Greetings All:
This year's competition: Rich Kostecke's Austin yard vs. Anthony Hewetson's
Lubbock yard. The rules: anything that can be seen from the yards (no
restrictions to yard 'airspace'), heard birds subject to review and
agreement, no eye gouging, and no birding below the belt.
Rich ended March with 44 species and by the end of April, as predicted,
seized the lead during April by adding Purple Martin, Cliff Swallow,
Nashville Warbler, Peregrine Falcon, Red-eyed Vireo, American Kestrel,
Dickcissel, Osprey, Mississippi Kite, Broad-winged Hawk, Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, Black-throated Green Warbler, Great Crested Flycatcher, Great
Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Franklin's Gull, and Yellow Warbler to his
list and moving on up to 61 species.
Given the number of sky birds he picked up from his closed-canopy yard I am
hoping that he did not remove a tree or two just to win this year's game:)
Anthony ended March with 45 species and, as predicted, fell behind a bit
during April, adding Turkey Vulture, Hermit Thrush, Chipping Sparrow,
Curve-billed Thrasher, Western Kingbird, Swainson's Hawk, Killdeer, Upland
Sandpiper, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Snowy Egret, Mississippi Kite,
Bullock's Oriole, and Black-crowned Night Heron to his yard list and moving
on up to a mere 58 species.
I predict that Rich will maintain his lead through migrant-rich May
(provided he hasn't actually removed any trees from his yard) and through
the doldrums of June but I might actually start a charge with the arrival
of early fall hummingbirds and songbirds in late July. Lubbock has a
pretty solid and surprisingly protracted fall migration so I have not lost
hope just yet.
An aside for Rich: don't start counting on that bottle of whiskey just yet,
my good friend:)
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
