2013 and beyond

It's pretty simple: the most birds seen or heard from one's yard during 2013 will be the "winner". Want in? O.k....then do it despite that.

2013 promises to be a lot less mean but still a carbon-free birding competition, even if slightly less exciting than a MEGA x EPIC hybrid.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Two new contestants

OK boyz, we are almost done adding new contestants (victims), but not quite. I would like to introduce you all to two of the bigger blowhards I have come across on the birding trails, both of whom like posing as birders but most of the time fail to deliver the goods. Hence, their invites to this blog.

First is Andy Jones of Cleveland Heights, OH, aka ANJO. Andy is a native southerner from the mountains of NE "Tainsee", and it can still be recognized in his accent (and moonshine drinking skills). His favorite hobbies is ping pong and disco dancing... (yes, he too likes Borat). I mean: preserving as many of the birds he sees in life as possible as specimens, because it's much easier for him to ID them in hand, and his lists are much more respectable that way. It is also worth noting that Andy is a much more mature person than most of us, but with a little nudging I think we might get a few Beavis and Butthead quotes out of even him. ANJO, I'll let you take it from here. Perhaps a few words and photos about your yard? If you want to see some fresh evidence of his street cred or lack thereof, have a look at this gem:

http://www.coolcleveland.com/video/?vid=i7tobjFLINY&page=0

I am sure the CleveMNH will appreciate this being posted to this blog!

OK, second on board is a mutual friend of Andy and mine: Brett Walker of Fruita, CO. Brett and I met at U of M, and not the one in Ann Arbor, the one in Missoula! He is a frothing-at-the-mouth ornithologist, like ANJO, and though he is fluent in Espanol, flyfishing, and contra dancing, he is about as poor a birder as anyone on the blog. When he and I were in s. Mexico backcountry in March 2001 tearing it up, some Mexicans phonetically learned to say his name in English as "Bread Walking", which translated back into Spanish is "Pan Caminando", and he has never been able to shake the moniker since. Brett's master's work on the stunningly colorful Brewer's Sparrow of Montana sagelands also led to his second best well known nickname: Bwewwew's Spawwow. I'll let you all figure out where that might have come from. Anyway, Brett is also a much nicer lad than many, and so may require some coaching in the art of yardbird blogging debauchery. Hopefully he can add a little western spice to this east dominated group. Brettster- how's about an introductory post from you as well showing us the yard? Here is a pic of Brett and I in a remote area of Oaxaca in 2001:
Now, let's get it ON!

3 comments:

  1. And oh yeah- ANJO is a Ted Parker look alike. But that is where the similarity ends. See the bottom photo of Ted at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/ecp/ecp_sites/parker_gentry/parker.htm

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  2. Welcome Gentleman, I hope you find your participation most enjoyable.

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  3. ...Oh and have a cool Cleveland day.

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