Contact: Nikki Parker, 802-229-6206

VINS Teens Count Over 150 Species in 24 Hours at Great Texas Birding Classic

MONTPELIER ˆ Sunburns and sleeplessness notwithstanding, nine area teenagers will be heading home from after participating in the Great Texas Birding Classic. The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) and Nikon sponsored the group at the event, which involved counting bird species from sun-up to sundown on April 24. The teams began birdwatching at midnight and didn‚t go to sleep until 3 a.m. the following day!

            The teens have participated in the World Series of Birding at Cape May in New Jersey for the last five years, but wanted an experience that would explore new environments and have the opportunity to see birds seen nowhere else in the United States. Although teams can pick an area of coastal Texas in which to compete, the teens chose the lower coast due to its rare birds along the Mexican border. The VINS teams were the only youth teen teams, or „Gliders,‰ to bird on the lower coast.

The Nikon Noddies spotted 156 species with the Nikon Gnatcatchers finding a total of 158 species. The teams have been in Texas since April 17, using the time to scout out the new territory. The two VINS teams were also the only New England team to compete in the Classic. The top Glider team, which birded the upper coast, spotted 177 species.

Chip Darmstadt, VINS North Branch Nature Center Director and coach of the youth teams, said they spotted a total of 225 species during the entire week. Instead of the event being more of a competition, Darmstadt said the experience was a terrific one had by all.

„We had an awesome time,‰ said Darmstadt. „We saw so many good birds? Painted Buntings, Chachalacas, Roadrunners? it was amazing.‰

             The Great Texas Birding Classic began in April of 1997 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife to increase appreciating, understanding and conservation of birds along the Great Texas Costal Birding Trail. The trail was completed in 2000 to building wildlife viewing trails that provided both economic incentives as well as conserving habitat.

            While Vermont was experiencing lows in the 40s, Darmstadt said the daytime highs often were in the 90s. Besides the magnificent birds, some team members also experienced the southern discomforts of chiggers and Africanized killer bees. However, none of these things dimmed the experience of spotting so many different bird species in one week. One day, the teams paid $3 for „the pleasure of waiting for a Brown Jay to fly over‰ an RV park. The brown bird wouldn‚t seem to warrant such a wait for most, but to be able to spot this rare bird was a treat for these avid birdwatchers. And they did! 

            „Activities like the Classic are a great way for the teens to get excited about bird watching,‰ Darmstadt said. „While some of the teens have been birding since they were very young, others are brand-new to the hobby. Birdwatching is a great way to ignite their passion for the natural world and the environment."

            The Nikon Noddies include Sam Barrocas, 14, Calais; Jeff Dacey, 17, West Halifax; Ira Gardner-Morse, 16, Calais; Will McCumber, 18, Charlestown, NH and Taj Schottland, 14, Putney. The Nikon Gnatcatchers include Eric Cannizzaro, 14, of South Burlington; Amelia Klein, 14, of Plainfield; Connor Stephenson, 13, of Barre; Amelia Williams, 13, of East Calais. The teams are grateful to Nikon for the use of optics and contributing toward the expenses of the trip. Pledges in the form of donations to the VINS teams will go to VINS and future natural science activities for teens. For further information on the Teen Naturalist Club, call 229-6206.