Greetings All:
This year's competition: Rich Kostecke's Austin yard vs. Anthony Hewetson's
Lubbock yard. The rules: anything that can be seen from the yards (no
restrictions to yard 'airspace'), heard birds subject to review and
agreement, no eye gouging, and no birding below the belt.
Rich ended February with 35 species and by the end of March had made it to
44 with Killdeer, Barn Swallow, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Lincoln's
Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Swainson's Hawk, Chimney Swift, Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher, and Black-chinned Hummingbird making for 9 additions during
the month.
Anthony ended February with 38 species and March added a mere 7 species to
the list (Black-chinned Hummingbird, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Barn
Swallows, Merlin, Common Grackles, Vesper Sparrow, Golden-fronted
Woodpecker) leaving him a mere ONE species in the lead with 45.
It will be interesting to see how our advantages: woodland birds for Rich
and an open sky for Anthony - and disadvantages: closed canopy for Rich and
no real woodlands for Anthony - work out as Spring migration ramps up.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson; Lubbock
