[TN-Bird] Tennessee Birders by the Numbers: 2008
- From: kbreault@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:33:13 +0000
Tennessee Birders by the Number: 2008 (Vol. 4)
TN Birders:
As in previous "volumes" the idea of this report is to explore how TN birders
compare to the wider community of competitive birders with regard to the
listing "sport" inaugurated in 1969 by the American Birding Association (ABA).
Needless to say this is not a report on the scientific activities and
accomplishments of the professional ornithologists in Tennessee or the many
amateur field workers who record their bird observations. This is just a game
or sport as the ABA puts it--something like professional golf without the fame,
commercial endorsements or prize money! As such, it is but just a corner of
the big tent that is birding.
Year after year we have found that TN birders excell on many relevant
statistics related to the sport, and in one listing area/game in particular
(and of particular interest to me) we are leaders. So as before we begin with
Total Ticks.
I. Total Ticks: States/Provinces by Total Ticks Birders
The ABA's Total Ticks list is where you record the total species seen in states
(but not Hawaii), Canadian provinces, DC & the French islands of St.-Pierre &
Miquelon (located just south of the Island of Newfoundland), with a threshold
(requirement) of at least 4,000 total birds in these areas, i.e., you need to
have identified 4,000 birds to list. Last year we tied for 1st with Michigan,
with 8 total ticking birders. This year (below) we came in 2nd with 9 birders.
1. Michigan (10 birders)
2. TENNESSEE (9)
3. Massachusetts (8)
5.-t New York (7)
5.-t Washington (7)
9.-t California (6)
9.-t Colorado (6)
9.-t New Jersey (6)
9.-t Texas (6)
10. Indiana (5)
15.-t Florida (4)
15.-t Illinois (4)
15.-t Maryland (4)
15.-t Pennsylvania (4)
15.-t Rhode Island (4)
The total tickers for 2008 were: David Chaffin (10,893), Robert Odear (8,411),
Rick Waldrop (8,156), Kevin Breault (7,657), Daniel Jacobson (6,504), John
Henderson (6,461), John Moyle (5,701), Bill Pulliam (4,463) and David Trently
(4,424). A total of 62,670 bird observations, 10,241 greater than last year.
Note that four TN birders are now in the top 30 on the Total Ticks list with
only Michigan having as many.
II. States/Provinces by ABA Area Birders
The major ABA list, the "ABA Area" includes all the states (but again not HI),
Canadian Provinces, St. Pierre & Miquelon and adjacent waters, with a threshold
of 500 species. Last year we looked at various ways of ranking states by the
number of birders on the ABA Area list. At least for me the oveall result was
not very satisfying so below I produce the 2008 results with all the apples and
oranges included, i.e., without controlling for population size. Last year
(2007) we were 12th with 23 birders, in 2008 we were 11th with 26 birders.
1. California (78 birders)
2. Texas (66)
3. Florida (52)
4. Michigan (42)
7.-t Arizona (34)
7.-t Colorado (34)
7.-t Massachusetts (34)
8. Washington (33)
9. Maryland (30)
10. New Jersey (28)
11. TENNESSEE (26)
12. New York (25)
13. Pennsylvania (24)
14. Illinois (22)
16.-t North Carolina (21)
16.-t Oregon (21)
Our 26 high ranking TN birders for 2008 were: David Chaffin (805 species with a
rank of 22 among all ABA birders), Robert Odear (776), Dollyann Myers (758),
John Henderson (752), Daniel Jacobson (751), Tommie Rodgers (736), Kevin
Calhoon (735), Rick Waldrop (733), Clyde Blum (729), Rick Knight (708), Kathy
Jacobson (701), Judy Newsome (691), Carol Fegarido (690), Steven Clendenen
(682), Gail Clendenen (682), Terry Witt (663), Jeff Wilson (651), Kevin Breault
(632), Ron Hoff (631), James Brooks (631), John Moyle (614), Michael Todd
(612), Francis Fekel (605), Bill Pulliam (591), David Trently (563), and a big
welcome and congratulations to Zack Barrow who entered the list with 500 birds.
III. TN Birders on State/Province Lists Other than Tennessee
Many TN birders are on the lists for other states/provinces. Last year 20
birders were listed on other states/provinces with a total of 26 states. In
2008, 26 birders are included with a total of 36 states and provinces. Note
that each state or Canadian province has a requirement of 50% species
identified. In 2008, the TN requirement for listing was 204, i.e. in order to
record your TN total with the ABA you must have identified 204 species in TN.
The following table provides TN birders by the number of states/provinces at
the 50% threshold, and the specific states/provinces ranked first among TN
birders. Thus, David Chaffin has 50% of more species in 23 states/provinces,
and in seven states/provinces is first among all TN birders. Birders who added
states/provinces this year were Kevin Calhoon, with two new states, and Rick
Waldrop, Daniel Jacobson, David Trently, Carol Fegarido, and Kevin Breault,
each with one.
1. David Chaffin (23 states/provinces), AK, IN, KY, ME, MI, OK, SD (first among
TN birders)
2. Robert Odear (20), CO, DE, OR, MB
3. Rick Waldrop (18), ND
4. Kevin Calhoon (12), OH, SC
5. Tommie Rodgers (11), FL, IA, KS, MO, NE
7.-t John Henderson (8)
7.-t Daniel Jacobson (8), GA
9.-t Clyde Blum (6)
9.-t David Trently (6), PA
11.-t Carol Fegarido (5), AZ, CA
11.-t Jeff Wilson (5), AL, AR, MS
16.-t Kevin Breault (4), IL, VT
16.-t Mark Greene (4)
16.-t John Moyle (4), CT, NJ, NY
16.-t Bill Pulliam (4)
16.-t Judy Newsome (4)
20.-t Gail Clendenen (3)
20.-t Steve Clendenen (3)
20.-t Francis Fekel (3)
20.-t Rick Knight (3), LA, NC, TX
24.-t Phillip Casteel (2)
24.-t Ron Huff (2)
24.-t Kathy Jacobson (2)
24.-t Thomas McNeil (2)
26.-t James Brooks (1)
26.-t Gail King (1)
IV. AOU Area
Established in 1883, the AOU is the American Ornithologist Union, the major
professional association for ornithologists--the people who actually do bird
science. Their publication, The Auk, is the major scientific journal in the
bird field. The AOU Area is that covered by the most recent AOU Check-List of
North American Birds, and includes North and Central America and island groups
such as Hawaii. In 2008, our leader on this list was Rick Waldrop at 1,653
birds at a rank of 5 among all birders. David Chaffin had 1,326 and a rank of
46, Robert Odear had 1,181 (99 rank), Daniel Jacobson 1,168 (105), John
Henderson 1,149 (112), Clyde Blum 984 (226), David Trently 962 (248), and James
Brooks 935 (284).
V. Canada
Robert Odear is again back on the Canada list with 376 birds (rank of 54).
Note that Odear had 247 birds on the Manitoba list at a rank of 9. I have
discovered that Manitoba is a great place to bird, but unfortunately I did not
get to Canada in 2008, perhaps next year!
VI. The World
While the ABA Area list is considered the primary ABA list (history and
popularity is involved here), it seems to me that the most important list for
birders is the World list. Clearly, and unless we find other planets with
birds (I believe our own Francis Fekel is working on that) you can't get better
than the World list. The following are all the TN birders on the 2008 World
list: Dollyann Myers 7,184 (15 rank)!, Ron Hoff 7,011 (20), Terry Witt 6,082
(46), Rick Waldrop 4,421 (122), David Chaffin 2,750 (241), James Brooks 1,932
(319), Robert Odear 1,798 (339), Daniel Jacobson 1,764 (341), John Moyle 1,758
(343), Jeff Wilson 1,669 (356), and Kevin Calhoon 1,600 (361). Among birders
who added birds this year: Dollyann Myers (307 birds), Ron Hoff (278), and
Terry Witt (138).
VII. North America
The top TN birders on this list were: Rick Waldrop at 1,653 birds with a rank
of 3 (!), and Dollyann Myers at 1,538 birds and a rank of 16.
VIII. South America
The top TN birders for 2008 were: Dollyann Myers 2,237 (23), Ron Hoff 2,220
(25), Rick Waldrop 1,996 (47), Terry Witt 1,942 (51).
IX. Africa
Here the top leaders were: Dollyann Myers 1,445 (28), Ron Hoff 1,439 (30),
Terry Witt 1,412 (32).
X. Eurasia
Top leaders: Ron Hoff 1,785 (15), Dollyann Myers 1,775 (17), Terry Witt 1,556
(28).
XI. Mexico
Here our leaders were: Dollyann Myers 695 (24), Jeff Wilson 686 (26), Robert
Odear 660 (33), Daniel Jacobson 644 (39), Judy Newsome 563 (73).
XII. Millennium List
On this list you record the number of species identified in the ABA Area on or
after January 1, 2001. Carol Fegarido leads with 675 birds at a rank of 12.
David Chaffin 646 (28), Steven Clendenen 625 (41), Gail Clendenen 625 (41),
Daniel Jacobson 623 (44), Michael Todd 610 (52), John Henderson 590 (61), David
Trently 532 (93).
XIII. Photographed
Here Jeff Wilson had 581 at a rank of 22, and Michael Todd had 494 (44).
XIV. Annual Lists
On ABA's annual lists, Carol Fegarido had 380 birds (rank 52) for the ABA Area,
Francis Fekel had 843 on the North America list and a rank of 2 (!), David
Chaffin and Daniel Jacobson were on the Alabama list with 205 and 192 birds
respectively (the only birders on the AL list), Steve Clendenen had 251 (rank
10) on the Arizona list, Robert Odear had 280 with a rank of 3 (!) on the
Oregon list, and Judy Newsome had 230 (rank 8) on the Washington list. Of
course, lots of birders are on the TN annual list for 2008, with Jeff Wilson
(275) and Michael Todd (265) in the lead (the second year in a row in which
they were at the top).
XV. Annual Total Ticks
As noted before the ABA does not have a list for annual total ticks but it is
easily calculated. The following table includes the top 10 birders by number
of total ticks for 2008 (in brackets I have included the overall total ticks as
of 2008). Note that to be on this list your must have been on the previous
2007 list. In previous years, John Henderson, David Chaffin, Robert Odear,
Rick Waldrop and Kevin Breault have been in the top 10, and Robert Odear is
19th on the all-time list of annual totals with 1,103 birds.
1. David Narins, FL (691) [7,795]
2. Brooke Clibbon, AB (670) [6,299]
3. Eric Tull, AB (592) [7,602]
4. KEVIN BREAULT, TN (586) [7,657]
5. Jack Lefor, ND (580) [4,755]
6. Bill Laframboise, WA (561) [6,975]
7. Charles Mills, IN (524) [4,710]
8. Kent Davis, VA (498) [7,202]
9. RICK WALDROP, TN (427) [8,156]
10. Jennifer Rycenga, CA (406) [5,352]
XVI. Tennessee State List
While the Tennessee state list is well known to most TN birders, there may be
various comparisons with the birding community at large that are of interest.
First, there are 42 birders on the TN list as of 2008, and our top ten leaders
are: Jeff Wilson (387 birds), Daniel Jacobson (364), Clyde Blum (358), Michael
Todd (354), Mark Greene, Kathy Jacobson & Dollyann Myers (all at 347), Terry
Witt (346), David Chaffin (343), and Kevin Calhoon (343). Second, where do we
stand with regard to the number of birders on the TN list? As the table below
shows, we end up with a rank of 21 out of 63 on the number of birders by
states/provinces. For example, the Texas list includes 334 birders.
States/Provinces by Birders on States/Provinces Lists (Nc)
1. Texas (334 birders)
2. California (181)
3. Arizona (168)
4. Florida (136)
6.-t Michigan (78)
6.-t New Jersey (78)
7. Colorado (74)
8. Massachusetts (73)
9. New York (66)
11.-t Maryland (65)
11.-t North Carolina (65)
12. Delaware (63)
14. Manitoba (59)
14. Virginia (59)
16.-t Illinois (57)
16.-t Ontario (57)
17. Oregon (56)
18. Washington (54)
19. Ohio (51)
21. Georgia (42)
21. TENNESSEE (42)
Clearly, being a major birding destination makes a big difference. And one
result of that is the Tennessee list has a high number of TN birders. In fact,
the Tennessee list ranks 1st among all states and provinces with 73.8% of the
birders on the list from Tennessee. Indiana and British Columbia are tied for
second/third at 67.9%. The high number of Tennessee birders on the Tennessee
list (31) suggests that Tennessee birders rank much higher than the 21 in the
previous table. The following table ranks states/provinces by the number of
in-state birders on the states/provinces lists. For example, the California
list has 70 birders who are from California.
States/Provinces by In-State Birders on States/Provinces Lists (Nc)
1. California (70)
2. Texas (66)
3. Florida (51)
4. Michigan (42)
5. Colorado (36)
6. Maryland (34)
8.-t Massachusetts (31)
8.-t TENNESSEE (31)
9. Washington (30)
10. Arizona (29)
Without question, with a rank of 8 out of 63 on this list, Tennessee birding at
the state/province level is very strong indeed.
XVII. Miscellaneous
A. Ten Years for the Total Ticks Game, 1998-2008
Total Ticks became an official ABA game in 1998 and thus 2008 is the 10th-year
anniversary. The following table provides the most active total tickers since
1998, i.e., all total ticks reported since 1998. Thus, since the inception of
the Total Ticks game, Kenneth Ward has 7,211 reported total ticks for a rank of
1st. Note that TN birders have four totals in the top 35, with only MI having
as many.
1.Kenneth Ward, VT (7,211)
2. M. Christine Sidler, RI (4,361)
3. Cecil Kersting, RI (4,223)
4. Don Chalfant, MI (4,179)
5. DAVID CHAFFIN, TN (4,076)
6. M.K. Edge Wade, MO (3,401)
7. KEVIN BREAULT, TN (3,276)
8. Leif Anderson, AR (3,259)
9. Albert Filemyr, PA (3,140)
10. Kent Davis, VA (2,956)
11. Gregg Butcher, DC (2,928)
12. Richard Rosche, NY (2,782)
13. Edwin Smith, MI (2,756)
14. Paul Lehman, CA (2,731)
15. David Narins, FL (2,655)
16. Michael Overton, TX (2,570)*
17. Robert Walton, IN (2,547)
18. Bill Laframboise, WA (2,452)
19. Shirley Smith, MI (2,394)
20. Edwin Powers, IN (2,397)
21. Joyce Bathke, MO (2,274)
22. Nancy Laframboise, WA (2,165)
23. J. Pat Valentik, AR (2,123)**
24. Jay Withgott, OR (1,998)
25. Stephen J. Dinsmore, IA (1,989)**
26. Michael Resch, MA (1,969)
27. Robert Machover, NJ (1,899)
28. Mike Haldeman, UT (1,876)**
29. Ron Haaseth, AZ (1,826)
30. JOHN HENDERSON, TN (1,825)
31. RICK WALDROP, TN (1,815)
32. Karl Overman, MI (1,789)**
33. Eric Tull, AB (1,787)
34. Joy Bowen, MD (1,784)
35. Hugh Willoughby, RI (1,742)
*No report for 2007 & 2008
**No report for 2008
B. States as a Percentage of Birders on Other States
One reader of the 2007 report wanted to know, "It might be of interest to note
how many birders are listed in each of the states that are contiguous to TN.
What state is the most popular destination of our most active bird listers?"
One way of calculating this is to determine how many TN birders are on other
state and province lists, and then determine what percentage of the other lists
include TN birders. In addition, it is possible to calculate the same for
birders from all states and provinces, not just TN. Moreover, we can then rank
states by birders who have the highest proportion in other states and
provinces. If this is not clear, consider this example. Fifty percentage
(50%) of the recorded birders on the Alabama list are TN birders, (50% AL =
TN), a rank of 1st in the ABA area. The second rank is: 36% of birders on the
Kentucky list are TN birders, (36% KY = TN). Thus, the answer is that more TN
birders are reported on the Alabama list than any other state, and TN birders
rank first in the country with regard to their listing activity in other
states. And note on the table that seven of the ranks are for TN birders (MA
comes in second with five ranks). This is clearly an extraordinary result for
TN birding. Note that the table does not include Canadian provinces with less
than 10 listed birders (e.g., only one birder from British Columbia is listed
for Newfoundland).
1. 50.0% AL = TN
2. 36.0% KY = TN
3. 31.0% GA = TN
5.t 30.8% NH = MA
5.t 30.8% DC = MD
6. 27.6% RI = MA
7. 26.3% ON = MI
8. 25.5% OH = MI
12.-t 25.0% AB = BC
12.-t 25.0% OR = WA
12.-t 25.0% SD = ND
12.-t 25.0% VT = MA
13. 24.3% SC = TN
14. 24.1% AK = CA
15. 23.8% DE = MD
16. 22.2% ME = MA
17. 21.7% ID = WA
18. 20.3% VA = MD
21.-t 20.0% NC = TN
21.-t 20.0% UT = CO
21.-t 20.0% WV = TN
22. 19.0% KS = MO
23. 18.5% AR = TN
25.-t 18.2% CT = RI
25.-t 18.2% CT = MA
26. 17.4% ID = TX
27. 17.2% WI = IL
28. 14.7% NM = TX
29. 13.7% AZ = CA
30. 12.8% NJ = PA
C. Most Productive Total Ticks Trip?
Another TN birder wanted to know where to go for the most productive total
ticks trip. With regard to the states/provinces that will yield the most birds
in a short time I would include the following ten in the first tier: CA, CO,
KS, LA, MB (Manitoba), MD, NJ, OR, TX, WI. By far the best place is TX where
you should be able to get 250+ birds on a short trip (3-5 days). I think the
2nd tier for productive places would be: AZ, DE, IA, MI, MN, MO, NM, NY, OH, ON
(Ontario), UT & WA. In a short time you can get close to 200 birds in those
places. In terms of a multiple state/province trip I would suggest, TX, NM, AZ
& CA. If you have four weeks or so to devote (about April 15-May 15), and
drive there and back, going through NV, UT, CO, KS and MO on the way back, you
should get at least 1,400 birds conservatively speaking--many more depending on
your pre-trip planning (absolutely essential).
That's all for 2008. Great birding wishes for 2009! Let me apologize in
advance for any errors as lots of numbers and calculations were involved. If I
have made a mistake let me know and I'll note it next year. If you have a
calculation question you would like answered let me know, and tell me if you
would like other lists (e.g., World Families) included in this report.
Of course, you can't list your ABA totals unless you are a member of the
American Birding Association (www.americanbirding.org). The Individual and
Joint membership ($45, $52), in which you get a subscription to Birding,
Winging It, and the ABA Big Day and List Report, is a very small amount
compared to that TN birders spend on books, optics, travel and trips, but a
great investment to TN birding and the general birding community.
Good birding and good totaling!
Kevin Breault
Brentwood, TN
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