Greetings All:
This year's competition finds Rich Kostecke working over 960 square miles
of Fayette County as Anthony Hewetson flails away at 902 square miles of
Crosby County. Both counties have a nice mix of habitats, though
Kostecke's is a bit less agricultural and a bit more wooded and watered.
On the other hand, Hewetson has some nice canyon cuts and, possibly, a
better selection of grasslands. To make things a bit more fair this year
lists are going to be weighted using the cumulative eBird total of ABA
countable birds as reported by 31 December 2016. That means that Rich's
efforts will be divided into a total of 264 species for Fayette County
whereas Anthony's efforts will be divided into a total of 290 species for
Crosby County. Species we add to the county lists during 2017 will not
cause these totals to go up: 264 and 290 remain fixed for purposes of the
contest.
Rich visited Fayette County every single weekend in April and added 41
species (Broad-winged Hawk, Snowy Egret, Chimney Swift, Black-necked Stilt,
Wilson's Phalarope, Cinnamon Teal, Stilt Sandpiper, Swainson's Hawk,
Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Franklin's Gull, Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Summer Tanager, Eastern Wood
Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-breasted Chat, Dickcissel, Sharp-shinned
Hawk, Yellow-throated Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo,
White Ibis, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Painted Bunting, Warbling Vireo, Northern
Bobwhite, White-faced Ibis, Little Blue Heron, Bank Swallow, Indigo
Bunting, Hooded Warbler, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Western Kingbird,
Baltimore? Oriole, Tricolored Heron, Semipalmated Plover, Baird's
Sandpiper, Green Heron, Greater Roadrunner, and Mississippi Kite).
I was only able to visit Crosby County twice during the month but I made
both visits wicked good and added 45 species (Barn Swallow, Cattle Egret,
Cliff Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Swainson's Hawk, Long-billed
Dowitcher, Chimney Swift, Baird's Sandpiper, Ash-throated Flycatcher,
American Avocet, Lark Bunting, Green-tailed Towhee, Peregrine Falcon,
Grasshopper Sparrow, Say's Phoebe, Clay-colored Sparrow, Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, Cassin's Sparrow, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Long-billed
Curlew, American Golden Plover, Inca Dove, Common Poorwill, Nashville
Warbler, Wilson's Phalarope, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Kingbird,
Black-necked Stilt, Bullock's Oriole, Painted Bunting, Forster's Tern,
Snowy Egret, White-rumped Sandpiper, White-faced Ibis, Black Tern, Osprey,
Upland Sandpiper, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bronzed Cowbird, Yellow Warbler,
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Indigo Bunting, Western Sandpiper, Bank Swallow, and
Cave Swallow).
Weighted for eBird history that puts Kostecke at 171 species (65% of the
number of species previously recorded for Fayette County) and leaves my at
182 species (a lowly 63% of the number of species previously recorded in
Crosby County - with Rich remaining ever so slightly in the lead.
We are both talking a little trash about how great May is going to be,
despite limited, due to professional obligations, opportunities to explore
our counties. We'll see how it goes.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
