Hi all,

I notice by the tweeter posts some people are seeing birds I?m dying to be able to list as highlight birds on the YardBirdRace leaderboard! As usual, entries are more than welcome!

Entries will likely benefit great causes such as one or the other of BirdLife International, American Bird Conservancy, our very own Washington Birder newsletter, an Audubon chapter, or Violet Green Swallows in the form of a nest box.

Here are the contents of the press release that is done & going out to news media tomorrow:

Conway does hit & run on KingCo overall: 111


With 111 species before the end of May, Rob Conway has all but officially blasted away the old King County overall record. Working in a great location near retention ponds, a Golf course & greenspace (yard-type G) in Newcastle, Conway has racked up such specialties as Lazuli Bunting, Golden Eagle, Saw-whet Owl, Red-eyed Vireo & a Black Bear, which doesn?t count. What?s next? Conway is moving out of Newcastle this month for Prescott, where he plans to start over.


Danzenbaker well past old record in Clark Co.

Another record that will be gone after this year is the Clark Co. overall. A Barn Owl, Common Yellowthroat, Green Heron & Solitary Sandpiper have helped Jim Danzenbaker to 68 by mid-May.


New records on the way:
Whidbey Island: Kathy & Mervyn Floyd were flying with 71 by May?s end including Great Horned Owl & Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Tacoma: Gene Stagner working in Acreage, has piled up 52 species including Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Purple Finch & Townsend?s Warbler.
Vashon Island: Hutton?s & Cassin?s Vireos were 2 of the 71 species by June that are putting Alan Huggins on the road to a new record in Acreage yard-type here.
Key Peninsula: Chris Rhoads was already at 58 by May 1st with Northern Rough-winged Swallow & Western Scrub Jay.
Bellingham: Diane Birsner is putting Bellingham on the YBR map with an entry that stood at 29 as of 6/16 & boasted a Pileated Woodpecker & Caspian Tern.
Green Lake: 40 gives Bill Morris the inside track on ownership of the Green Lake record. Bill is indebted to a Yellow Warbler, Purple Finch & Willow Flycatcher, among others.
Olympia: Olympia?s first ever records may end up in the hands of Morris Sandvig, w/ a Barred Owl & Varied Thrush, and/ or a team of biologists headed by Ryan O?Donnell with a Townsend?s Solitaire.
Snohomish: Paul Randal with 40 including California Quail & Hairy Woodpecker, is headed toward Snohomish?s first YBR record
University District: Brett Wolfe with 31 including Hermit Thrush is headed for a new record & even with Matt Dufort of Wallingford in the Urban-yard tpe Seattle race. Dufort has a Western Wood Pewee.
Bainbridge Island: Connie Bickerton has Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, & Pileated Woodpecker among 29 with a so far open road to a new Bainbridge record.Eatonville: Dawn Bailey picked up 57 species which is ahead of the old record in Eatonville. Bailey has a Western Tanager & a Townsend?s Warbler, to name two.Snoqualmie: Northern Pygmy Owl & Barred Owl helped add up to 29 by late April to give Maura Callahan & David Bach a clear shot at a new record.
Pine Siskins: rare
Pine Siskins are listed this year as Highlight birds on the leaderboard. This normally abundant species is irruptive in it?s population dynamics, so it?s rareness this year hasn?t caused widespread panic. Still, we don?t take any of these wonderful critters for granted and we?re pulling for the resurgence of the Siskin in the Northwest.

Bellevue: Anderson, Harris
Christy Anderson with an Evening Grosbeak (42) is holding a working lead over Lou Ann Harris with Cassin?s Vireo, Trumpeter Swan & Purple Finch in Bellevue.

McWethy challenging record
Guy McWethy got off to a slower start this year but has 63 in Renton R, & is challenging the KingCo/R record of 71. McWethy has 2 owls, & Black Swift among others.


Seattle: Alexander, Cole, & Baker lead R, G, W
Catherine Alexander of Lakewood, South Seattle is leading Residential/Seattle w/39 including Kestrel & Rough-winged Swallow. Amy Cole is currently leading Greenbelt/Seattle with 42 including Warbling Vireo & Olive-sided Flycatcher. Sharon Baker of West Seattle is at 60, 2 short of tying the record in Waterfront. Cynthia Faubion is at 36 in R Mt. Baker with a WW Pewee, Ann Root is ahead of the old record in Ballard with 19 inc. Tree Swallow.

How to access more info

There?s more, including Liz & Tayler Brook very close to the record in Brier, the unbeatable Sullivans of Fircrest, the high scorers on the peninsula including Caroline Eagan, Diane Mulholland & Karen Jones, plus the news from Wahkiakum Co., Skagit, & Whatcom. We are dead out of space. For more information, Google Yardbirdrace and hit ?I?m feeling lucky.?


End of press release

I had to keep the press release to one sheet, which was agonizing because I still hadn?t gotten to some entries.

For more info on the race, and to see the leaderboard, see

http://www.ednewbold.com/yardbird.htm


Ed Newbold residential Beacon Hill, newboldwildlife at netscape.net



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