Ornithology's 'Sapsuckers' win birding world series

By Allison Wells

What a difference two birds make.

Moments after midnight, May 12, the totals were in, and the Sapsuckers, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's World Series of Birding (WSB) Big Day team, learned that they had beat out more than 60 teams to bring back to Ithaca the prestigious Urner Stone Cup for highest total of bird species identified.

The Sapsuckers tallied 224 species in the midnight-to-midnight birding extravaganza across the state of New Jersey, coming in two species higher than the second-place team.

"We found 151 species before we left the northern part of the state by 10 a.m., perfectly positioning us for a strong showing through the central and southern parts of our route," said Ken Rosenberg, co-captain of the Sapsuckers and the lab's bird conservation director. "What pushed us to the top was finding two species you just can't count on during any WSB Big Day -- Swainson's warbler and a black rail. Not only were they crucial species, but they also were among the last species we found as time was running out."

"For the lab, the Big Day is not just about winning, it's about raising awareness and financial support for birds and their habitats," said John Fitzpatrick, team co-captain and director of the Lab of Ornithology. The other three Sapsuckers were Jeff Wells, Steve Kelling and Kevin McGowan. The team is sponsored by Swarovski Optik.

Lab members and friends make a per-species pledge, or a flat donation, to show their support for the Big Day. This year, the per-species total rang up at more than $700 per species, for a total fund-raising effort of almost $160,000. "That makes us all winners -- the lab, our members and friends, and most importantly, the birds," Fitzpatrick said. He noted that this year's Big Day funds will provide vital support for the lab's efforts to protect declining birds in Mexico, such as parrots and finches, and North American neotropical migrants that rely upon Mexico for their wintering grounds.

The World Series of Birding has been staged for 19 years, and the Cornell lab has taken part each time. Last year, the Sapsuckers tied for first in the competition, sharing victory with an in-state team. This year, they were determined to make it a solo success. That meant planning months in advance and spending the preceding week scouting the Garden State for the whereabouts of key breeders and unpredictable migrant species.

For the past several years, the team has also brought home the Stearns Trophy for best out-of-state-team total, an honor they carry back to Ithaca again this year.

More information about the World Series of Birding and the lab's participation is at the web site www.birds.cornell.edu/wsb. And pledges are still being accepted; call 254-2473 or (800) 843-2473.