We were proud to take part in a COVID-safe version of this famous birding competition, run by New Jersey Audubon. On May 8, 2021, Team Maine Audubon spent 24 hours finding as many different bird species as possible, trying to beat teams from all over the Eastern Seaboard. We had live coverage as we heard from our team members about the birds they were seeing around the state. The event is a showcase for the diverse birdlife and habitat in Maine, as well as an opportunity to raise funds for Maine Audubon’s conservation and education work.
Team Maine Audubon is comprised of:
- Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox, birding from Bangor to Messalonskee to southern Maine;
- Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center Director Linda Woodard and Maine Audubon Volunteer Turk Duddy covering Kennebunk Plains to Scarborough Marsh;
- Penobscot Valley Chapter board member Bob Duchesne and Maine Audubon Trustee Sandi Duchesne, birding boreal forests, Lubec, and the Washington County coast; and
- Network and Outreach Manager Nick Lund, planning to bird Biddeford Pool to Brownfield Bog.
The 2021 World Series of Birding Recap:
11:30 pm: Team is finally calling it a night. TOTAL: 161
8:30 pm: Still a few team members out birding! Look for a complete species list in the morning.
6 pm: Bob and Sandi see Red-necked Grebes and it’s confirmed: 161 species. No gnatcatcher.
And a late-breaking report of a gnatcatcher from Nick Lund in Brunswick may bring the team up to 161 species at 4:30 pm:
4 pm update: The team is at an amazing 160 species! We were live on Facebook with Linda Woodard, Bob and Sandi Duchesne, and Doug Hitchcox.
Noon report: It’s official. The team is at 144! Here’s the list of birds seen so far. Thanks to all of you who have made donations!
11:00 am: Live with Nick Lund and unofficially, the team has 140 species so has broken last year’s record!
10:30 am: 131 species, closing in on last year’s record!
10:00 am: Live with Linda at Timber Point:
8 a.m.: Team count is at 110 already! Way ahead of last year’s pace. Linda Woodard snapped this photo of a Green Heron!
8 am: Membership manager Maureen Duggan is live with Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox
7 a.m.: Live with Nick Lund!
6 a.m.: The Duchesnes are still waiting for the Black-Backed Woodpecker. Here’s Bob’s scouting report:
3:00 a.m. Teams are starting to report birds. The Duchesnes are hearing owls, and Linda Woodard and Turk Duddy are out in the below-freezing cold. Doug’s got a Song Sparrow checked off.
Bob Duchesne has already been scouting the Hollingsworth Trail in Petit Manan. Here’s his first report!
New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding is the country’s largest and most prestigious birding competition and provides participants and sponsors with a fun and interactive way to raise money for critically needed conservation priorities.
