Hi all,

YARDBIRDRACE news:

Prior to 2005, no islander had ever entered the YardBirdRace. This year KATHY & MERVEYN FLOYD of Freeland, Whidbey, Yard-type Waterfront are in serious remedy-mode with 45 species including NORTHERN HARRIER by 2/20. Meanwhile CONNIE BICKERTON in Residential is guaranteeing that Bainbridge Island will have a mark to beat with 17 by the end of January including PILEATED WOODPECKER.

A blazing start was also recorded by GUY MCWETHY of Renton in residential with 37 including EVENING GROSBEAK. Guy is halfway to breaking the King County Residential record of 71 which he currently shares with NORMA LARSON/2004. The highest total reported to headquarters so far in 2006 is a cool 51 species by CAROLYN EAGAN of Port Ludlow, who already has RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD. I hope that Rufous isn?t too cold right now!

Last year?s Wahkiakum Co. winner ANDREW EMLEN had posted 23 including NORTHERN PYGMY OWL, BARN OWL, EVENING GROSBEAK & GRAY JAY by the end of January. Here are some of the birds Emlen has NOT been able to observe: HOUSE SPARROW, EUROPEAN STARLING & ROCK PIGEON!

A battle is emerging in Bellevue with last year?s Bellevue winner BRIAN PENDLETON reporting 22 by Jan 12 and LOU ANN HARRIS of the Woodridge neighborhood with 23 including a flyover TRUMPETER SWAN as of 1/17.

An unusual TOWNSEND?S SOLITAIRE graces the list of amphibian researchers MARC HAYES, TIFFANY HICKES, AIMEE MCINTYRE, RYAN O?DONNELL, & CASEY RICHART working out of downtown Olympia, in Yard-type urban, who reported ten other species for a grand total of 11 by the end of Feb.

Urban YardBirdRacing can indeed be tough: ED NEWBOLD, despite declaring himself a very large ?yard? at the Pike Place Market, is still languishing at 9, with only one raptor! (Cooper?s Hawk). (Ed will scratch before December). Meanwhile veteran birders RACHEL LAWSON (South Queen Anne) and PATRICIA LOTT (Greenwood) both at 17 and both working fairly urbanized territories, were dismayed about how slow their starts have been this year.

But REBECCA GALLOWAY, with 18 including GREAT BLUE HERON, seems destined to set a new record for Licton Springs, and SHARON BAKER of West Seattle, with 40, is already almost 2/3 of the way to beating her West Seattle Yard Type W record from 2005.

And in Eatonville, DAWN BAILEY is in a good position to better her own record with a sizzling 36 recorded by the end of January including FOX SPARROW. She needs 21, what could be easier? The historic town of Snohomish is actually guaranteed to get a new YBR record with PAUL RANDAL reporting 22 including HAIRY WOODPECKER & PURPLE FINCH by the end of Feb.

Meanwhile, MORRIS SANDVIG of Olympia reported 23 early, as of Jan. 6, with a TOWNSEND?S WARBLER, and NICK PAGE is getting started challenging his Ferndale & Whatcom Co. record of 54 with 18 including BARN OWL. CATHY CONOLLY, who had a Hooded Oriole last year in Magnolia, was at 20 by March 1 this year and CATHERINE ALEXANDER?S 15 in Lakewood, Seattle included a KILLDEER.

As usual, lands to the east are generating big lists. DIANE MULHOLLAND, last year?s overall #2 YardBirdRacer, was already at 43 in Port Hadlock by early March. KAREN JONES of Port Ludlow had 35 by Feb 12 including HUTTON?S VIREO, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, TOWNSEND?S WARBLER, PURPLE FINCH & a bird that?s absent most Seattle 2006 lists: PINE SISKIN.

In Battleground, JIM DANZENBAKER got an amazing 61 species after August in 2005, so his 19 as of January 06 can be viewed as all ?headstart? for 2006. ROB CONWAY is closer to last year?s numbers recording an astonishing 0 to 39 start in the first six days of 2006 including WESTERN SCREECH OWL. Conway holds the overall class G record and Newcastle record of 91 from 2005.

MICHAEL HOBBS of Marymoor Park fame had 17 by Jan. 6, including a bird that may bring on mostly only nostalgia for Seattle yardbirders: CALIFORNIA QUAIL. MIKE WILE of Redmond was at 20 as of 1/10 with VARIED THRUSH & PILEATED WOODPECKER while GRACE OLIVER was at 31 in mid Feb. with GREAT HORNED OWL & this unusual yardbird: MEW GULL. When I look at my own life yard list, I think, ?It?s not possible that in a quarter century, only one species of gull ever flew over our neighborhood!?



AND NOW, A REASON TO YARDBIRDRACE

YardBirdRacing requires an uncommon effort and commitment and a willingness to be publicized on the part of the participant. In return, YardBirdRacers earn their choice from a set of prizes. While we reserve the right to limit prize offerings in the unlikely event of wild success of the YardBirdRace, we don?t expect to have to, and it?s likely that in 2006 all participants will again be offered a much-deserved prize. These prizes are an end in themselves. They allow us to help birdwatching and bird conservation organizations in ways that we absolutely couldn?t without the YardBirdRace. The head of World Bird Club, Salome Allsop, wrote to us, ?We thank you very much for your support in organizing such an event..? and the producers of Washington Birder and American Bird Conservancy and Audubon Societies have also thanked YardBirdRace. Joining the YardBirdRace, therefore, is an easy?well not that easy--but very rewarding way to build these conservation organizations, b!
irding
magazines, or get a Violet Green Swallow nest box to help that charismatic and possibly embattled species. So please join the YardBirdRace--we want to give you one of the following:


2006 Prize list

1 year membership in World Bird Club subj. to limit

1 year membership in American Bird Conservancy ?

Violet Green Swallow nest box from Chickadee Hut of Abbotsford ?

1 year membership in Audubon Society of your choice & the

ever-popular 1 year-sub to the fabulous magazine Washington Birder


Other prizes will probably be added to this list


To join the YBR simply email your location and current year 2006 yard list (flyovers and distant birds seen from the yard are included in the concept ?Yardbird?) to yardbirdrace at yahoo.com
To see the leaderboard, the list of YBR records, which is in the process of being updated, and for a question and answer go to: http://www.ednewbold.com/yardbird.htm

Thanks so much everyone, Ed Newbold
Seattle ednewbold1 at yahoo.com

.

.





---------------------------------
Brings words and photos together (easily) with
PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail.