Welcome to the 2013 Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race! This is the 11th and final tally for 2013 and is the official place to post your sightings, ask for help, and brag some if you wish. All of the fine print can be found way below under the squiggly orange bird poop.
Here's what the race is all about:
The Daily Kos Backyard Science Yardbird Race is a birding competition where, over the course of one year, participants strive to identify the most bird species - by sight and/or by sound - from the confines of their yards.
There are a bunch of categories, so people who live in urban centers don't have to compete against others who have a lot of open space or waterfront views.
The Categories:
~Urban apartment or condo
~Urban attached (townhouse, rowhouse)
~Urban detached
~Suburban
~Rural <5 acres
~Rural >5 acres
~Waterfront (trumps any of the above...)
~Classroom Project
###
The Backyard Bird Race welcomes The Geogre, who jumped in last month for the first time. They're in a category of their own for now, with 17 birds on this year' list. Remember, everyone is racing against themselves, too, but when you check in this month please let us know where you best fit in.
Here's what the race looked like at the end of November's tally. Please let me know if anything needs correcting. (Note that last year's racers' 2012 counts are in parentheses after their names.) There are only three remaining members of the ZERO club, temmoku, mojave jo, and burnt out. None have added any new birds for a while, temmoku since June, mojave jo and burnt out since July. Here's hoping that December will be a breakaway month for all of them! Those of you who haven't reported for a while, come back with your tallies - it's never too late!
Participation was down a bit last month, so there are a number of categories with only one updated tally. We'll start with them:
APARTMENT OR CONDO
1. Benny Toothpick ... Carrboro, NC ... 26
2. aaroninsandiego ... San Diego CA ... 21
3. DarkHawk98 ... ? ... 19
4. LilithGardener ... NY NY ... 10)
Benny Toothpick continues to lead in the APARTMENT OR CONDO category, even without sending in a tally last month. This has allowed aaroninsandiego to creep up to 21, as well as losing his membership in the ZERO club. Congratulations!
###
RURAL <5ACRES
1. most awesome nana ... NE PA ... 48
2. PHScott (32) ... west of Tallahassee FL ... 35
3. (tie) Mojave Jo ... Barstow, CA ... 24
3. (tie) homeschoolingmom ... WV ... 24
most awesome nana had the best month in the RURAL <5ACRES category, adding one bird to her total to remain in the lead. PHScott's has moved, both physically and into a new category, but his 35 here allows him to remain in second place. Mojave Jo and homeschoolingmom continue their tie for third, even as neither has checked in for a while. There's still time for a race here.
###
RURAL >5ACRES
1. burnt out (73)... middle MO ... 70 (ZERO Club, 2 tallies!)
2. MyInnerNameIsSpike ... upstate NY ... 37
Well, another month where the RURAL >5ACRES category remains in stasis. burnt out is still the leader here, even as he continues his membership in ZERO Club. He's had no new birds since July, and remains three species down from his 2012 tally. Here's hoping that this month changes things. MyInnerNameIsSpike hasn't checked in for a while - we hope to hear from before the year is out.
###
URBAN ATTACHED
1. lineatus ... San Francisco CA ... 44
2. Kay Observer2.... Washington DC ... 23
One at a time, that's all you need. Once again lineatus had added a single new species to her tally, continuing her lead at 44. We've not heard from Kay Observer2's perch on the right side of the continent for a while. Perhaps this time?
###
URBAN DETACHED
1. bwren (50)... Seattle WA ... 40
2. billybush ... Omaha NE ... 35
3. gulfgal98 ... Brevard, NC ... 31
4. duckhunter ... St Louis MO ... 29
5. mikidee ... St. Paul, Minnesota ... 28
6. Dr. Erich Bloodaxe RN ... Middleton, OH ... 16
Billybush and I both relinquished our membership in the ZERO club last month, with each of us adding a single species to our respective tallies. We remain at five birds birds apart in the URBAN DETACHED category. I believe I dropped gulfga98 from last month's tally and offer her my apologies. She's in a very close third with 31 species for the year, but duckhunter andmikidee,are very close behind her. Once again we send Dr. Erich Bloodaxe RN best wishes for many new birds in his back yard!
###
SUBURBAN
1. chantedor ... Paradise, CA ... 46
2. enhydra lutris (40) ... Castro Valley NOCA ... 42
3. AZ Sphinxmoth ... Baja, AZ ... 36
4. lorell ... Sugarland TX ... 35
5. temmoku ... Chicago, IL ... 23
6. 6412093 ... NW Oregon ... 18
Chantedor continues to lead in the SUBURBAN category, even as the first noted member of the ZERO Club. enhydra lutris actually dropped one species last time, but is still in a reasonably close second place. AZ Sphinxmoth and lorell were tied last time, but AZ Sphinxmoth was able to add one bird and has snuck into the lead, leaving lorell in 4th place, but with a 2 tally membership in the exclusive ZERO Club. Temmoku and 6412093 may not catch up to the leaders this year, but there's still room for competition between them.
Congratulations are in order to enhydra lutris, who beat his 2012 total this tally!
###
WATERFRONT
1. Polly Syllabic (100) ... Gooseville WI ... 102
2. Dr. Arcadia ... thumb of MI ... 77
3. matching mole (78) ... Tallahassee FL ... 75
4. Milly Watt (67) ... Olympic Peninsula WA ... 72
5. OceanDiver ... Lopez IS WA ... 67
6. political mutt ... Sandhills NC ... 65
6. Mark Sumner ... Hillsboro, MO ... 58
7. john difool ... Jacksonville, FL ... 36
8. PHScott ...Lake Onterio, NY ... 22
There was no change in the WATERFRONT racer's positions last tally. Polly Syllabic continues to be way out front. If her numbers hold she's a shoo in for Top BYBR Bragging Rights 2013. Dr. Arcadia and matching mole are in a tight race for second, though Milly Watt may sneak up on them this time. OceanDiver broke the 5th place tie and is now two species ahead of political mutt's. Perhaps we can noodge political mutt to send in an updated report? It might be interesting. Mark Sumner added two new birds for a total of 58 on his second tally. Did I miss PHScott last month? Let me know.
###
Tally Updates
Be kind to your record keeper. For ease of keeping track of everyone's lists, please post your tallies in the following manner.
Your location, as close as you are comfortable revealing.
Your yard category.
Number of species seen so far, including your other tallies if you have any.
List of birds seen, dated if you wish.
Any comments you have about your sightings.
The 11th and final tally of the 2013 Backyard Science Yardbird Race is now open!
Happy New Year, everyone!!! How about we set up the first tally of 2014 this Sunday, January 5?
###
I'll be in and out all day, but definitely not before mid-morning PST. We had to work last night...
Details and the fine print.
You'll be listing the number of bird species that you find from the confines of your yard between January 1 and December 31, 2013. You can list a bird if you see or hear it while you are somewhere in your yard. If you live in an apartment or condo building your "yard" includes the property on which the building is located. Note that a "yard" includes your living quarters. So, you can list the owl that wakes you at 2am, but you can't list the Flamingo you see in your neighbor's side yard while driving home if you cannot see it from any place in your yard after you get out of your car. You can, however, walk around to your neighbor's side yard to ID a bird that you have initially seen or heard from the confines of your own yard.
You may list domestic chickens, but only as the generic "domestic chicken". Feral parrots and budgies may also be listed, but only as the generic "feral parrot". Pet birds, other captive birds and birds kept for hunting don't count, but wandering peafowl are fair game.
There are no rules about ladders and fences. With the exception of utilizing recorded bird calls, which is strongly discouraged, there are also no rules about making your yard more bird-attractive than the competition's.
Here are the yard categories:
~Urban apartment or condo
~Urban attached (townhouse, rowhouse)
~Urban detached
~Suburban
~Rural <5 acres
~Rural >5 acres
~Waterfront (trumps any of the above...)
~Classroom Project