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 year’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"
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