Ed Newbold - Wildlife Artist: YardBirdRace

Forget the Snow! It's YardBirdRecords that have been FALLING all over Western Washington as we head into the final slippery-slope that will end the epic 2008 YardBirdRace.

Falling records include the venerable Wahkiakum Co-overall, Anacortes, Auburn, Roy, PierceCo A, Hamilton, Shoreline, Green Lake, Hillman City, Licton Springs, Ballard, Seattle-R Seattle W Seattle overall,, West Seattle R. Alki, Seattle W Seattle SkagitCo-overall, G and A, outlying Tacoma, Kitsap-W, Redmond-G, Licton Springs, Skamokaway, Kirkland R, KingCo A, KingCo.- W, Kirkland R, Kirkland overall & W, Redmond R, outlying Auburn, KingCo W, Residential overall, Overall and Point No Point .

In Auburn , King Co. Acreage, SANDY DANIELS & KEVIN STEINER are 3 over at 93, with PYGMY OWL & LAZULI BUNTING. They also have unofficial records in the category of YARDBIRDFLEDGLINGS (33) AND YARDBIRDNESTERS (15). Hooray for bird reproduction!

The family of MERRILL PETERSON & CAROL YOON are setting a new record (currently at 69) in Bellingham with CASSIN 'S VIREO and a notable 32 YardDayBirds.

Cowlitz County will get it's first ever YBR record as MARGARET & JOHN GREEN of Longview, WA are reporting 67 going into the last week of the year. The Green's list includes White-throated Sparrow, Western Wood Pewee, Willow & Pacificslope Flycatchers, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Bullock's Oriole, Evening & Black-headed Grosbeaks; Yellow, Townsend's, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's Warblers; Purple Finch, Hairy Woodpecker, Swainson's, Hermit & Varied Thrush; Lincoln's & Fox Sparrow and Tundra Swan

IDIE ULSH & WILSON CADY are the only ones in the YardMammalRace with 11 and 5 respectively. Ulsh will set a new Mason Co record with 66 (birds, that is), Cady needed 1 in Skamania in October to tie his own record there of 88 there in A.

RYAN MERRILL is making Kirkland look like a port on the Puget Sound as he has racked up an amazing group of “seabirds” including RED-NECKED PHALAROPE in the course of amassing 107 in KingCo W. Merrill also has NIGHTHAWK, BARN OWL, AMERICAN PIPIT, and MARSH WREN to pick a few to name.

98 is guaranteed for the new PierceCo. Acreage record as DENIS DESILVIS in Roy has added 8 go-ahead-birds including a COMMON REDPOLL in Roy

Miichael Hobbs, currently at 71, will add at least a dozen to the Kirkland R record with a YardBirdy fall. As Michael describes it: “Trumpeter Swans flying overhead calling in the fog on 11/30; FINALLY a Downy Woodpecker on 12/10 (and many days after that); Winter Wren on 12/21 which seemed to be keeping warm next to the hot tub; and a Mew Gull flyover on 12/22. The Mountain Chickadee, first seen 10/21, is still coming to the feeder almost every day”

And in the numerous and arresting categories of Overall, Waterfront yard-type, Point No Point, Kitsap-W and KitsapCo-overall the record will fall again as VIC NELSON is reporting in from Point No Point with 158 including YELLOW-BILLED LOON, ARCTIC LOON, LEACH'S STORM-PETREL, GYRFALCON, LITTLE GULL, LAUGHING GULL & SWAINSON'S HAWK.

Meanwhile Skagit overall and A will top the C-mark as SAY'S PHOEBEE, YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD & NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL have helped GARY BLETSCH to 103 in Hamilton.

To the continuing surprise of this Seattleite it took a non-native weaver, a HOUSE SPARROW that blew in with the snow storm, to put ANDREW EMLEN, the originator of the Acreage yard-category, one up in Wahkiakum County 's Skamokaway with 85.

In Licton Springs, JOSH HAYES has pushed the total into record territory at 41 with recent RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER & SNOW GOOSE sightings.

SNOW & CACKLING GEESE have helped GRACE & OLLIE OLIVER to three over at 61 in Redmond G.

In the midst of falling Seattle overall (Benevente/Flynn) Ballard (Hoskin), and Seattle working yard (Rose) records, don't forget Seattle Waterfront, which GARY SMITH is set to obliterate with 76 from Alki before the auld-lang-syne- time. Smith has both BROWN PELICAN & MOURNING DOVE-- there's an odd couple for Seattle!

Meanwhile, CAROLYN EAGAN still needs only one to tie in Jeffco, and only 2 to reach 100. MARGARET & JOHN GREEN will set a new record in Longview, GUY MCWETHY could use 3 as of last report, CATHERIN ALEXANDER could use four as of last report, DON & SANDY MCVAY 6, ANNE MUSCHE and ALAN RICHARDS 11 in Naselle, TAYLER BROOKS needs 10 in Brier despite a highlight list that includes COMMON REDPOLL, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WESTERN SCREECH-OWL, BLACK SWIFT, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER , RED CROSSBILL, TURKEY VULTURE, MERLIN, and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER.

Another record that will fall is one of the biggest in the race: Residential overall. JIM DANZENBAKER has hit 114 in Battleground, Clark County . The current record in R is 113. Jim's latest birds were Common Merganser and Hermit Thrush, perhaps the most common bird not on this southern WA list from Battleground: Fox Sparrow .

The Seattle Residential overall record won't fare any better. Likely three-peting champs MARISSA BENEVENTE & JIM FLYNN are currently reporting 86, 7 over, including FERRUGINOUS HAWK, NIGHTHAWK & SANDHILL CRANE from the dynastic YBR neighborhood of West Seattle .

Currently in the position of first runnerup in Seattle Residential is the SCOTT HOSKIN/PENNY ROSE team which has picked up TUNDRA SWAN and MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE (see their photo on the Leaderboard, scroll down the left side) at 76 which also massively obliterates the old Ballard R record of 61. The Number would be 77 if ORANGE BISHOP hadn't been disallowed by grumpy YardBirdRace officials.

Say goodby also to the Shoreline Residential mark as CHRISTINE SOUTHWICK has 66, 4 over the record with multiple flocks of SNOW GEESE and still 2 individual TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS hanging around.

In Anacortes, the record is guaranteed to go up by 3 as KRISTI HEIN/CASEY BAZEWICK reach 62 with two owl species and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER

STRESEMANN'S BRISTLEFRONT is a bird so rare that if you google images for it, your ability to spell will be called into question. In fact only a few grainy photos of it exist (it is a Tapaculo, related to the antbirds, that lives in the humid Amazonian forest in a very restricted area of the Minas Gerais state of Brazil ), and you guessed it, it's in serious danger of extinction. The GOOD NEWS is that there is an opportunity for the American Bird Conservancy to enlarge the protected tract of forest in which it lives, but they need $85,000 in a hurry. YardBirdRace has promised $1000, contingent on Racers choosing this as a prize, which ABC president George Fenwick called “the first response for help on this project.”

If you would like to make your own cash donation to ABC to help raise this money, send it to the following address

$1,400 has now been sent by YardBirdRace to the American Bird Conservancy to help the Bristlefront.

On December 18, Bobby and Curt Pearson were languishing at 47, two below the Hillman city Residential record of 49, and the chance of setting a new record for Hillman City seemed to be falling to the ground like bits of confetti in Times Square.

Then with all the snow came three new visitors in quick succession to the feeder on the 19th of December. Fox Sparrow, a female Red-winged Blackbird—not an easy bird to get in Seattle Residential—and then a juvenile Purple Finch, a bird that is a real challenge almost anywhere in Seattle.

The Pearsons have a couple weeks to pad the list, but a new record of 50 or more is now a given in Hillman City

The Skagit Co. overall and Hamiltion A mark will get a fresh coat of paint this year as Gary Bletch is going into December with 101, 6 over the old mark. A sick day got Bletch into coveted three-digit territory: " I had an awesome sick-day yesterday," Bletch writes, just sitting around the house, coughing, feeling only semi-sorry for myself, drinking tea, and watching the feeders.

"Result? Yard-year-bird number 100, a Hairy Woodpecker , came to the suet!

"At dusk, surprise! Yard-year-bird number 101, my personal record: Northern Pygmy Owl!

"This has been a great year so far," adds Bletch, "with Calliope Hummingbird , Say's Phoebe , and Cassin's Vireo . Oddly, though, no Northern Shrike, and, strangest of all, no Chestnut-backed Chickadee as yet!"

A Mountain Chickadee was among the four new species flew onto Bill Morris's Green Lake R list during this latter half of the migration season to bring his list to 52, 2 over the record for Green Lake and Green Lake R. The bird was "in a huge flock and flying between the mister and the fish pool," reports Morris. Mountain Chickadees are residents of the high mountains and are not often seen in Seattle. (I'm adding a photo at left.)

The family of Merrill Peterson and Carol Yoon (kids Emiko & Erik) are entered with 65 in Bellingham, Whatcom Co. bringing YardBirdRacing to that venerable Northern town for the first time. They also innovated a new sidebar concept to the race by reporting a high YardBirdDay of 31 species on Sept. 5. That would make a nice year's total in some more urban locations. The Peterson/Yoon year list includes Common Nighthawk, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Rough-winged Swallow, and eight Warblers (Nashville, Black-throated Gray, Yellow, MacGillivray's, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's, Townsend's and Orange-crowned) plus American Tree Sparrow, Purple Finch, Cassin's & Warbling Vireo, Black Swift, among others.

Hoskin, with Song Sparrow (!!!) among first to a tie in 08 Race; now up by six to 67 in Ballard

A Western Scrub Jay, “which I've seen about a block away all summer but not from my yard until this morning,” made it #61 for Scott Hoskin in Ballard Residential and it appears that he is the first in 2008 YardBirdrace to tie a standing record. From a conservation standpoint the best news might be “two Nighthawks, one chasing the other,” that were a Yard- First for Hoskin. Other recent adds which show what a great race Hoskin is having are Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, California Gull, and Red-breasted Nuthatch. There's still fall migration and winter vagrants, so a new YBR record for Ballard is a distinct possiblity. The fall migration brought three new ticks on Hoskin's list: Swainson's Thrush, Black-headed Grosbeak & MacGillivray's Warbler, bringing his Ballard total to 64, one of the highest Seattle-residential totals not from West Seattle ever. And, to update further on Oct. 3, 4 Evening Grosbeaks and a flock of Cackling Geese overflying the yard brought the total to 66. Bird #67 may seem strange to some. With all those yardbirds, Hoskin still had not seen a Song Sparrow. "...amazingly," writes Jim, my first Song Sparrow(s) of the year..(were)...two birds on 9/26 that I haven't seen since."

Great Horned Owl and Barred Owl, added on the heels of two Warblers (Yellow & Townsend's) give Kristi Hein and Casey Bazewick 59 to tie in residential Anacortes with several months to go before the official end of the 2008 race, which will be extravagently celebrated in Times Square in Manhatten, of all places.

Jim Danzenbaker predicted a down year this year in Battleground, Clark Co. It's possible that he will turn out to have been a better birdwatcher than clairvoyant, however. With 108 he still needs five to tie, and among his recent highlights have been a Red-shouldered Hawk, the first time I've typed that name in connection with the YBR.

Red Crossbill, Hutton's Vireo, Band-tailed Pigeon, Purple Finch, Townsend's Warbler and Red-breasted Sapsucker are a few of the birds that have helped Christine Southwick arrive at 64, already 2 over the Shoreline, WA YBR record.

"This morning I heard a thin high keening from the cherry tree in the back yard and managed to get a good look at a little group of four CEDAR WAXWINGS perched near the top. Lovely birds." These were the
go-ahead bird for Josh Hayes as he guaranteed the YBR of it's first new record for 2008 in Licton Springs, a neighborhood in north Seattle. Hayes's list also includes Brown Creepers with two young in tow, Yellow Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bald Eagle, Western Gull, Rufous & Anna's Hummingbird, Killdeer, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Pine Siskin, Downy Woodpecker, Great Blue Heron, Yellow Warbler, Western Tanager, and Orange-crowned Warbler.

Renton has Racing as Tim Brennan is in the 08 YardBirdRace. Brennan's list of 49 has some spectacular highlights including Harris's Sparrow. Harris's Sparrow is a large Midwestern Sparrow that is a rare but regular visitor to Western Washington in winter, and (it has been argued by YBR officials) is gorgeous. (Brennan has photos). Brennan also has Warbling & Cassin's Vireo,Varied, Hermit & Swainson's Thrush; Purple Finch, Pacific-slope Flycather, Western Wood Pewee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Common Raven.

Michael Hobbs added House Wren, Osprey, Cassin's Vireo and Olive-sided Flycatcher and is now within 6 of the record in Kirland Residential. Hobbs has had good luck with a recirculating creek, which can do wonders to attract songbirds in need of a bath and in parts of the built environment, deprived of normal sources of running water. Hobbs writes (in May) “we had two Orange-crowned Warblers in the "stream" today… Other good birds recently include Wilson's Warbler, Red Crossbill, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hermit Thrush and Lincoln 's Sparrow, all at the stream. The Lincoln 's Sparrow was a new bird for the house list. We've had at least 25 species in our artificial stream so far this year."

Penny Rose is Racing uncharted territory in Discovery Park , her working yard, and is at 119 so far. Hermit Warbler may be the star of the Disco list at this point, but it's competing with the likes of Say's Phoebee and Mountain Bluebird. Marbled Murrelet and most recently a Greater Yellowlegs have put in an appearances on Rose's extensive Disco Park waterbird list.

Rose is also ahead currently on the Leaderboard in West Seattle residential with 50 including a Black-throated Gray Warbler that was “singing it's heart out,” and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Long-time YardBirdRace watchers, however, are reluctant to call Rose the front-runner in West Seattle as the formidable Flynn-Benevente team has not reported since April.

Margaret & John Green of Longview WA are in the Race, thus assuring Cowlitz County and Longview of it's first ever YardBirdRace record! That record, which has been placed in the toughest Yard-type due to a park with a lake next door, is guaranteed to be 61 at the very least.

Among the 61 are: White-throated Sparrow, Western Wood Pewee, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Bullock's Oriole, Evening & Black-headed Grosbeaks; Yellow, Townsend's, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Wilson's Warblers; Purple Finch, Hairy Woodpecker, Swainson's, Hermit & Varied Thrush; Lincoln's Sparrow.

Bobby & Curt Pearson have added Black Swift to reach 36 in Hillman City, Seattle. When asked how it happened, Curt reported that "I was looking up as usual," adding that a small flock of 6 or 7 birds stayed in the airspace over our house for quite a while."

Looking up is probably always necessary but not always sufficient to see Black Swifts in Seattle.

In 2006 Denis DeSilvis had a spectacular year in Roy, Pierce Co, racing in Acreage to 89. YBR doesn't believe in making predictions, as the old song says, "The future's not our's to tell." However, let's face it, that record is toast! Helping DeSilvis to 82 are a host of birds with wetland-proclivities such as Sora and Virginia Rail, plues Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Snipe and 8 Anseriformes (Ducks & Geesee). Also a Northern Shrike. Of conservation significance, Western Bluebirds that DeSilvis is attempting to help steward, plus Evening Grosbeak, American Kestrel, Great Horned Owl, California Quail, and Northern Harrier to pick out some of the highlights. Perhaps most surprising is a Northern Bobwhite, which DeSilvis reports is still in the area.

Kristi Hein and Casey Bazewick picked up three a while back to reach 40 in residential Anacortes -- Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill and Townsend's Solitaire . "The last is definitely a highlight," reports Kristi. "The few I have seen in Anacortes were in Washington Park at the far west end of the island. It brings our yard 'life list' to 67." Well, a perhaps even bigger -- I mean littler -- highlight was in store, as #44 (after three more that included California Quail) was a male Calliope Hummingbird. It was yard life bird #69, a lifer for Casey, and Kristi's first look at a male.

Back in 2005, Guy McWethy raced to a tie with the record in Renton residential--72. After an off-year (only in racing terms), McWethy is on another tear, with 52 species as of May 6, 2008, including Nashville Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Hutton's Vireo, Band-tailed Pigeon, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Killdeer, Varied Thrush, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, Purple Finch, White-throated Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, Rufous Hummingbird, Mourning Dove, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Evening Grosbeak, Lincoln's Sparrow & Red-winged Blackbird, among others of coursed, which McWethy calls, in an update, "doing decently.

Marissa Benevente & Jim Flynn have landed some great YardBirds in their stellar Racing career, but none quite so remarkable as a Ferruginous Hawk this April. "The FEHA (Ferruginous Hawk) was right over our yard, it flew up the hill from the area of the ferry terminal and circled right overhead, allowing Jim incredible looks both naked eye and with binoculars," Marissa told the YBR. "He was pretty jazzed about the whole thing since its only the 5 th record from the west side. He sent a description off to Tom Aversa who keeps track of these sorts of things. Jim has a good amount of experience with FEHA, plus we had just been over to Wilson Creek to see the nesting pair a couple of weeks earlier, so were still on the high of having already seen them."

The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest of the Buteo hawks in North America, a specialist in open-country hunting whose population is centered in the Great Plains. It is a handsome bird that is tawny red on the back and legs and striking white underneath. Benevente/Flynn are at 40 currently with Hutton's Vireo, Lincoln's Sparrow & Northern Pintail.

Update: Also a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying north along the Fauntleroy coast!

Here in Seattle, we tick them off the morning of January 1. But Andrew Emlen, racing on 32 acres in Skamokawa, has reached 50 sp. on the onset of spring migration (April 23) and is still without European Starling, House Sparrow, or Rock Pigeon, the three commonest introduced bird species in North America. What Emlen does have are some species we don't usually tick off on Jan 1: Sandhill Crane, 150 in two over-flying flocks, as well as Northern Pygmy Owl, American Kestrel, Turkey Vulture, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hairy & Pileated Woodpeckers, Belted Kingfisher, Red Crossbill, Townsend's Warbler, Gray Jay, Ruffed Grouse and Common Yellowthroat.

Diana Moore is racing in Ocean Shores and has a YardBirdList that includes Mallard. Apparently a Peregrine was also YardBirdRacing there one day and wanted to tick that bird: "I had a peregrine come in trying to take a mallard from the front driveway (the ducks hang out on the warmer pavement); failing on the first try, she spent the next 35 minutes hanging around, making flyovers from time to time, in hopes she would catch one unawares. The crows let me know she was still here even when I couldn't see her, " reports Moore, who was already at 37 by April 7.

Kristi Hein picked up three last week to reach 40 in residential Anacortes--Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill and Townsend's Solitaire. "The last is definitely a highlight," reports Kristi, "The few I have seen in Anacortes were in Washington Park at the far west end of the island. It brings our yard "life list" to 67."

Penny Rose has entered the YardBirdRace in the "Working-yard" category with a 547 acre yard, AKA Discovery Park, Seattle. Disco somewhat transcends the concepts of Acreage, Waterfront and Greenbelt as mutually exclusive compartments, so the entry is listed as A/W/G-working.

No Seatttle racers should feel bad if Rose comes in at the end of the year with a slightly higher total than they do--and in YBR PR, working-yards will not end up overshadowing the results of folks who are working from the yards the like the ones the race was originally designed for. Indeed, Rose also races from just such a regular yard in West Seattle where she is currently at 31 including WHITED-THROATED SPARROW.

That said, it will sure be fun to watch the Disco Park numbers come in. Rose is already at 80 by the end of Markch with SAY'S PHOEBEE, Black Turnstone, Purple Finch, Western Meadowlark, Black Scoter, Hutton's Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker and Thayer's Gull, so hang on for a wild ride here.

Meanwhile, is there anyone out there who works in a downtown office tower and struggles to get into the double digits at their working yard? Low totals are very interesting, they don't reflect negatively on a person's skill level, and they have a certain integrity to them. Or does someone work at the Nisqually Refuge? If for some reason you don't want to enter from your residence, CONSIDER RACING from a working-yard.

Wilson Cady is at 38 in Mt. Pleasant in Skamania County with Saw-whet Owl, Cassin's Finch, and Ruffed Groused among others. In Roy in Pierce Co., Denis De Silivis was at 58 by mid-March with Sora and nesting WESTERN BLUEBIRDS. Good luck in your role as the Godfather, Denis.

Sandy Danies reports an interesting event in her (Acreage) yard: A third-year Bald Eagle made three flights over the field in 10 minutes, each time making several low passes in an attempt to scare up the very realistic duck decoys in the pasture puddle. It then landed near the decoys for a closer look and made one more attempt to scare them into flight before giving up and flying.

Installing a creek creates a bird magnet report Hobbs (Redmond) & Tubbs (Snoqualmie)

The astonishing degree to which birds are attracted to moving water and their strong desire to bathe in it is being reported by YardBirdRacers. Here's what Michael Hobbs, a racer from Redmond recently told Breaking News: " I've had my computer set up on the dining room table recently, which allows me to look out the front window and watch the birds at the feeders and at the pond. We've got a small pond (maybe 5'x9') with a short waterfall (maybe 1.5' vertical drop and 4' long). I've cut a notch in the rhododendrons so that I can see the stream portion where the birds bathe. This afternoon, all within a half hour, there were Dark-eyed Juncos, a pair of Varied Thrush, House Finch, Pine Siskin, two Townsend's Warblers, American Robins, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, a couple of Black-capped Chickadees, a Steller's Jay, and at least two Anna's Hummingbirds. Oh, probably a Chestnut-backed Chickadee or two as well. Probably 35 birds total, all in a very small section of the front yard. This happens just about every day. We've been averaging 19 species a week, but it's probably been 15 species a day, often all simultaneously. The pond and stream are definitely worthwhile!" John Tubbs who's racing from Snoqualmie echos the sentiment without going into detail: " We put in a water feature last fall - a 'babbling brook' sort of thing, and the birds love it. "

A recount reported by Brian Pendleton revised his final total from 90 to 88 species, a tiny alteration that nevertheless shifted the outcome of the tightly contested outer Auburn race to Sandy Daniels and Kevin Steiner, who had 89 species. More details from this race are reported below on this page.

Brian Pendleton has taken the concept of BirdRacing and really run with it: he's keeping a list of Birds seen while running marathons in 2008. Already at 53, Pendleton expects to expand on this this weekend (Feb 16) at the Birch Bay marathon. One of the great things about birding is that it isn't something you do and then turn off until you do it next time. As long as we keep our eyes and ears open, there's always the possibility of having your day brightened by a bird observation.*

*Except when driving an automobile, when birding can present a serious safety hazard.

"Meanwhile the RaceBird count is up to 77," Pendleton informed the YBR on March 15, "with highlights including a white-tailed kite at Napa , Cassin's kingbird at Orange County and Hutton's vireo at Birch Bay . Song Sparrow, observed during 8 races, was the species attending the most marathons to date." Am I the only one who's feeling a little tired right now? -Ed

Racers are again speeding out of the gate in the YardBirdRace as DENIS DE SILVIS in Roy , WA was already at 45, a cool 50.56% of his last year's record total, by the 8 th of January.

GRACE & OLLIE OLIVER are at 30, 52% of their last year's record total after only one month, with VARIED THRUSH, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Fox Sparrow, Band-tailed Pigeon and Red-winged Blackbird.

TAYLER BROOKS in Brier was at 27, 38.6% of her last year's record total, by the 13 th of Jan. with an EVENING GROSBEAK and a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER.

RED CROSSBILL became #27 on the 28 th day to put CHRISTINE SOUTHWICK at 43.5% of her last year's record in Shoreline, WA. Southwick already has RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER, Townsend's Warbler, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Fox Sparrow.

RYAN MERRILL had already rocketed to 43 by the 19 th of January in Kirkland W where he picked up a CLARK 'S GREBE as well as a Barrow's Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser and is at 41.5% of his last year's record total.

KRISTI HEIN & CASEY BAZEWICK are at 40.6 % of last year's record total with 24 including HAIRY WOODPECKER in Anacortes.

JOHN TUBBS is off to a good start in his working yard in Redmond with 31, (39%) including MARSH WREN & FOX SPARROW.

There's racing in Licton Springs, north Seattle , where REBECCA GALLOWAY had 9 by 1/08 with a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and JOSH HAYES had 14 by 1/26 with a WESTERN GULL & BALD EAGLE

YardBirdRace has donated over $1600 to bird conservation & birding organizations in the name of 2007 YardBirdRace winners, and winners as is explained elsewhere, equal participants. The Amercian Bird Conservancy received $900 (George Fenwick of ABC noted in his letter of thanks to the YBR that his own list in Northern Virginia would be in A and come in at 70 to 75 most years). BirdLife International received 400 and four Aubudon Societies and the Washington Birder also recieved prize money.

Ulsh brings Racing to Mason County w/ Tahuya List Butterfly expert Idie Ulsh has entered the 5th Annual 2008 YardBirdRace from Maggie Lake on the Tahuya Peninsula, bringing Mason County into the fray for the first time ever. Ulsh reports that things "are slow right now," listing 20 including Band-tailed Pigeon, Chestnut-backed Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush and one mammal we haven't heard reported before: Northern Flying Squirrel. And maybe, when the warmer weather we can hope for a YardButterfly report!

The 4th Annual 2007 YardBirdRace produced some remarkable new records, from Cathlamet to Anacortes and in all yard-types. Racers brought many new towns into the fray and new yard-type entries in towns that already had seen racing. Big records fell, including Overall, Residential and Seattle. But records in smaller towns and neighorhoods proved mortal as towns such as Cathlamet and Mt. Pleasant got brand new records along with Snoqualmie, Port Ludlow, Ballard and the U-District among many others.

Point No Point--is it destined to become a famed birding town like a few other lucky spots in the world? Will Cape May change its name to Cape No Cape and Point Pelee to Point No Pelee? We don't know about that but for the fourth time Vic Nelson of Point No Point, Kitsap County, filed a timely entry in December that won Overall & Water-view yard-type, Kitsap & Point No Point and set a new record for the YardBirdRace, also for the the fourth time. This time the most astonishing birds were Horned Puffin, Thick-billed Murre, and Lewis's Woodpecker and the number to beat for Western Washington YardBirdRacers is now 153.

All year Jim Danzenbaker was piling new birds on (see below "Danzenbaker's Southern Strategy") all year and ended up raising the Residential record by 10 species to 113. The two last ones were Northern Pintail and a surprise Great Egret that flew over on a rainy day

Red-naped Sapsucker helps Daniels/Steiner to 89-- Great! But Pendleton raises it one in Auburn!

In South KingCo, YardBirdRacing careened out of control all through 2007 as Sandy Daniels/Kevin Steiner and Brian Pendleton traded the lead and lists rocketed into the 80s and now 90 in outer Auburn. The race has featured great highlights: Daniels/Steiner have Great Horned Owl, a flyover Greater Yellowlegs, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, a Ringed Turtle Dove (expanding into WA state) which was killed by a Hawk, Purple Finch, Evening Grosbeak, Northern Shrike, Bullock's Oriole, Fox Sparrow, Red-naped Sapsucker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Common Yellowthroat, Lincoln's & American Tree Sparrow, American Pipit, and Western Meadowlark. The Greater White-fronted Goose was added when a flock flew over in the darkness of night, but luckily, as they were Geese, they were vocalizing.

Daniels/Steiner may have won the Yard-Bird-Reproduction-Race--very important for those of us who want to keep watching birds. "Ten species are known to have nested in the yard, one more nested just outside the fence and four more were suspected of nesting but the nests were not found. Twenty-one species of fledglings were observed being fed (or tended to in the case of precocials) by their parents in the yard with an additional eight species of recently fledged youngsters not observed being fed by parents," were reported to the YBR by Sandy Daniels.

Meanwhile, Brian Pendleton's list includes not only Northern Rough-winged Swallow but also the rare yard-appearing Bank Swallow. He also picked up Bullock's Oriole including one feeding young (speaking of bird reproduction), Great Horned Owl, Western Screech-Owl, Turkey Vulture, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Lincoln's sparrow, Evening Grosbeak, counted a 50 Yellow-rumped Warbler flock, and picked up Short-billed Dowitcher. A Peregrine, Merlin and Kestrel make it a 3-falcon yard list and Red-eyed Cassin's and Warbling make it a 3 vireo list. Pendleton at 90 currently leads the race by one species with only a week or so of relatively low bird actvity left in this nail-biter. Regardless of the final outcome, though both entrants have run a great race and an altitudinal new Acreage yard-type record for KingCo and Auburn is guaranteed: There's no suspense about that.

Wilson Cady has brought Skamania County into the Big Race with momentum enough to finally come to rest at 88. Cady's has a great list of birds--get a load of these highlights: Ruffed Grouse, Black Swift, Northern Goshawk, N. Saw-whet, Western Screech & Great Horned Owls, Olive-sided, Hammonds, Dusky, Willow, Pac-slope Flycatchers and Western Wood Pewee, Cassin's, Hutton's & Red-eyed Vireos, Pygmy Nuthatch, Purple Martin, Hermit Warbler and Tundra Swan.

The YardBirdRace has a pretty serious bias against Mammals--in fact, they don't count. But Wilson Cady's YardMammalList is pretty interesting. At 15, it's only about as long as a typical bird highlight list, yet that is about 12 more than some of us would have. Here it is: Shrew Mole, Townsend's Mole, Little Brown Bat, Eastern Cottontail, Townsend's Chipmunk, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Douglas' Squirrel, Mountain Deer Mounse, Bushy-tailed Wood Rat, Pacific Jumping Mouse, Coyote, Black Bear, Bobcat, Black-tailed Deer.

Jim Flynn and Marissa Benevente appear to be testing the upper limits of what it's possible to see from a residential Seattle yard as they ended up with 79, 5 ahead of the record in Seattle overall and Seattle residential, both of which they set last year. Common Nighthawk and Western Screech-Owl are two of the birds that helped them get there. This is the second year West Seattle & Flynn/Benevente have been led in Seattle residential and Seattle overall.

Christine Southwick's list came to rest at plus- four (62), with birds like Western Tanager, Cackling Geese, Evening & Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Varied Thrush, Pine Siskin, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Raven, and of course this handsome Varied Thrush that stopped by for a bath. Southwick also obsevered something that warms the heart of all yard habitat advocates: Dark-eyed Junco fledglings that prove successful local reproduction of this ground nester.

Kristi Hein and Casey Bazewick set a new mark for residential Anacortes with Olive-sided Flycatcher, Pine Siskin, Hairy Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, California Quail, Barred Owl, Varied Thrush, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Raven, Turkey Vulture, Rufous Hummingbird, Merlin, Yellow & O-c Warblers, Mourning Dove, Lincoln's Sparrow and Trumpeter Swan. They also have Golden-crowned Kinglet, thought not the individual shown. The record for Anacortes & Anacortes G was 48.

Bohemian Waxwing, Lazuli Bunting help Marrazzo /Hofman Race to 2nd overall in Seattle

It pays to check carefully when (or should I say if) those winter flocks of Cedar Waxwings come through. One such flock in Seattle's Upper Rainier Beach contained a tag-along Bohemian Waxwing which helped as Jo Hoffman and Jeanne Marrazzo racked up an impressive 68 species, good enough for second overall in Seattle. Among the other great highlights was a Lazuli Bunting which stopped by at the feeder one morning. The two-time Seattle overall winners also had Black-headed Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak, Pileated & Hairy Woodpeckers, Ring-necked Pheasant, Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-winged Blackbird, American Kestrel and Lincoln's Sparrow.

Brendan Higgins has put Jackson Park on the YardBirdRace map--perhaps on any map, as YBR officials had to ask where it was--with a cool 62 species includingHairy & Pileated Woodpecker, Winter Wren, Varied Thrush, Townsend's Warbler, Pine Siskin, Band-tailed Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Fox Sparrow, Warbling & Red Eyed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Snow Goose, Red Crossbill, Olive-sided Flycatcher and Evening Grosbeak. Jackson Park? It's in North Seattle East of Northgate.

Scott Hoskin is adding ten species, to 61 to the likely record for Ballard. Hoskin had a Common Nighthawk and a Black Swift among others. A Spotted Towhee, the YBR logo-bird, may not seem too remarkable but it's appearance was greatly appreciated as it showed up in the yard for the first time in the ten or so years Scott has resided there and likely that's a positive indicator for improved habitat. Quit raking those leaves, everybody!

The U-District will get a new record, as Brett Wolfe is at 46 with a Common Nighthawk and a Barn Owl. Brett's most recent add was a Red-breasted Sapsucker.

A Yellow Warbler and a Warbling Vireo made it onto Rachel Lawson's list in Lower Queen Anne, helping her as she raises the record their by 5 to 36. These neotropical migrant songbirds presence in the highly urbanized parts of town show how important every bit of greenery is and that it is appreciated.

There's racing in Ravenna, with Bill & Charolotte Byers and Jerry Neufeld-Kaiser in the hunt. Neufeld-Kaiser had 36 including White-throated Sparrow at press time.

Pileated Woodpecker (female)--Photo by Rick Droker of 2007 yard bird in Fauntleroy, conceivably the same bird as showed up on Gary Smith's Alki list!

Seattle's Riviera, Alki Beach, will have a new record after the race this year is over. Gary Smith has, to quote the leaderboard: Brown Pelican, Pacific & Common Loons; Red-necked, Eared, Horned & Western Grebes; Marbled Murrelet, Common Murre, Rhinocerous Auklet, Short-billed Dowitcher, Black Turnstone, 6 Gull sps; all 3 Cormorants; all 3 Scoters; Common Tern, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler, and for a tie breaker, let's not forget the River Otter.

Some new records are really likely to be hard to beat. One such is Brendan Higgins' soon to be minted record in Jackson Park which will be at least 62. including Snow Goose, Red-eyed Vireo and Olive-sided Flycatcher.

Western Scrub Jay, Hutton's Vireo, and White-throated Sparrow have helped as Dawn Bailey is scrubbing the old Eatonville record and is currently at 71.

Ryan Merrill is in the process of possibly setting a new Kirkland and Kingco W record including some birds one might not expect on fresh water, including Red-breasted Merganser and Surf Soter. Merrill also has Hermit Thrush, Herring & Bonaparte's Gull, Townsend's Warbler, Greater Scaup, Red Breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, Common Nighthawk, Black Swift, Pacific & Common Loon, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Purple Martin, Band-tailed Pigeon and Hutton's Vireo. And it gets better, if that's possible, or even the right way of looking at it: .Lewis's Woodpecker, Clark's Grebe and Common Nighthawk!

Tayler Brook had a tough challenge in Brier, to beat her own mark of 68 from 06. But it turned out to be a cynch, (sp?) with the help of Red Crossbill, Fox Sparrrow, Varied Thrush, American Kestrel, Western Screech-Owl, Willow Flycatcher, Western Wood-pewee, Greater White-fronted Goose, Common Raven, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Western Tanager, Wilson's & Orange-crowned Warbler and Warbling Vireo.

George Exum is sailing easily past the old Cathlamet mark. To quote the leaderboard, here are some of his birds: White-tailed Kite, Virginia Rail, Purple Martin, American Kestrel, Common Loon, Bullock's Oriole, Western Wood Pewee, Purple Finch, Cackling-Canada Goose, Sandhill Crane, Lincoln & Fox Sparrow.

The 2007 YardBirdRace isn't all about smashing records by 10 species. Some serious racers need two to tie, three to go ahead, and we are running inexorably out of time.

Andrew Emlen whose logical query to the YBR brought about the Acreage yard type, is racing again in Skamokawa and has Nighthawk, 4 owls, and a Swamp Sparrow but at 80 species still needs two to tie.

In Hillman City, Bobby & Curt Pearson at 47 have Snow Goose and Purple Finch but need two to tieeor

Also needing two to tie is Bill Morris of Green Lake at 48. Morris has Downy Woodpecker, Varied Thrush, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bald Eagle, Western Tanager, Rufous Hummingbird, Pine Siskin, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Winter Wren and Swainson's Thrush.

Lincoln's Sparrow, Cinammon Teal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Heerman's Gull, Red Crossbill, Barred Owl and Yellow Warbler have all been helpful as Carolyn Eagan has upped the Port Ludlow record by one already.

Dianna Moore is at 62, already 8 species over the record in Ocean Shores withGreat Horned & Barred Owl, Fox Sparrow, Purple Finch, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Brown Pelican, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Pine Siskin, Red Crossbill, Varied Thrush Lincoln's Sparrow, Cinammon Teal, Black-headed Grosbeak, Heerman's Gull and Red Crossbill.

Redmond has been a hotbead of Racing all year, but unlike street-racing, this is YardBirdRacing and it's a good thing. Ollie and Grace Olver working in Greenbelt YT have 58 with a Townsend's Solitaire, Great Horned Owl, Black Swift and Hutton's Vireo. Ted Baughman & Jennifer Treiberg were at 43 as of July with two Owls and Olive-sided and Willow Flycatchers, working in Acreage. Erin & Bill Woods were at 56 in August with a Black-throated Gray Warbler, Willow & Pacific-slope Flycather, and Hutton's Vireo. New records will emerge from Redmond in the 2007 Race.

Guy McWethy is doing fantastically this year at 53 with Great Horned Owl, Hutton's Vireo, Black-throated Gray & Townsend's Warbler, Purple Finch & Evening Grosbeak. Maybe we shouldn't mention that in 2005 McWethy had a big-yard-year that set Renton's record in R at 71.

We didn't think so. Christy Anderson, a racer in Greenbelt yard-type, Bellevue, reported a Bobcat, which though it is not countable in the YardBirdRace, is very much in the spirit of YardBirdRacing. This is apparently not her Bobcat--the shot was taken from her brother's house, also in Bellevue. One thing this shot shows is that Bobcats are willing to work the day shift in the suburbs, something I might not have expected.

I guess this was in the cards: Jim Danzenbaker of Battleground was already at 99 by the end of May, which assured a new record for Clark Co and Battleground. With the last report in the beginning of September, Danzenbaker has climbed past the existing overall Residential y/t record of 103 and is currenly at 105. Some of the highlight birds include Tundra Swan(s), Red-naped Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Hooded Merganser, Peregrine Falcon, California & Thayer's Gull, American Bittern, Red-naped Sapsucker, Green Heron, Black Swift, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Lesser Goldfinch, and White-breasted Nuthatch. The last two birds are at the northern edge of their range in Washington, an example of how Danzenbaker's "southern strategy" may be paying off (I'm assuming, naturally, that the only factor in where Jim chose to live was the YardBirdRace.)

Sanderling, not these individuals, are on Moore's Ocean Shores list. photo by Ed Newbold

The local Crows were having a fit, so Diana Moore checked it out and in doing so picked up her 63rd bird, 8 over the record for Ocean Shores: A Great Horned Owl. Moore also has a Red-tailed Hawk, not too common in her part of town, a Barred Owl, Marbled Godwit and Whimbrel, Brown Pelican, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northern Harier, Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red Crossbill, Purple Finch, & Merlin to pick out a few to name.

Barn Owl, not the U-District's yard-bird, but a rehabbed bird from the Woodland Park Zoo.

It wasn't really necessary to get over the top. Brett Wolfe already had 43 species and was beating the record in the U-District by three with a Common Nighthawk, Western Tanager, Orange-crowned Warbler and Warbling Vireo & Peregrine Falcon. The Barn Owl was late one summer evening about 10:30pm. As Wolfe tells it, "I stepped outside for a few minutes to just enjoy a cool breeze, when I realized that a large white bird was coming my way up the hill. As it flew directly over me by about 30 feet, I could clearly see that it was a Barn Owl. Then, this morning (Aug20), I was having a quick smoke before dawn as I readied for work, and a gull's voice started going off. I looked around the edge of the school next door, and the Red-tailed Hawk came around the corner and flew right over the house with the gull in pursuit!"

That makes 45, which equals the old record + 5, and there's still over four months before this year's race is over.

December Update: Wolfe recently added Red-breasted Sapsucker, which was industriously working away in the neigbor's yard, to make it 46 and a likely new record.

Patrick & Ruth Sullivan must know how Barry Bonds felt for those long two weeks. They are now sitting at 102 species, just one under the record for their hometown of Fircrest and also the overall residential record for the YBR of 103. Or, as only Pat Sullivan would put it, "We only had 103 last year." He adds: "Highlights this year include 10 new yard birds including a Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Bonaparte's Gull, and Western Kingbird this past spring. Our latest addition to our yard list was a flock of 7 Northern Pintail flying high overhead on the 18th of August. This has no doubt been our best year for our yard thus far!"

Here's a toast to 2 more for the Sullivans sometime between now and midnight Dec. 31!

Yellow Warbler helps put Lawson over on S. Queen Anne

Rachel Lawson at 34 is safely in record-territory for South Queen Ann Hill. A Yellow Warbler was a Life-Yard Bird and a Warbling Vireo helped Lawson guarantee South Queen Ann a new YardBirdRace record in the 2007 Race. (The Yellow Warblers shown are not Lawson's yardbirds).

Coopers' Hawk photo by Bill & Charlotte Byers

Ravenna's in the race, thanks to Bill & Charlotte Byers

Bill & Charlotte Byers have entered and guaranteed a new record for the Ravenna neighborhood of Seattle. The Byer's were at 22 in May with a Downy Woodpecker, Osprey, Orange-crowned Warbler, & Sharp-shinned Hawk . The Byers also sent YBR this shot they took of one of last year's yard-birds, a Cooper's Hawk that evidently understood the importance of getting on a Yard-list!

Pendleton + Daniels/Steiner Racing in the 70's--Outer Auburn

Brian Pendleton has put the old outer-Auburn record into the rear-view mirror with 78 species, the most recent being a Bullock's oriole, a bright adult male feeding young. Also seen recently by Pendleton were a singing Cassin's vireo (in addition to the Red-eyed and Warbling vireos also heard this morning, July 4). There's no category for YardDayRacing but Pendleton would be doing well if there were: "The 35 species I saw or heard between 8 and 9 this morning was my highest count from our property this year. Lots of fledged young and several highlights, including a bright male Western tanager (only my second sighting from our property this year), 5 woodpeckers (flicker, pileated, hairy, downy and red-breasted sapsucker), the 3 vireos and of course, the oriole. A Hutton's vireo lives just two blocks away in the woods but I haven't managed to hear one from our property yet."

Hutton's Vireo, though not the one Pendleton hears. photo by Ed Newbold

Also in outlying Auburn, Sandy Daniels and Kevin Steiner are at 73 but aren't resting as they have recently added Osprey, Common Yellowthroat, heard singing from 2 neighbors away, a Red-breasted Nuthatch which was only heard but what else even wants to make that noise?, and 10 Caspian Terns en route to a fishing location which overflew the yard. They also have Great Horned Owl, Greater Yellowlegs (flyover), Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Ringed Turtle Dove (killed by Hawk), Purple Finch, Evening Grosbeak, Northern Shrike, Bullock's Oriole,Fox Sparrow, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Common Yellowthroat, and Lincoln's Sparrow. Daniels/Steiner need four to tie the KingCo A record. Brian Pendleton, who is also working acreage in outlying Auburn, hasn't reported recently.

Cedar Waxwings, not these individuals, showed up on Hoskin's Ballard list. photo by Ed Newbold

Hoskin amassing lofty Ballard total including Black Swift & Nighthawk

A Black Swift showed up in June. Surprisingly, nothing at all was added to Scott Hoskin's Ballard list in July, but in August Band-tailed Pigeon, Steller's Jay, Cedar Waxwing were added as was Swinson's Thrush, with "many calling the last few nights in migration," according to Scott. This puts Hoskin's Residential Y/T Ballard, Seattle list at 56, 5 species over the old Ballard record of 51. Hoskin has been on a roll all year and by the end of May had Merlin, Tree Swallow, American Wigeon, Bald Eagle, Wilson's Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Western Tanager, Caspian Tern and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Another bird Hoskin picked up was the YardBirdRace logo bird, the Spotted Towhee. That may not seem remarkable, but actually it may be a sign of improving habitat in Ballard--the Towhee has not been seen or heard from that yard in ten years! More recently Hoskin has picked up a Killdeer, a Rufous Hummingbird, the first male he's ever had there, an Osprey and on the morning of June 11 a Common Nighthawk heard (one call at 5 am). (Nighthawks were once common in Seattle in the summer, where they nested on flat rooves, but have been extirpated from urban Puget Sound since the early 80s) Hoskin has one other yard perk going on lately: an Anna's Hummingbird (which has expanded into the Puget Sound area in the last 20 years, btw) is building a nest 5 feet outside his kitchen window.

Tubbs' Redmond "working" yard is working pretty well--76, 9/22!

John Tubbs entry this year is putting a spotlight on the "Working Yard" category of the YardBirdRace wherein the yard is where you work rather than where you live. This is meant to drive home the importance of habitat anywhere it exists, and Tubbs' list this year is implicitly demonstrating how important small green belts near office parks, etc, can be. With 66 as of June 16 in acreage yard/type, Tubbs is well into record territory for Redmond, with fabulous hightlights including a Brewer's Sparrow that even sat still for the camera. (Brewer's Sparrow normally is found in dry shrub-steppe on the eastern side of the Cascades). Tubbs also picked up a Green Heron which returned to a retention pond on the property and not only picked up adult Killdeer, but got to enjoy two young Killdeer YardChicks. Earlier in the year, Tubbs also made headlines on this page with a Northern Shrike. Northern Shrikes aren't too unusual in pastoral flood-plain areas of Western Washington in the winter, but aren't often seen in the vicinity of residential or commercial areas. Tubbs is currently at 66 with his latest bird yet another Western Washington specialty--the Black Swift. Update: Savannah Sparrows, followed by a Hutton's Vireo in a mixed flock of migrants in late Sept brings the total to 76.

A Green Heron (left) and a Kingfisher (right) use a fallen branch & a small tree at a pond shore. Don't clean em up! (Nisqually, photo by Ed Newbold)

"Improving" a yard is in the eye of the beholder--Tubbs

"Improving" a yard can be in the mind of the beholder, as this story from John Tubbs attests: "Last year when we moved into our new work building on Willows Road in Redmond, there was a young Green Heron that would hunt almost daily from two perches in a small retention pond by our building. His hunting location was no more than 25 feet from our parking lot, but he was so well camouflaged that I doubt anyone else who worked there even knew he was there as a regular.

"Then the landlord "improved" the pond by cutting down a lot of sheltering brush that had grown up around the edges - part of the bird's hiding screen - and I saw the bird only a handful of times the rest of the season. I doubted he would be back this year. Although the pond edges still are not regrown as they were, the reeds in the pond and some edge grasses have started to hide his favorite hunting perches again. And...a week ago a very handsome Green Heron started showing up regularly and hasn't missed a day yet. He hunts in the same two locations where I could always find him last year. I have no way of knowing if this is the same bird, of course, but I would wager that there is a good chance it is the same bird back hanging out at his old haunt. It's nice to see a shy species like this successfully hunting in a business park."

Bainbridge posts a mark to beat in A-Whidbey: 61

Greenbank is suddenly guaranteed a lofty YBR record and Whidbey Island could even conceivably be in the race for A overall as Linda Bainbridge has lodged a new entry on May 19. Highlights include many Western Washington birds that are are not on the taken-for-granted list (Not that any bird should every be taken for granted): Calliope Hummingbird, House Wren, Cassin's Vireo, Hammond's Flycatcher, Chipping Sparrow, Red Crossbill,Hairy Woodpecker, Barn & Great Horned Owls, Rufous Hummingbird, and Purple Finch.

Hofman/Marrazzo

pick up Lazuli Bunting

Lazuli Bunting, painting by Ed Newbold

JEANNE MARRAZZO/JO HOFFMANN of Upper Rainier Beach, Seattle have picked up a Lazuli Bunting, a male which stopped in their yard in mid May. Marrazzo/Hofmann are twice winners in Seattle Residential.

Eagan has a half-year to get 17 --Bletch in Skagit needs 18

Getting 17 new species in the last half of the year might be be a non-starter from a Seattle yard. But CAROLYN EAGAN is working Port Ludlow and already has 80 species counted, with her most recent additions being Yellow Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak and Cinammon Teal. Meanwhile, in Skagit County between Lyle and Hamilton, Gary Bletch is posting very similar numbers with 78 chasing a record of 95. Bletch has Golden Eagle, always a head-turner in Western Washington where Bald Eagles vastly predominate, a Virginia Rail, Bank Swallow and Bullock's Oriole.

Tayler Brook of Brier stalking SnoCo R Record

Tayler Brook of Brier is at 59 as of May 18, 2007, with Red Crossbill, Fox Sparrrow, Varied Thrush, American Kestrel, Western Screech-Owl, Western Tanager, Wilson's Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Red-breasted Sapsucker. Brook only needs 8 to tie the record in Brier and Snohomish County Residential.

Fast Start puts Huggins within 6 on Vashon Island

Alan Huggins had perhaps the quickest start in this year's YardBirdRace with a Barred Owl just 20 minutes into new year. Huggins then picked up both Townsend's & Orange-crowned Warblers before the end of January. The speed is continuing through the middle months as Huggins has Warbling, Hutton's & Cassin's Vireo, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Evening Grosbeak, Fox Sparrow, Red Crossbill, Purple Finch, White-throated Sparrow (3/7) Pileated woodpecker, American Kestrel and Pacific-slope Flycatcher and at 71 needs only six to make history out of the Vashon record of 76.

Flynn/Benevente making history in Seattle, Seattle-R & W. Seattle!

JIM FLYNN and MARISSA BENAVENTE are in previously uncharted waters in Seattle with 76 species as of July 8. This puts them two species over the overall Seattle YardBirdRace record as well as two over the Seattle residential and West Seattle marks. Most recent additions include an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER in a neighbor's tree and not one but two sightings of COMMON NIGHTHAWK. WESTERN SCREECH OWL, HUTTON'S VIREO, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, HUTTON'S & WARBLING VIREOS, RED CROSSBILL, PURPLE FINCH, TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE & HERMIT THRUSH are some of the highlight birds Flynn & Benevente have already racked up.

photo by Cathie Connolly

"Conolly's Oriole" is back!

Cathie Conolly logs Hooded Oriole in Magnolia for the 3rd year in a row: this time w/ photos

Cathie Conolly has done it three times in a row: gotten a Hooded Oriole on her yard list in Magnolia, a bird that normally can't be found anywhere in the state. No doubt it's the same bird, and this time she has photos of the male Oriole as he is taking a bath. Notice the superb habitat surrounding this bird, making it obvious why he'd want to help her with her YardBirdRacing!

photo by Cathie Connolly

These Hooded Oriole shots are dated April 12, 2007

Red-naped Sapsucker

Migration Underway!

Rufous Hummers March 8 , Violet Green Swallows March 15: Mulholland, Port Hadlock

The first male Rufous Hummingbird got to Diane Mulholland's yard in Port Hadlock on Mar. 8, and a couple of Violet-green Swallows toured her yard on March 15, so the migration is underway. In Anacortes, KRISTI HEIN & CASEY BAZEWICK picked up their first Rufous Hummingbird on 3-19.

Sullivan's 43 includes Redpoll

Last year the Sullivans, Patrick & Ruth, working out of a Residential yard in Fircrest, Pierce Co broke all sorts of records with 103 by the end of the year. This year they are already at 43, and that includes two they didn't get last year, a Common Redpoll and a Western Gull. Both of these were flyover birds.

Tayler Brooks has Kestrel

A YardBirdRacer who is on a torrid pace this year is Tayler Brooks of Brier, who is over halfway to her record score last year of 68. Tayler's 36 include American Kestrel, Red Crossbill, Varied Thrush & Fox Sparrow.

Olivers on fire in Redmond

With 39, the Olivers are at a fantastic 72% of their last year's winning total of 53. This year's list includes Hairy Woodpecker, California Quail, Tonwsend's Warbler and Lincoln's Sparrow. "Ollie saw a Merlin," so that puts him at 39" says Grace, but in YardBirdRacing it's strictly pairs listing so 39 it is!

B'vue's Christy Anderson w/ 1st-ever Bobcat in YardBirdRace

Not only is CHRISTY ANDERSON leading Bellevue at this moment, but she has the first BOBCAT ever reported to the YardBirdRace. (Bobcats don't count but do carry official bragging rights in the YBR). No question about it, as Anderson went out to have another look and in typical Bobcat fashion, the big kitty stopped to get a look at her. No, there was no time to pick up a camera, so I'm including a Bobcat from a completely different biotope--eastern WA shrub-steppe-- as a graphic for this story. Try to imagine the same kitty with Blackberry or sword fern in the background, rather than sage brush. Anderson also already has HAIRY & PILEATED WOODPECKER.

Update: Anderson adds another rare one, this time a bird even, the Western Screech Owl--on March 20

Northern Shrike on John Tubb's Redmond working-yardlist

A fairly unusual yardbird, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, made it onto the yardlist of JOHN TUBBS in Renton, but the bird wasn't much of a hit with his other yardbirds, as he explains: "I was in my office with a big number of birds outside working the feeders when they all exploded off in different directions. That usually means a Cooper's or Sharpie, but when I looked out to see what happened, I saw the shrike hopping around my ground feeder checking things out." (The Northern Shrike, though phylo-genetically a songbird, has many of the attributes of a hawk and does hunt birds).

John Tubb whose list is currently at 47, is racing a "working yard," i.e., the yard where he works. His high list attests to the value of natural ravines and edges on publicly owned land, as his yard includes a park greenbelt edge.

Acceleration is good to have when you're YardBirdRacing!

There have been some fast starts in the 4 th Annual 2007 YardBirdRace!

Consider DENIS DE SILVIS'S “acceleration percentage” after one week on a 10 acre yard in Roy, WA : With 45 species he's at 50.5 % of his last year's total list (89) after just one week.

JIM DANZENBAKER is at 44% in Battleground (43, 97) with TUNDRA SWANS in six days.

ALAN HUGGINS is at 55% (42, 76) in three weeks & here is a quick start: Alan picked up a yard-BARRED OWL with 20 minutes into the New Year.

BOBBY & CURT PEARSON are also at 55% after three weeks (27-49) with PEREGRINE & BALD EAGLE flyovers already.

OLLIE & GRACE OLIVER in G in Redmond have an Acceleration Percentage of 43 with 23 species including PURPLE FINCH, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH & VARIED THRUSH after 12 days of the new year.

KATHY & MERVYN FLOYD of Freeland, Whidbey Island, are putting the Whidbey record in danger: by February 2, they already had 39 species including a GREAT HORNED OWL. That's over half of the record of 79.

Andrew Emlen with best January ever in Skamokawa

With 30 species at the end, this was the best yardbirding January ever for ANDREW EMLEN, who has WILD TURKEY & NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL one for each acre on his tree farm in Wahkiakum county near Skamokawa. Emlen has had Januarys as low as 16. Acreage class was begun when Emlen complained to YBR headquarters: why not recognize larger landowners who maintain good habitat?

2006 YardBirdRace

the Greatest Ever!

If it were a little dryer here right now the dust would finally be settling on the 3RD ANNUAL Western Washington YardBirdRace. Massive amazing new records were made in cities, towns, counties & neighborhoods throughout the region. Here is some of the news:

Nelson's 2006 Point No Point list is one for the History Books

VIC NELSON again tossed his list into the ring at the last minute and for the third year is the winner overall and in Waterfront Yard/type from Point No Point in Kitsap County. Nelson's 148 tops the old record in all the categories by 10, and is reminiscent of Yardlists from places like Louisiana. Best birds were a GYRFALCON seen in March chasing a female NORTHERN HARRIER, a WHITE WAGTAIL (an Asian bird that breeds in NW Alaska) seen in May, and a LONG-BILLED MURRELET(another Asian breeder) (must be reviewed by Washington's Bird Records Committee) seen on 9 Dec.

Flynn/Benavente in Stratosphere, Rose has W. Meadowlark.

R West Seattle Race breaks ground!

Going into 2006 the record for West Seattle residential was 53. But JIM FLYNN and MARISSA BENAVENTE must have thought that was too low, as they raised it by 19 to 72, a new record for West Seattle, possibly also a new record for Seattle residential and possibly even for Seattle overall. Flynn & Benavente had a visit from a NORTHERN GOSHAWK--rare in Seattle--in December and also have EVENING GROSBEAK, PINE SISKIN, WILLOW FLYCATCHER, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE, & COMMON NIGHTHAWK. Though over a mile from water, Flynn/Benevente are also able to identify commuting & distant waterbirds, always a help in the fiercely competitive YardBirdRace!

In mid November PENNY ROSE entered the fray in a house she's been in since early spring, and one she decided on (in part) because a RED-TAILED HAWK was perching above the yard when she went to look at the house. Rose got 52 species in 2006, including a bird rarely reported from anywhere in Seattle: a WESTERN MEADOWLARK: as the song goes, "Can you see a lark in any other part of town?" OK, hear a lark, and they meant Skylark, but anyway, Rose also has a TREE SWALLOW & a WILLOW FLYCATCHER.

Danzenbaker Battles to 2nd overall in Res. in Battleground
JIM DANZENBAKER, who is equally at home birding Pipeline Road in Panama as he is birding in temperate Southwest WA has smashed the Clark County record with 97 including LONG-BILLED CURLEW, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, BARN OWL, SOLITARY SANDPIPER, RED CROSSBILL,PURPLE MARTIN & COMMON YELLOWTHROAT. 97 is 2nd overall to the Sullivans 103 in Fircrest, Pierce Co.who are also working a residential yard that has an angle on a few waterbirds now and then. Danzenbaker recently reported also that his regular winter American Goldfinch feeding flock of 27 is trying to elbow into his feeding station that also hosts Purple Finch, 2 sp. of Chickadee, 15 Dark-eyed Junco, Song & Golden-crowned sparrows and others.

photo by Tom Eckert

American Redstart makes the Sullivans' Fircrest R-topping list of 103
An AMERICAN REDSTART (like the one shown above photographed by Tom Eckert) has visited the yard of RUTH & PATRICK SULLIVAN of Fircrest, WA on several occasions this fall. So have 93 other species of birds, including COMMON LOON & SPOTTED SANDPIPER. The total of 103 may be a new record for Residential yard-type record, & of course is a new record for Pierce Co overall and Fircrest..

Cole obliterates Madrona record, ties Seattle Greenbelt mark
Working in Greenbelt category, AMY COLE ended with a cool 61 in Madrona, 16 species above the old record of 45, and tying the Greenbelt record for Seattle. Cole has TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER & TREE SWALLOW (shown) , YELLOW WARBLER & WESTERN TANAGER and is one of a few Seattle racers to have COMMON NIGHTHAWK.

photo by Dianna Moore

If your YardBirdRacing it helps to have your own "personal" Barred Owl. This is Dianna Moore's in Ocean Shores.

It’s Moore & McMillan in Ocean Shores, Westport
DIANNA MOORE of Ocean Shores who may well be holding the Ocean Shores & Grays Harbor County YardBirdRace record as of Jan 1 2007. Moore has 53 including SANDHILL CRANE, BARRED OWL, & MARBLED GODWIT. Not far away as a Godwit flies is JAN MCMILLAN of Westport, looking for a Westport record with 21 including TOWNSEND’S WARBLER & FOX SPARROW.

Frank Brown's record in Greenwood has Barn Owl, Patriotic Eagles
Working out of a small yard in Greenwood, FRANK BROWN has set a new record of 47 for Greenwood R. Highlights for Brown, who entered just as the year ended, were a Barn Owl and some outstandingly patriotic Bald Eagles. The two overflights of Bald Eagles were on 4th of July and Memorial Day.

photo by Dawn Bailey

Spotted Towhee: YardBirdRace logo-bird

The Spotted Towhee is in the logo of the YardBirdRace in part because it tends to reward yards that contain good wildlife habitat-including brush & shrubs, with its presence. This photo is by YardBirdRacer DAWN BAILEY of Eatonville.

Auburn Winners Sandy Daniels & Kevin Steiner also have a spectacular asterisk: 9 YARDBREEDERS!

Auburn winners Sandy Daniels & Kevin Steiner, slipping into the race on December 30, 2006, not only own a brand-new YBR record for Auburn, they bring a spectacular number: Nine species of birds nested in their yard in 2006: KILLDEER, VAUX'S SWIFT, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, AMERICAN ROBIN, SONG SPARROW, SPOTTED TOWHEE, & HOUSE SPARROW. Daniels & Steiner also had BARN OWL, NORTHERN PYGMY OWL, & GREAT HORNED OWL, among others on their YardBirdCount.

YardBirdRace Prizes will Help Cerulean Warbler

The American Bird Conservancy has called the Cerulean Warbler the fastest declining Neotropical migrant bird. While the Cerulean is not a Washington state bird, the recent appearance of Bay Breasted Warbler and Yellow Throated Warbler underlines the fact that as long as populations of Cerulean Warblers are healthy, one could show up in Washington State any given spring. The Cerulean Warbler, which is a relatively large warbler and sports a cerulean blue and white plumage with black trim, is having problems because of deforestation on its wintering grounds and fragmentation of forests on its breeding grounds. YardBirdRace is donating $100 in the name of 10 YardBirdRace participants for a total of $1000 to ABC's Save the Cerulean Warbler campaign, which will help local conservationists secure wintering habitat in Colombia and elsewhere..

Norman amasses huge tally in Shoreline

With an astonishing 94 species by the end of October, DON NORMAN is establishing a record that will be hard to beat in Shoreline and will be in the hunt for 1st in R yard-type overall. Norman has PURPLE MARTIN, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT & COMMON RAVEN among others.

WATCH OUT:

Hass & Hunn both doing 60 or more in residential Lake Forest Park!

No they aren't driving recklessly, they're guaranteeing that a new record will be set for Lake Forest Park! TODD HASS, recordholder in the U-District, has moved to Lake Forest Park and was at 68 when last heard from. Hass has BLACK SWIFT, GREEN HERON & PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER. Famed author & birder GENE HUNN has 60 species as of early December. New birds including a RED CROSSBILL and a HERRING GULL put Hass at 72 for a final score, a new record for Lake Forest Park. Is it a new record for KingCo R? We'll be checking final updates to see.

Southwick up by 7 in Shoreline

Bathing HUTTON’S VIREOS have helped CHRISTINE SOUTHWICK to 58, already edging out the old mark for SHORELINE by six species. A nearby nesting pair of BARRED OWLS has brought a fledling to the yard and a pair of COMMON RAVENS, (which in Shoreline are at the current edge of the Raven's southern expansion) have spent about two weeks in the area and CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES & DARK-EYED JUNCOS nested successfully.

Hoskin brings Ballard into Seattle contention with 51

With a BLACK SWIFT and a BARN OWL, Scott Hoskin has put BALLARD into a current tie for third among Seattle neighborhoods in the residential yard/type. Hoskin didn't enter the yard race until the 11th month, which just goes to show how important it is to HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT when watching YardBirdRace results unfold in the final straightaway to the finish at midnight on December 31, 2006..

Tayler Brook adds a baker's dozen in Brier

Up a cool 13 species already from the previous Brier record, TAYLER BROOK is having her "best year every" for yardbirding. With a December 3 flock of 6 VARIED THRUSH, she's at 68. BROOK also has CASPIAN TERN, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, CALIFORNIA GULL (How many of us had one of those fly over our house and missed it anyway? I have no idea!) WESTERN TANAGER, COMMON RAVEN SNOW GEESE, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER & PACIFIC-SLOPE & OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

The rather large Common Nighthawk is a showy, spectacular presence on Denis DeSilvis's list from Roy, and a number of other YardBirdLists in the Race.

DeSilvis with 85 on Acreage in Roy

Another 11th month entry is DENIS DESILVIS, the first Seattle waterfront record holder from 2004, with a list of 85 species from Roy in Pierce Co. south of Ft. Lewis. DeSilvis has both Rails, SORA & VIRGINIA, WESTERN BLUEBIRD, BARN & GREAT HORNED OWLS, & COMMON NIGHTHAWK. DeSilvis has got off to a 2007 start with 45 species by January 7, 2007. This is remarkable: over 50% of the way to the record in 2% of the time--and although yardbirds trickle in according to a a declining-rate quadratic equation modified by migration, it still makes the odds of a new record in 2007 look awfully good.

Huggins: 76 on Vashon
A CASSIN’s VIREO is one of 76 on ALAN HUGGINS pace-setting list from Vashon Island. With a SNOW GOOSE & AMERICAN KESTREL, Huggins seems safely on course toward a new Vashon mark, which is now a done deal (1/7/07) Last yardbird for Huggins was TUNDRA SWAN, with a flock of 20 flying south over the yard in October.

Woodcock with 81 in Ferndale
PAUL WOODCOCK blasted into the YardBirdRace in November with 81 in yard/type Residential in Ferndale, which would put him in an inside position for a new record in Whatcom. Woodcock has BITTERN, not a bird that appears on too many yardlists, as well as COMMON NIGHTHAWK and WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

Hooded Oriole back on Conolly’s Magnolia list

Last year Cathy Conolly had one of the year's most glamorous YardBirds in the form of a male Hooded Oriole, a black & orange fruit & insect-eater from the Southwest. No doubt the same Hooded Oriole (although not the one shown in the photo) has made the long trip to Magnolia again this year and is on Cathy Conolly’s Magnolia-leading YardBirdList of 41 species. Conally also has a Purple Martin & a Vaux's Swift.

Lewis’s Woodpecker helps as Gene Stagner creates daunting Tacoma record
With just over an acre, GENE STAGNER is working in Acreage yard-type inside the city limits of Tacoma. There he’s heading for a new Tacoma record with 72 including a few species that are easier to see on the eastern side of the Cascades: LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE & CASSIN'S FINCH. The handsome, red & green Lewis’s Woodpecker is a close relative of the Red-headed Woodpecker and unlike other woodpeckers will hunt insects in the air. It used to occur more commonly on the West-side, but is now a very unusual sight anywhere this side of the crest, and is not all that easy to find on the eastern slope, either.

The Yellow-rumped is the Warbler species most likely to make it onto Northwest Yardlists

Racing in Redmond

There’s racing action in Redmond, WA where the old mark of 55 is being chased by ERIN & BILL WOODS with 53 as of 6/1/2006 and GRACE OLIVER with 53 as of 11/15/2006. Erin & Bill have a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW & 2 Owls, Oliver has a PINE SISKIN, BLACK SWIFT & COMMON NIGHTHAWK.

Ditto for Bellevue, but the record was safe
Ditto for Bellevue, WA, where CHRISTY ANDERSON & LOU ANN HARRIS, as of last report, were both at 42. Harris has snagged a TRUMPETER SWAN flyover & a CASSIN’S VIREO and Anderson reports a WESTERN WOOD PEWEE & HAIRY WOODPECKER. BRIAN PENDLETON, last year’s Bellevue winner, is also in the race.

Acreage-Champ Bletch at "only" 90; 5 short of record in upper Skagit Valley
Gary Bletch, who holds the all-time record in Acreage of 95 in the upper Skagit Valley (2005) has 83 as of Nov. 11. SHORT-EARED OWL, BANK SWALLOW & TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE are three on this year's list that one doesn't normally find on yard lists, and one that is very rarely on a YardBirdRace lists is PINE GROSBEAK. Still, Bletch needs 5 to tie his own record, and he's got little more than a week. What do they think down in Vegas?

photo by Dawn Bailey

Swainson's Thrush appears on some yardlists. It is a summer resident that likes riparian woodland.

Woodcock w/ 20-something lead in Ferndale, Page & Birsner in hunt

YardBirdRace officials don't know PAUL WOODCOCK's age, but he has a 20-something lead in Ferndale with 75. Working in residential yard-type, Woodcock has picked up BITTERN, NIGHTHAWK, BOTH SWANS (TRUMPETER & TUNDRA) & RED CROSSBILL & WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. Leading in Ferndale in Acreage yard-type is NICK PAGE with 53, one short of the Ferndale G record with two Swan species, BARN OWL, & BULLOCK’S ORIOLE. Also in Whatcom, DIANE BIRSNER is cruising in the direction of an all-new YBR mark in Bellingham with 40 including COMMON NIGHTHAWK.

Conway's Amazing Newcastle list: Will it ever be beat?
Yardbirdracing isn’t like track & field. Records won’t inevitably fall as time goes by. Rob Conway has moved to Preston, but his Newcastle mark of 111 which will likely set a new record in yard-type greenbelt, KingCo, and Newcastle, WA may never be beaten. Conway’s list has so many highlights, I’ll have to refer the reader to the leaderboard, although BLACK BEAR stands out mainly because it doesn’t count.

Turkey ties it up for Emlen in Skamokawa
In Wahkiakum County, ANDREW EMLEN, the originater of the Acreage yard-type category, has been in a spirited attack on his WahCo. Record of 84. Emlen’s list includes WESTERN BLUEBIRD, COMMON NIGHTHAWK, 4 OWLS, 2 VIREOS, 7 WARBLERS, & 5 FLYCATCHERS, but it looked as if it might fall one short until a wild TURKEY ran in front of his car up the driveway. Some ids are easier than others..

Seattle Greenbelt Champ Sam Terry moves to Central District
And it looks like the Central District is about to get its first YBR record. TERRY's at 29 right now in Residential Y/T with a list that includes HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE, & WESTERN SCRUB JAY.

Anacortes will have a new record
Meanwhile KRISTI HEIN & CASEY BAZEWICK have jumped into the fray and seem very likely to give Anacortes a brand new YardBirdRace record. Hein & Bazewick have 48 species so far including 2 owls, a HAIRY WOODPECKER & OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER. Recent additions include snow-driven RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER & VARIED THRUSH. The newest bird this December has been a WINTER WREN

Green Lake: Bill Morris adds Townsend's Warbler on 12/30 for 50
Green Lake never had a YardBirdRace entrance until 2006, but this year BILL MORRIS is making up for all that. With A list of 47 heading into Nov, including the not-often-found-on-Seattle-yardlists ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, Morris has added WINTER WREN & LINCLOLN'S SPARROW in November to hit 49. MORRIS also has MEW GULL, BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER & TURKEY VULTURE. And a very considerate Townsend's Warbler arrived with just one day to spare to give Morris a very round number and a new record for Green Lake.

In Urban Dufort is up by 13 over old Wallingford record
The Wallingford neighborhood record is going to be at least 13 species longer as MATT DUFORT is entering the final week with 44 species, the most notable recent being an overflying SNOW GOOSE flock. Dufort expressed mild frustration that he has heard Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush & Winter Wren in Wallingford on numerous occasions, but they never seemed to pay him a visit at the yard.

Brett Wolfe with likely new record in urban U-District

BRETT WOLFE has 39 as of September in the U-District, which has no YBR record yet. Wolfe has a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER, HERMIT THRUSH CALIFORNIA GULL, TREE SWALLOW, DOWNY WOODPECKER, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD & BALD EAGLE.

2-time champs Seattle R champs Hofman/Marazzo may have to settle for second overall: Have Sandhill Crane & Mockingbird
Speaking of glamour birds a SANDHILL CRANE obligingly flew over & a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD hopped onto the yard of JEANNE MARRAZZO/JO HOFFMANN in Upper Rainier Beach, Seattle. Marrazzo/Hofmann are currently at 60, in a position to repeat their win in Seattle residential and within two of tying the record (this was before West Seattle's final reports but is before Jeanne & Jo's final report, although they've been looking at more Penguins & Skuas than yardbirds lately). Their list also includes COMMON NIGHTHAWK, AMERICAN KESTREL, WESTERN SCRUB JAY, HAIRY WOODPECKER, TURKEY VULTURE & WARBLING VIREO. Marrazzo and Hofmann are going to have to get more help from their Italian Grayhound

photo by Dawn Bailey
Bailey Smashing Eatonville mark with 63
DAWN BAILEY’S 63 from Eatonville is destroying the old mark of 55. Bailey has MACGILLIVRAY’S, BLACK-THROATED GRAY, TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS & WILSON'S WARBLER (shown) among others.

Faubion needs one to tie in Mt Baker

With 42 species, CYNTHIA FAUBION needs one to tie the record of 43 in Mt. Baker set in 2004 by SAM WOODS. Faubion has BLACK SWIFT, TREE SWALLOW, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, WESTERN TANAGER & WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

photo by Dawn Bailey

Dark-Eyed Junco, a summer breeder in some NW yards and common winter resident in many.

Mullholland, Eagan, Jones, racking 'em up in Jeffco!

DIANE MULHOLLAND of Port Hadlock picked up a LONG-TAILED WEASEL which is very impressive although it doesn't actually count in the YardBirdRace, plus 98 species of birds to currently lead Jefferson County. Mullholland is also doing her part to make sure BARN SWALLOW remains an easy species to pick up on yard lists in the county: her yard produced 11 fledglings. (Hooray!) And close behind is CAROLYN EAGAN of Port Ludlow with a cool 96 species as of Dec. 19 including LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER & GREATER YELLOWLEGS. KAREN JONES is also in the race and by with 68 including a GREEN HERON, TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, HUTTON'S VIREO, & CALIFORNIA QUAIL and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

It's Chris Rhoads on Key Peninsula w/78
As reported earlier on tweeters, CHRIS RHOADS has a very likely safe bead on a new Key Peninsula record with 78 . Rhoads has a bird you don’t see all the time on YBR lists: MOUNTAIN QUAIL, with 2 chicks no less, & also a WESTERN SCRUB JAY.

ditto for Patty Kennedy in Gig Harbor
PATTY KENNEDY appears to be authoring a new YBR record, this one out of Gig Harbor. Kennedy’s 36 as of early August includes RED CROSSBILL, EVENING GROSBEAK, & TOWNSEND’S WARBLER.

Baker/Droker set new mark in Seattle/Waterfront with 70

SHARON BAKER/RICK DROKER with 70 in Seattle, including BAND-TAILED PIGEON & PILEATED WOODPECKER, maintains an overall lead in Seattle and is into record-setting territory working in Y/T Waterfront from West Seattle. Baker & Droker have been picking up a few in through the fall and still have expectations of more including the Wigeon, one their lowest hanging birds left to pick off.

Pearsons take the Hillman City record & raise it by one, then a recount adds two

The migration was pretty much over this fall and the CURT & BOBBY PEARSON still needed two species to tie the record. But a PEREGRINE flew over, a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER came by to forage in a now-downed Ponderosa Pine, and then a life-yard bird, a VARIED THRUSH stopped in to see them go over the top in Hillman City with 47 including an earlier flyover by a TRUMPETER SWAN. Then a simple recount of the list discovered that Black-capped Chickadee and European Starling had never been counted, so the grand total new record for Hillman City is 49.

It's Don McVay Upper Queen Anne; Rachel Lawson on Lower Q A

DON MCVAY, 2004 winner with 55, is currently at 38 on Upper Queen Anne, with an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER & a HERMIT THRUSH. NORMA LARSON, KingCo. R champion from another residence in 2004 is a close second in this neighborhood with 36 including a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER. RACHEL LAWSON is leading with 31 as Dec 19 on Lower Queen Anne.

Lott in Greenwood; Galloway in Licton Springs

REBECCA GALLOWAY has 35 including TOWNSEND'S WARBLER in Licton Springs, beating by 13 the record thereicton Springs. PATRICIA LOTT, record-holder in urban yardtype, is leading in Greenwood.

Ranta with 50 in Mt. Vernon: Nashville Warbler & Whimbrel!
KURT RANTA has 50 for the year in residential Mt. Vernon, a full10 behind his record-setting pace of last year but including two, NASHVILLE WARBLER & WHIMBREL, that rarely volunteer easily for yardlists.

McWethy wins big with 66 in Renton
GUY MCWETHY ended his 06 run on the KingCo R record a bit short of his goal of a new record, but still wins in Renton. McWethy in November picked up a COMMON RAVEN, which shows how close the Raven is getting to metropolitan Seattle. Here's a prediction: Raven will be common on Seattle YardBirdLists in 6 to 8 years, and Crow/Raven dogfights will be fact of life in the spring in Seattle. Just a prediction.