It Begins! February 1, 2012

How did it come to be that Shayne and Rhonda decided to find every possible bird species in New Jersey? And how is that working out for them?

It all started for the kids. Many years ago (how many was it Shayne?) Shayne had a dream that children at Kenneth R. Olson Middle School would become "citizen scientists" and contribute to the body of knowledge contained at Cornell University's Ornithology Lab. When Rhonda heard about it she got all excited and gave her usual comment, "Let's do it!"

So Shayne wrote a grant proposal for the Education Fund, and got money to get started. Then they figured they better learn how to be birders and went to Rancocas Nature Center to take their first bird walk. It was there Rhonda found a Zen state, all the stress and anxiety left her body as she quietly walked through the woods looking for the Great Horned Owl. When he flew on silent wings, the majesty of the moment enthralled her so, became a hopeless bird nerd, and never looked back.

There have been a few other notable stories to tell since then, but back to "The Big (New Jersey) Year. " ( There was also this bit about the two of them wanting to become experts in something, and wondering if they would ever find something they had a chance at.)

Shayne saw the movie and the Owl. The movie being, "The Big Year." (They meant to see it at the theater, but it got by before they did.) Then Shayne got an E-mail that let her in on the sighting of a snowy owl in the north of New Jersey. "We should see how many birds we could put on our life list in a year," she suggested. And Rhonda did that "Let's do it," thing again. And here we are.

What are the rules? (1) Birds must be seen in the state. After all, it is "The Big New Jersey Year." (2) Both Shayne and Rhonda must confirm the bird. (3) Was there a third or was it just don't cheat on number 2?

So February 1 2012 we begin our year!

Total Bird Count: 0