Kowa Birding Team
breaks long-standing birding record
233 species in 24 hours
(note this record was beaten just 7 days later - read about the new record by clicking here)
In Texas, on April 18th, 2001 a team of four Canadians identified 233 species of birds in one day, toppling the long standing 23 year old North American birding 'big day' record. The original record of 231 species verified in a single calendar day was set in California on April 29th, 1978.
The record breaking team, sponsored by Kowa Optics, was comprised of four Canadians, all from Ontario: Tom Hince, Paul Pratt, Bruce Di Labio, and designated driver Ethan Meleg. (click on their names to contact them). "The Canucks" chose a route based in south Texas in mid April where the combination of arriving spring migrants, tropical residents, and lingering winter birds make for rich birding opportunities.
The team followed strict rules established by the American Birding Association (ABA), the body that oversees "Big Day" records.
But the "the Canadians" imposed even tougher personal guidelines on their effort to surpass the existing record. Presently, ABA Big Day rules allow teams to add a bird even if only one observer identifies it. According to Hince, "Because honour and integrity is so important in this event, we decided the existing rule was not tough enough. We imposed a two observer minimum. And only three birds on the entire list were not seen by all of us".
Pratt, a lifelong environmental educator, was also concerned about the ethics of using tapes, so he asked for that loophole to be closed.
Planning played a big part in the team's success. Hince, who is a freelance television producer with Discovery Channel Canada and the Science Channel in the US, spent hundreds of hours scheming during cold winter nights, trying to perfect a route that would work. Bruce Di Labio, a professional birding guide and educator, scouted out possibilities while on a trip to Texas in late March.
Financial support from Kowa Optics allowed all the team members to arrive several days early for detailed scouting of the entire route.
And what a route it was. The day began at midnight on South Padre Island in driving rain. Temperatures dropped to 52 degrees Farenheit temperature, and winds gusted to a horrendous 30 mile per hour. The first bird was a storm blown male Indigo Bunting disoriented by the lights at the north end of town!
According to Di Labio, those first few hours were "brutal". But the rain stopped around three in the morning when the crew pulled into the El Canelo Ranch, a renowned birding site, known for the rare Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. The owners generously allowed the team access to the ranch, and the visit was fruitful netting the owl, and several other good finds including wild Turkey.
When dawn arrived, conditions hadn't improved much. Driving cold rain greeted the team at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge along the lower Rio Grande Valley. Despite the almost total lack of birdsong, "the Canadians" eventually found most of the key species, then headed north up the coast.
Designated driver Ethan Meleg kept the team on pace driving an incredible 800 miles during the 24 hour marathon, much of that negotiated during darkness..... But perhaps his most valued contribution came late in the day. As the sun was setting, and the record seemed to be slipping away, Meleg pumped renewed enthusiasm into the team's spirits. "I looked over the team's checklist late in the day, and noticed that there were a number of birds Tom had forgotten to add" noted Meleg. Those four new birds gave the team new hope when the sun was setting and the record seemed to be slipping away. Just twenty minutes later Chuck-Wills-Widows burst into song to tie the record, and then a Lesser Nighthawk put the team over the top. A Barred Owl hooting on the grounds of Neal's Lodge, near Concan, was the 233rd and final bird of a tough but victorious day.
For their full story click on the url below