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Saturday, May 9, 2009

World Series of Birding

As a new twist to this annual competition, in which NBNC has participated since 1999, our team was comprised of 'alumni' youth birders, who have participated in past programs and are now pursuing higher education. For 24-hours, we birded non-stop across Cape May County.

Fueled by caffeine and adrenaline, the “North Branch Noddies” managed to see and hear 156 different species of birds, topping their previous yeaBlack-necked Stiltr’s total.  While the Noddies placed fourth in their division of the competition, they found more rare and unusual birds than ever before including Black-necked Stilt (pictured right) and Swallow-tailed Kite.

We also raised over $5,000 to support NBNC’s Youth Birding Program. Our team's total species count for the trip was 173 and included two dozen species of warblers (Northern Parula pictured above, photo by Sean Beckett) Other non-avian sightings included Box Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Common Five-lined Skink, Fowler's Toad, American Bullfrog, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, American Beauty and much, much more!
The North Branch Noddies
"The North Branch Noddies"
Top row: Henry Wilton, Amelia Klein, Nik Kotovich, Chip Darmstadt & Sean Beckett
Bottom row: Mathius Sirch, Eric Cannizzaro & Larry Clarfeld
Mute Swan Sanderling Hermit Thrush*
Snow Goose Semipalmated Sandpiper Wood Thrush
Brant Least Sandpiper American Robin
Canada Goose Dunlin Gray Catbird
Wood Duck Short-billed Dowitcher Northern Mockingbird
Gadwall Laughing Gull Brown Thrasher
American Black Duck Bonaparte's Gull European Starling
Mallard Ring-billed Gull Cedar Waxwing*
Northern Shoveler* Herring Gull Blue-winged Warbler
Black Scoter Great Black-backed Gull Northern Parula
Long-tailed Duck Gull-billed Tern Yellow Warbler
Red-breasted Mergamser Royal Tern Chestnut-sided Warbler
Wild Turkey Common Tern Magnolia Warbler
Common Loon Forster's Tern Black-thoated Blue Warbler
Northern Gannet Least Tern Yellow-rumped Warbler
Double-crested Cormorant Black Skimmer Black-throated Green Warbler
Great Blue Heron Rock Pigeon Yellow-throated Warbler
Great Egret Mourning Dove Pine Warbler
Snowy Egret Black-billed Cuckoo* Praire Warbler
Little Blue Heron Yellow-billed Cuckoo Blackpoll Warbler
Tricolored Heron Great Horned Owl Cerulean Warbler*
Cattle Egret* Barred Owl** Black-and-white Warbler
Green Heron Chuck-will's-widow American Redstart*
Black-crowned Night-Heron Whip-poor-will Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Chimney Swift Worm-eating Warbler
Glossy Ibis Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ovenbird
White-faced Ibis Red-headed Woodpecker Northern Waterthrush**
Black Vulture Red-bellied Woodpecker Louisiana Waterthrush
Turkey Vulture Downy Woodpecker Kentucky Warbler
Osprey Northern Flicker Common Yellowthroat
Swallow-tailed Kite* Eastern Wood-Pewee Hooded Warbler
Mississippi Kite Acadian Flycatcher Yellow-breasted Chat
Bald Eagle Eastern Phoebe Summer Tanager
Northern Harrier Great Crested Flycatcher Scarlet Tanager
Cooper's Hawk Eastern Kingbird Eastern Towhee
Red-shouldered Hawk* White-eyed Vireo Chipping Sparrow
Broad-winged Hawk* Blue-headed Vireo Field Sparrow
Red-tailed Hawk Yellow-throated Vireo** Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Merlin Red-eyed Vireo Seaside Sparrow
Peregrine Falcon Horned Lark Song Sparrow
Clapper Rail Purple Martin White-throated Sparrow
King Rail Tree Swallow Northern Cardinal
Virginia Rail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Rose-breasted Grosbeak
American Coot Barn Swallow Blue Grosbeak
Black-bellied Plover Blue Jay Indigo Bunting
Semipalmated Plover American Crow Bobolink
Piping Plover Fish Crow Red-winged Blackbird
Killdeer Carolina Chickadee Eastern Meadowlark
American Oystercatcher Tufted Titmouse Boat-tailed Grackle
Black-necked Stilt White-breasted Nuthatch* Common Grackle
Greater Yellowlegs Carolina Wren Brown-headed Cowbird
Lesser Yellowlegs House Wren Orchard Oriole
Solitary Sandpiper Marsh Wren Baltimore Oriole
Willet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Purple Finch*
Spotted Sandpiper Blue-gray Gnatcatcher House Finch
Whimbrel Eastern Bluebird American Goldfinch
Ruddy Turnstone Gray-cheeked Thrush House Sparrow
Red Knot Swainson's Thrush*  
*  bird found in Cape May but not during competition
** bird found on the way to/from New Jersey but not during competition

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