PM May 14th

@WBeditor: Sussex County. A hill. Distant lightning. Cool breeze. Night migrants. 60 minutes to pick chips from darkness. #wsob 10:12 PM May 14th

@WBeditor: Will Russell gave us an A+ for decorum. Go @singraham & @birdspot! #wsob 10:23 PM May 14th

@WBeditor: Fireflies! Always a treat for this SoCal native. 10:58 PM May 14th

Courtesy of Nature

@WBeditor: Don Freiday has a lead foot! #wsob 12:46 AM May 15th

@birdspot: 4:20 am. I am eating jalapeno potato chips (forget carrot sticks). My stomach rumblings sound remarkably like the singing marsh wrens. #wsob 1:22 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: The birds are starting to wake up. This will get more fun (c: #wsob 2:23 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: At Stokes State Forest. Beautiful! I'm the driver now of the 'chase car.' Watch me keep up w/ Lead Foot Freiday! 3:12 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Gah. I grabbed the wrong Mt Dew. This 1 is lime-flavored )c: 3:46 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Lots of quick stops in Stokes State Forest #wsob 3:48 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Rte 560. Bridge. All scopes on deck! #wsob 5:04 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: We're at Thunder Mtn. It's not just a ride at Disneyland. Who knew? #wsob 5:37 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Enjoying a generous serving of GRCA today 5:57 AM May 15th

@birdspot: Driving through suburbia, looking for a mythical mountain and our team #wsob #neverpitstopinthispartofNJeveryoneknowsthis 7:59 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Thank you @birdspot for becoming the driver when my eyes crossed. The powernap felt delicious. #wsob 10:54 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Heislerville. Warm sun. Windy. Peeps & peeps. 11:28 AM May 15th

@WBeditor: Quote: "I am so smug right now." #wsob 12:16 PM May 15th

@WBeditor: Gorgeous weather in Cape May! Wonderful hospitality at Avondale by the Sea #wsob 1:39 PM May 15th

@birdspot: I find zee Kentucky Warbler & I am happy. I release my feet from wellies & I am happy. We head to the shore/shorebirds & I am happy. #wsob 1:58 PM May 15th

@WBeditor: Chai tea from WaWa. Mmmm #wsob 2:00 PM May 15th

@birdspot: Everything is a tick #wsob 3:46 PM May 15th

@birdspot: Cool: popup singing Northern Bobwhite while waiting to remeet team Zeiss. Not cool: endless stream of ticks, mostly Deer Ticks. #wsob 4:17 PM May 15th

@birdspot: Mammals: Shrew! Fisher Cat! Dolphins! Bear! Red Squirrel; plus usual yadayada. #wsob 5:11 PM May 15th

@birdspot: Omg tick attached to my scalp. @WBeditor saves my life by having brought tweezers. I am a changed and fearful person. 6:56 PM May 15th

@WBeditor: A rite of passage: I pulled 2 deer ticks out of my friend's scalp tonight. Eeewww. 7:16 PM May 15th

@WBeditor: Zen Zugunruhe, WildBird's team, won the Cape Island Cup again! 7th year. Congrats guys! #wsob 7:53 AM May 16th

@WBeditor: 2 teams ID'ed 228 species & tied for 1st place #wsob 7:56 AM May 16th

@WBeditor: Foundation for Avian Research & Education of NJ and Lagerhead Shrikes tied for 1st. #wsob 7:59 AM May 16th

@WBeditor: Quote: "We're ghost hunters." #wsob 8:10 AM May 16th

@birdspot: #wsob over, awards breakfast scarfed down, new friends made. now let's go birding ;) 10:24 AM May 16th

@birdspot: WSB? Team Zeiss (Michael O’Brien, Don Freiday, Will Russell, Pete Dunne, and Tom Reed) are pretty good birders. Hehe hehehe. OK need sleep. 4:13 PM May 16th

'World Series of Birding' in the news

Every May, gobs of birders converge in New Jersey for the World Series of Birding, a 24-hour birding competition that generates money for conservation efforts. Despite the event's 27-year history, many birders haven't heard of it. That being the case, consider the lack of awareness among the general public and the mainstream media.

After the annual event, held May 15 this year, I like to see how much news coverage the competition received in newspapers, radio outlets and websites. A lot of competing factors go into deciding which news items make the final cuts, but I enjoy seeing how well the event organizers and participants communicated with editors and reporters about covering the World Series.


Here's a roundup of news coverage from traditional media. If you've found other links, please share them.

This bird count is of World Series proportions and it starts tonight
[Side note: Glen Davis is captain of Zen Zugunruhe, sponsored by WildBird for 12 years. --akh]
The World Series of Birding was still 40 hours away, but Glen Davis was already in a competitive state of mind. Davis, 32, from the north end of Ocean City, has been participating in the annual birding event, now in its 27th year, since he was 15 years old.
“We were the first youth team to compete,” Davis said. “Now, the series is full of youth teams.”
So it’s no surprise that he acts on instinct. While he is talking, he sees the shadow of a bird flying overhead. Davis’ head and the heads of several other birders turn like cats salivating over a potential meal.

World Series of Birding is frantic, not genteel
This weekend hundreds of birdwatchers will be frantically criss-crossing New Jersey looking for as many specimens as possible. The annual World Series of Birding turns the normally leisurely activity into a competitive sports with hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake. The 24 hour contest starts at midnight sharp.

120 teams compete for ‘Urner Cup’ in World Series of Birding
CAPE MAY — On the stroke of midnight on Friday night, teams of birders will go head to head in a natural treasure hunt in the birding world, the New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding.

Big birding competition will forgo the gadgetry
Scott Fraser is prepping for the birding big time. So he doesn't just have his binoculars and his scope. He's got his iPhone with its super birding app. He's got his navigational GPS. On a day in the field, he'll be calling and texting, ever in search of feathered updates. And, yes, har har, he'll be tweeting.

And They're Off!
The countdown clock has ticked down to the last half hour before the World Series of Birding bursts out of starting gate and competing teams of birders fan out from Cape May and across New Jersey to check off every species in "North America's premier conservation event": "Every species found--every dollar raised--preserves and protects bird habitat."

Birders use trolley to spot species on-the-go in Cape May
LOWER TOWNSHIP — Janet Crawford, a volunteer naturalist for the New Jersey Audubon Society, has watched birds from many different vehicles — cars, a regular bus, even a school bus.
The resident of the Leesburg section of Maurice River Township decided to switch it up Saturday, boarding a Great American Trolley with a team of other nature enthusiasts to participate in the annual World Series of Birding. The birders bounced across southern Cape May County, clang, clang, clanging from one wildlife hotspot to the next, starting at 5 a.m. and ending at night.

Zen Zugunruhe wins Cape Island Cup again!

The four fellows who represent WildBird and compete in the Cape Island category of the World Series of Birding did themselves proud for the seventh time. They ended Saturday's 24-hour competition with 155 species south of the Cape May Canal -- enough species to earn the Cape Island Cup again. Congratulations, gents!

From left: Matt Garvey, Tait Johansson, Glen Davis and Dave Hedeen

Thanks for Stephen Ingraham for providing the photo.

Crunch time

Such a whirlwind of activity these days! The birds are moving here and there, and so are the humans who like to find and enjoy them.

The World Series of Birding will take place this Saturday in New Jersey. In other states, birders also are doing Big Days -- which might range from 12 to 24 hours -- as part of "birdathon" fundraisers, earning money per each species identified and putting those pledges toward conservation efforts.

As WildBird editor, I get to attend the World Series, cheering on our sponsored team, Zen Zugunruhe. The four-man team -- Glen Davis, Matt Garvey, Dave Hedeen and Tait Johansson -- plans to compete again in the Cape May Island limited geographic area with hopes of once again winning the Cape Island Cup. Go Zen!

This year, I also get to experience the event from a different perspective, shadowing Team Zeiss and spending 24-plus hours with Stephen Ingraham and Catherine Hamilton. Look for updates via our Twitter accounts! You can search for other birders' tweets by using the hashtag #wsob.

Right now, my movements are restricted to the office while finishing WildBird's July/August issue, the annual birds of prey issue. Tonight, though, I'll fly -- well, not me personally -- from Southern California to Motor City and then the City of Brotherly Love, where Stephen will collect me for the adventure.

Best wishes to all the peripatetic birders, and good luck with your competitive quests!

World Series of Birding: Friday

For many years, WildBird has sponsored a team in the annual World Series of Birding. Within 24 hours, birders compete with each other to identify as many species as possible by sight and sound within New Jersey state lines.

Some teams, such as WildBird's team, restrict their scavenger hunt to a limited geographic area. Zen Zugunruhe, our four-man team, sticks to Cape Island, south of the Cape May canal at the bottom of the Jersey peninsula.


View Larger Map

The point of this exercise: raise funds for conservation groups by obtaining pledges per identified species. The teams might generate hundreds and thousands of dollars for the conservation groups of their choice.

I get to attend the event as a corporate sponsor. Zen Zugunruhe has their routine down, so I stay out of their way and do my own thing. This year, I enjoyed the company of a New York birder, Catherine Hamilton, also known as birdspot on Twitter.

Our visit to Cape May marked Catherine's first time to this migration mecca on the Atlantic flyway. I enjoyed introducing her to the various sites, such as

Cape May Point State Park

Concrete Ship at Sunset Beach

and The Beanery/Rea Farm





Our quick visits to these sites on Friday afternoon whet Catherine's appetite for Saturday's explorations. Already, she was talking about returning to Cape May in future months. Bwa-ha-ha-haaaa!

more World Series of Birding

As the driver for the award-winning Swarovski Digiscoping Hawks in Saturday's World Series, my view consisted largely of this scene:


I liked that view particularly when the rain kicked in... again. The intermittent wetness prompted some in-car digiscoping by Clay Taylor and Sharon Stiteler.


The soggy weather did not, however, prevent the digiscoping duo from pursuing their quarry by foot in saltmarshes. Out they went, in search of species and identifiable photos.


Thank goodness Clay and Sharon brought extra shoes and socks. Multiple tromps through the muck resulted in Keens like these:


And they smelled somethin' fierce. Believe me.

World Series of Birding

Saturday, 5 a.m.: Birdchick (aka Sharon Stiteler) and I met up with Clay Taylor to begin a day of digiscoping in the World Series of Birding. Sharon and Clay provided the birding and photography skills of the Swarovski Digiscoping Hawks; I served as the chaffeur of their minivan.

5:30: We left our hotel, Avondale by the Sea, toward the first of many destinations -- where we found a closed gate across the entry. OK, so it was a tad early... but not by most birders' standards.

During the next 14 hours, we visited various spots. How many of them can you identify?

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Winners! We got yer winners here!

WildBird has the pleasure of sponsoring teams in two competitive conservation events each year: the Great Texas Birding Classic and the World Series of Birding in New Jersey. This year, our teams won their categories in each event. Woo hoo!

In the Classic on May 3, the TAMUG WildBirders, from Texas A&M University Galveston and led by Susan Knock, won the upper coast tournament with 179 species identified in 24 hours. Here's the team's checklist.

In the World Series on May 10, Zen Zugunruhe -- led by Dave Hedeen -- won the Cape Island category with 145 species in 24 hours. Here they are, reclaiming the trophy at Sunday's awards brunch.

Zen Zugunruhe: Matt Garvey, Tait Johannson, Glen Davis, Dave Hedeen

For the first time, I participated in the World Series -- as a driver for the Swarovski Digiscoping Hawks. A last-minute invitation put me behind the wheel of a Chrysler Town & Country while Sharon Stiteler (aka Birdchick) and Clay Taylor of Swarovski Optik used digiscoping to photograph birds in southern Jersey. The duo turned in a checklist (actually, a PowerPoint slide show) of 113 species at the finish line and won the category.

Congratulations to the award-winning birders!

World Series of Birding in National Geographic

Have you seen the April issue of National Geographic? Mel White penned the tale of the 2007 event.

I predict that even nonlisters will enjoy the delightful read, and I like that the opening photo of the online version shows dreadlocked, tattooed Philadelphia-based Tony Croasdale of Team Bristlehead. Not all birders sport gray hair and wrinkles -- the typical stereotype of those who feed, watch and chase birds.

Youth teams in birding competitions

American Birding Association recently announced its 2008 ABA/Leica Tropicbirds teams for the Great Texas Birding Classic and the World Series of Birding.

During the April competition in the Lone Star State, Jeff and Liz Gordon will chaperone and mentor four teenagers:

Saraiya Ruano, 17, of Colorado Springs, Colo. (team captain)
Hope Batcheller, 16, of Petersburgh, N.Y.
Neil Gilbert, 15, of Orange, Calif.
Nico Sarbanes, 14, of Baltimore, Md.

During the one-day May event in the Garden State, Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis will coach and accompany four teens:

Jacob Drucker, 15, of New York, N.Y. (captain)
Ted Stiritz, 14, of Russellville, Ark.
Andy Johnson, 15, of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Matthew Daw, 14, of Raleigh, N.C.

Find more info about ABA's programs for young birders here.

WSB youth team on Martha Stewart's show

Sheila Lego of New Jersey Audubon Society sent word that one of the World Series of Birding's youth teams was scheduled to participate in an episode of The Martha Stewart Show. How cool is that?

The Steiner Merlins won first place in their division (grade 1-5) of the annual competition that raises money for conservation projects. The five girls -- Kelley Jewel, Tabitha Lansinger, Michele Long, Kiley Pignataro and Shannon Pignataro -- planned to give a WSB T-shirt to Martha during the taping today.

The designer of this year's WSB shirt? None other than Jennifer Brumfield. I'm hoping that she and the shirt receive good visibility during the show, scheduled to air this Friday. Look for your local showing here (left-hand column).

World Series of Birding in the news

Courier-Post:

Starting at midnight tonight, birders from 25 states and four foreign countries will fan out across New Jersey for the annual World Series of Birding.

By the end of the 24-hour competition, midnight Saturday, the winning team will most likely have identified well over 200 different species in the course of their travels from one end of the state to the other.

Bridgeton News:

MILLVILLE -- Members of the new Fish Hawks birding team for Saturday's World Series of Birding gathered Thursday to introduce the team representing Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and its Tributaries (CU).

All the members are veterans of former prestigious birding events, including the WSB, and they have come from a wide area to participate.

They will raise awareness of the many wonders Cumberland County has to offer by restricting their search to Cumberland County only.

KYW Newsradio 1060:

The 24th Annual World Series of Birding begins Friday night in New Jersey and hundreds of people are expected to take part.

More than 100 teams of bird enthusiasts will spread out over the Garden State and count as many birds as they can see or hear in a 24-hour period beginning at midnight. Pete Dunne, director of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory, explains how the teams do the count:

"The team will go to a hot location, a place that is on their prescribed route, they will get out scour the area and get back in the car and drive to the next site, and then between sites, that's when you do your recording. Because say you don't want to leave North Jersey without having a black cap chickadee because when you get south, they're not here, we have Carolina chickadees down here."

Asbury Park Press:

Bird lovers from across New Jersey came out today to compete in the 24th Annual World Series of Birding.

Based throughout the state with Audubon Centers in Cape May and Fort Hancock at Sandy Hook, among others, the event raises money for bird conservation.

Birders of all levels can participate in the team competition, non-competing team or individual, youth competition, and senior competition. The birders have sponsors donate money for each bird they spot, and approximately $600,000 is raised annually, according to Pete Bacinski, director of the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory.

NBC40.net:

ABSECON - These young nature observers are putting their skills to the test in the sixth to eighth grade division of the World Series of Birding.

They're trying to beat their record of spotting 42 species last year and in the process are raising money for a nature habitat at their school.

"This is just a really great way for them to learn about the different habitats and the different birds. We also are looking at different animals, so they're having a ball," says chaperone Cindy Ahern of Hunting Valley, PA.

"I would really like to see a Golden Eagle, I've never seen one. What are the odds of seeing one today? They're kind of against us," says Eric Ahern.

PressofAtlanticCity.com:

CAPE MAY POINT — The goal was to fight global warming, and the money for the fight was literally flying right by their faces.
Well, sometimes it was flying by. Other times it was wading in a mud flat, perching on a tree or soaring high in the sky. The money took the form of a Mississippi kite, a pair of red-headed woodpeckers, a cerulean warbler and many other birds spotted by the bird-watching team Union of Concerned Birders. Each new species they identified meant another pledge from a sponsor.

“We're going to raise over $5,000 for the Union of Concerned Scientists,” said Paul Kerlinger, a member of the team.