2006 World Series of Birding Is A
Rousing Success
Hackensack RiverCreepers raise more than $14,000
thanks to pledges, matching funds
By Hugh M. CarolaIn the days leading up to each World Series of Birding (WSB) that I've taken part in, I have always worried about things: the weather, migration patterns, the health of my team mates, my own health and of course, the outcome. One thing I've never had to worry about - and this year was no exception - is our level of support. But more about that later; let's talk about birds first.
From Lyndhurst we headed north to Montvale where, for the first time in five years, we were unsuccessful at finding an Eastern screech-owl. From there we scoured the upper Hackensack River watershed and Palisades Interstate Park and listed a healthy number of species including an unexpected Prothonotary warbler at Oradell Reservoir. (FYI, that species is almost never found north of the Pinelands so it was truly a "rare bird.") Equally unexpected but nowhere near as rare was the Wild turkey we observed walking nonchalantly along the Palisades Interstate Parkway! Turning south, we had good warbler numbers in the woods surrounding the Tenafly and Flat Rock Brook Nature Centers. At Overpeck Preserve in Leonia we listed four species of shorebirds feeding in a puddle as well as our team's first-ever Ruby-throated hummingbird. Then it was back to the Meadowlands where, by boat and on foot, we completed our circle and listed the birds that brought us to within one species of our record. By the time we called it quits at 8:30 PM on the banks of Kearny Marsh, we'd tallied 109 different species. Of course we don't participate in the WSB for fun; we do it to raise critically needed funds that keep Hackensack Riverkeeper on the job and on patrol, and this year we had more help than ever before. Because of unprecedented response, we had a 50% increase in pledges and donations over last year. We received big checks and small checks, and every one was appreciated because together we raised over $6,100! And then the matching funds kicked in. In addition to the $5,000 fund that was already set up by an anonymous friend, a second generous donor added an additional $3,000 after the WSB was over. Taken together, those $8000 provided a match of $1.30 for every dollar donated. To date we have received more than $14,000 in WSB donations! From all of us here at Hackensack Riverkeeper, thank you to everyone who participated, and be sure to mark you calendars for May 12, 2007 - the 24th Annual WSB! Created by Roger Tory Peterson and Pete Dunne in 1983, the New Jersey Audubon Society's World Series of Birding is one of the world's premier birding events. Originally known as Team Hackensack Riverkeeper, the Hackensack RiverCreepers were founded in 2001, and our current teammates have been birding together since 2004. The team is sponsored by Shop Rite Supermarkets whose generous support allows us to compete as a Level One team alongside some of the best birders in the world. 2006
WSB Highlights: 17 warbler species 6 first-timers seen as well as nesting Osprey & Raven! The Hackensack
RiverCreepers are: Hugh Carola Dave Kaplan Kerul Kassel Ivan Kossak Corporate sponsor: Shop Rite Supermarkets Hackensack RiverCreepers 2006 World Series of Birding Official ResultsHackensack River Watershed / WMA-5Mute swan Brant* Canada goose Wood duck Gadwall American black duck Mallard Green-winged teal Ruddy duck Ring-necked pheasant Wild turkey Double-crested cormorant Great blue heron Great egret Snowy egret Green heron Black-crowned night heron Yellow-crowned night heron Turkey vulture Osprey Northern harrier Cooper's hawk Red-tailed hawk Merlin* Peregrine falcon Clapper rail Common moorhen Semipalmated plover Killdeer Greater yellowlegs Lesser yellowlegs Solitary sandpiper Spotted sandpiper Least sandpiper Dunlin Laughing gull Ring-billed gull Herring gull Great black-backed gull Forster's tern Mourning dove Rock pigeon Yellow-billed cuckoo Chimney swift Ruby-throated hummingbird* Red-bellied woodpecker Downy woodpecker Northern flicker Eastern phoebe Great crested flycatcher Eastern kingbird Warbling vireo Red-eyed vireo Tree swallow Northern rough-winged swallow Barn swallow Blue jay American crow Fish crow Common raven* Black-capped chickadee Tufted titmouse White-breasted nuthatch House wren Marsh wren Blue-gray gnatcatcher Veery Swainson's thrush Wood thrush American robin Gray catbird Northern mockingbird Brown thrasher European starling Cedar waxwing Blue-winged warbler Nashville warbler Northern parula Yellow warbler Magnolia warbler Black-throated blue warbler Yellow-rumped warbler Black-throated green warbler Pine warbler* Blackpoll warbler Black-and-white warbler American redstart Prothonotary warbler* Worm-eating warbler Ovenbird Common yellowthroat Canada warbler Scarlet tanager Eastern towhee Chipping sparrow Savannah sparrow Song sparrow Swamp sparrow White-throated sparrow Northern cardinal Rose-breasted grosbeak Indigo bunting Red-winged blackbird Common grackle Brown-headed cowbird Baltimore oriole House finch American goldfinch House sparrow |
This year the 'Creepers (Dave Kaplan, Kerul Kassel, Ivan
Kossak and me) began our WSB at 2:30 AM on May 13 at Richard W. DeKorte Park in
Lyndhurst. People often ask us, "What can you possibly see at that hour of
the morning?!" The answer is: Plenty. In fact, in our first pre-dawn hour
we listed twelve species beginning with a Northern mockingbird that didn't stop
singing the entire time we were there. He was like a second alarm clock for us.