Photo credit: Tim Gallagher

The Sapsuckers have their hands full with this year’s World Series of Birding double victory, having brought home the grand Urner Stone Cup for placing first overall and the Stearns Trophy for best out-of-state-team total. From left to right, Steve Kelling, Kevin McGowan, Jeff Wells, Ken Rosenberg, and John Fitzpatrick.

As the clock struck midnight at the end of the18th annual World Series of Birding, victory sounded at last for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Sapsuckers.

On May 12, more than 60 teams from across North America and beyond frantically birded New Jersey to see who could identify the highest number of species in this grueling midnight-to-mid-night event. The Sapsuckers identified 214 species, enough to tie them for first place with a New Jersey-based team.

"We worked very hard for this," said Lab director and Sapsucker co-captain John Fitzpatrick. "We're thrilled that the Urner Stone Cup will at last rest in our observatory for Lab members and friends to enjoy, as a symbol of the team's hard-won victory and a tribute to bird conservation."

With pledges from Lab members and friends reaching an all-time high of $638 per species, or some $140,000 total, the Sapsuckers raised more money than any other team once again. All pledges will help support Birds in Forested Landscapes and the Lab's other bird conservation projects, thanks to Swarovski Optik's generous sponsorship and Houghton donation of The Focus Guide to the Birds of North America, signed by author Kenn Kaufman.

For the last five years, the Sapsuckers have brought home the Stearns Trophy for best out-of-state team total. Winning the Urner Stone Cup is especially tough for a team whose "home base" in Ithaca is several hundred miles from New Jersey. Like other competitive teams, the Sapsuckers spend many days before the Big Day scouting to pinpoint locations of particular species and crafting a minute-by-minute route. They must anticipate seasonal and daily weather conditions that influence the timing of bird migration.

The first bird to sound off for the Sapsuckers at this year's World Series was a Great Horned Owl, a relief to the team. "You just can't take any of the owl species for granted," says Sapsucker Kevin McGowan. "They're out there, but whether or not they'll cooperate on the day itself is always a concern." In addition to the owl, Great Swamp also yielded other hard-to-find birds such as King Rail and Common Nighthawk. Hackensack Meadows, a locale they decided to visit just as they were about to pass the highway exit, brought them tough species like Blue-winged Teal and Willow Flycatcher saving the team an additional stop later in the day.

"Amazingly, and for the first time ever, we found all of the challenging 'northern specialties' Ruffed Grouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren," says Ken Rosenberg. They also racked up elusive migrant warblers such as Blackpoll, Tennessee, Wilson's, and Mourning. They headed to the southern part of the state buoyed with 142 species.

In the south, they picked up Lesser Black-backed and Iceland gulls, Great Cormorant, and Peregrine Falcon in record time. Among a mass of shorebirds at Mannington Marsh, they pulled out a White-rumped Sandpiper and found Caspian Terns roosting at the far end. After moving along and finding Snow Goose, Bobolink, Horned Lark, and Cattle Egret, they were stalled by the notorious New Jersey beach traffic. "Thanks to quick thinking, our Delorme atlas, and Steve Kelling's expert handling of the van, we negotiated a back road over to the ocean, protecting our hard-won margin of extra time," says Jeff Wells.

When all was said and seen, wind in the south toward the end of the day and the departure of some of the migrant ducks meant a victory score of 214, just shy of last year's 219 winning total (and the Sapsuckers' own 217 finish). As for sharing the title, Lab director Fitzpatrick says that the co-winners, the Nikon Sports Optics/Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, represent the best of what the World Series of Birding is about. "They're terrific birders, and terrific people. It's a real honor to share the top slot with them."

All of the Sapsuckers-and everyone at the Lab-extend warm thanks to all who pledged their support for the birds during this year's Big Day. "It's extremely gratifying that so many Lab members and friends show their support in this way," says Fitzpatrick. "We really do consider them essential members of our team."