December 31, 2022
Ready for a 2023 Celery Farm Big Year?
With the new year upon us, I thought it might be fun to see if anyone is interested in doing…
Nature Done Wright
Incorporating the Celery Farm and Screech Owl Companion blogs
March 15, 2009
Checklist Mania: John Workman’s Amazing 2006
Several weeks back, after we got wind that Fred Weber has set the all-time Celery Farm Big Year, we asked Fred and several other top birders to share their Celery Farm Big Year checklists with us, to form something of an on-line archive of these amazing documents.
John Workman, having recently awakened from a winter's slumber, finally shared his 2006 Big Year list with us — 172 species.
John not only lists the birds he recorded, but he includes a drawing and a list of "almosts."
6 comments
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I totally agree, Enid! Great role model…
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I was impressed not only by the number of species observed, but also by what John did not include on his list, and the reasons why.
Hats off to wordsmith John.
🙂
Enid -
Your birding accomplishments vie for first place with your amazing ability to write about them!
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Sincere thanks to the multitudes of my fans and rabid admirers.
Yet, I’m compelled to set out a few clarifications:
1) At least three people (probably more) got higher totals than I did at the CF in 2006. Rob Fanning was somewhere in the 180s; Stiles Thomas and Fred Weber were in the mid to high 170s. If those scores sound like narrow margins over 172, they are not. After about 145 or so, every additional bird at the CF is hard-earned.
2) Correction: Hard-earned OR shamelessly piggybacked. In my case, the latter, for I got my numbers by reading the reports of, or following in the tracks of, or standing right behind, the three worldclass birders named above. If they’d not been at the CF that year, my totals would have been somewhere in the 110s.
3) The “drawing” on the list is actually a notary stamp/seal. It’s the official birding notary’s unique way of verifying that the document is not only genuine, but represents the actual tally by the birder. That notary should know, because he was there with me every step of the way. I am surprised to see that none of the others have this sort of verification, and wonder if it means that I’m the actual champ.
Returning to winter hiberation now, but will re-emerge when the Phoebes and Yellow Warblers arrive.
John W. -
Great accomplishment, John! And regards the issue of notarization? Not to worry. The bird you have drawn is obviously a Protho-notary Warbler, ready to apply the seal.
TB
http://www.bioman10.blogspot.com -
Nice drawing!!!
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6 comments
Jim Wright
I totally agree, Enid! Great role model…
Enid
I was impressed not only by the number of species observed, but also by what John did not include on his list, and the reasons why.
Hats off to wordsmith John.
🙂
Enid
Diane Brown
Your birding accomplishments vie for first place with your amazing ability to write about them!
John W.
Sincere thanks to the multitudes of my fans and rabid admirers.
Yet, I’m compelled to set out a few clarifications:
1) At least three people (probably more) got higher totals than I did at the CF in 2006. Rob Fanning was somewhere in the 180s; Stiles Thomas and Fred Weber were in the mid to high 170s. If those scores sound like narrow margins over 172, they are not. After about 145 or so, every additional bird at the CF is hard-earned.
2) Correction: Hard-earned OR shamelessly piggybacked. In my case, the latter, for I got my numbers by reading the reports of, or following in the tracks of, or standing right behind, the three worldclass birders named above. If they’d not been at the CF that year, my totals would have been somewhere in the 110s.
3) The “drawing” on the list is actually a notary stamp/seal. It’s the official birding notary’s unique way of verifying that the document is not only genuine, but represents the actual tally by the birder. That notary should know, because he was there with me every step of the way. I am surprised to see that none of the others have this sort of verification, and wonder if it means that I’m the actual champ.
Returning to winter hiberation now, but will re-emerge when the Phoebes and Yellow Warblers arrive.
John W.
Tom Burr
Great accomplishment, John! And regards the issue of notarization? Not to worry. The bird you have drawn is obviously a Protho-notary Warbler, ready to apply the seal.
TB
http://www.bioman10.blogspot.com
Deedee Burnside
Nice drawing!!!