What a great year and great idea! 2013 was a hoot! I learned so much about my local area. And now for this year, I'm am going to try to focus on KPC Katy Prairie Properties, and put my home patch on a lesser priority. Now more than ever, the Katy Prairie Conservancy (KPC) needs all records for all biota observed on Conservancy properties. This includes bugs and bunnies as well as birds, bees and Blue Bonnets. Birding with a purpose sounds exciting for the New Year. And Katy Prairie faces increasing threats of development with high tension power lines and a new Prairie Parkway whose routes could seriously impact KPC properties and longer term conservation goals! When going to the prairie, please make an effort to use eBird as precisely as possible to record birds for KPC when birding there this year. Watch for future posts to TexBirds about hotspot definitions that we'd like folks to try to follow for specific Katy Prairie Conservancy properties. I hope to be able to lead some groups of birders on intense 'inside-the-fence-line' efforts at censusing biota within specific properties during selected months of 2014. This concept is still in the formative stages, and hopefully we can get organized to get something happening soon. As for my 2013 experience - fantastic! - although a bone chip in my knee acquired at the beginning of September put me on crutches and out of the field for most of the latter half of the year, thereby missing most of Fall migration and early winter. At this moment I am still somewhat limited in abilities. My totally unexpected total of 242 species included some species that I thought would be much easier than they were (e.g. Common Gallinule) and a lot that I had no expectation of finding. In addition I know of 13 to 15 species that I missed in my patch area - including fly-by Whooping Cranes and Swallow-tailed Kites (which meant that 250 was readily achievable). But I was pleasantly surprised with a fly-by Bonaparte's Gull, the continuing (last winter) and apparently returning Greater Pewee, a 30 second successful search for a Western Tanager courtesy of Jim Hinson, and numerous other fun experiences. I also used the patch experience to familiarize myself with my new iPhone, eBird, BirdLog and Birdseye. I am now ready to use these tools to greater benefit. I encourage everyone to use eBird to record their data, and to take up a local cause that can use such data. Susan Schaezler's Warbler Woods experience was a great example of the value of data in the successful support of a real issue this year. Congrats to everyone who took up the challenge last year and leaned and contributed. Please take up a challenge to enhance the value of this great game in 2014! Use eBird! Good birding! Steve Gast Houston, Texas segast23@xxxxxxxxx ________________________________ From: David Sarkozi <notification+zrdorlogcide@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: Texas Local Patch Challenge <247047528758661@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2013 8:54 PM Subject: [Texas Local Patch Challenge] Who's up for the 2014 Local Patch Challenge? If... Facebook David Sarkozi posted in Texas Local Patch Challenge David Sarkozi 8:54pm Dec 31 Who's up for the 2014 Local Patch Challenge? If you did 2013 you now know your patch better, if you're new to the challenge maybe you're chomping at the bit for 2014 to start? View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a comment. Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at //www.freelists.org/list/texbirds Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission from the List Owner