pengwen
03-04-2006, 08:36 AM
By Ben Moffett
Reprint permission granted
There are a couple of states that perhaps offer better birding opportunities than New Mexico – but only a couple, and they are both much bigger.
Ask Jerry R. Oldenettel, who recently demolished his own New Mexico record by finding 428 species in the state during calendar year 2005.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/oldenettle1.jpg
It birding parlance, it's called a "big year." Oldenettel, who lives along the river in Luis Lopez just off I-25 between Socorro and San Antonio, traveled to all 33 New Mexico counties and drove 78,000 miles in-state to break his record.
He may, in fact, have seen more of New Mexico than all the state's mail carriers, including Fex Ex and UPS drivers.
You may have already read about Oldenettel in a story I wrote in the Nov. 10 Socorro/Magdalena Mountain Mail Festival of the Cranes special section. In that story, he had just shattered his 1998 record of 407 and was setting at 408 after spotting a vagrant Blackpoll Warbler in a cottonwood-poplar grove at Melrose.
At the time, Oldenettel told me he didn't think he could reach his personal goal of 420 species. "It gets hard when you get this far along," he said. But he surprised himself. By the end of the year he hit 428, including one species never before recorded in the state -- a Little Stint at Bitter Lakes, near Roswell, on May 31.
Significantly, Oldenettel's total was not only the biggest in New Mexico history, but bigger than the totals of 47 other states. Texas and California have had greater "big years." "But they both have significant coastlines," Oldenettel pointed out.
What is as fascinating as his birding accomplishments is the effort he put into it and the out-of-the way places he saw.
"In all, approximately 78,000 miles were driven pursuing birds in New Mexico during the year," he wrote on his website. His Grand Cherokee, which hit 200,000 miles on Jan. 1 (the day his quest started), was at 270,000 when he "ripped the rear end out" at 270,000. He then bought a new Ford Escort which had 17,000 miles at year's end.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/oldenettle2.jpg
He also put on a lot of miles outside the state, having been called away from his task for family emergencies and business for two or three weeks.
But he made the best of his time while he was here. "I saved a fair amount of driving during spring (April-May) and fall (Sept.-Nov.) migrations by renting a room in Clovis as a base of operations."
Oldenettel said he birded six days a week typically, spending Wednesdays in the Socorro area for Rotary meetings and violin lessons! Yes, it's an odd combination for sure.
Unlike tourists who mostly see New Mexico's more publicized attractions, Oldenettel went where he needed in search of his quarry, aided by a group of friends and fellow birders who kept him up to date, and vice versa, on sightings of rare species. In the process, he must have hit every body of water in New Mexico, some several times, including many sewage ponds and a few municipal garbage dumps.
But Oldenettel tells his story far better than I ever could and you can read it on the Internet at http://members.aol.com/borealowl/. To get to the "Big Year" story, (he has hidden it well) scroll down to "Birding" then hit "New Mexico." At the very bottom of his "New Mexico" list is the access to the "2005 Big Year" list.
There are many other features equally readable on the website, including his own yard list. Also check out the county by county lists for New Mexico. He's found more species by far in Socorro County (353)) than any other. Sierra and Eddy trail with 326 species each.
Some of his species lists will run your mouse right off its pad. His lifetime list was 904 as of Jan. 3, 2006. His North American list was 823. He's seen 699 species in the "lower 48," 481 in New Mexico, and 224 in his own yard in Luis Lopez.
Reprint permission granted
There are a couple of states that perhaps offer better birding opportunities than New Mexico – but only a couple, and they are both much bigger.
Ask Jerry R. Oldenettel, who recently demolished his own New Mexico record by finding 428 species in the state during calendar year 2005.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/oldenettle1.jpg
It birding parlance, it's called a "big year." Oldenettel, who lives along the river in Luis Lopez just off I-25 between Socorro and San Antonio, traveled to all 33 New Mexico counties and drove 78,000 miles in-state to break his record.
He may, in fact, have seen more of New Mexico than all the state's mail carriers, including Fex Ex and UPS drivers.
You may have already read about Oldenettel in a story I wrote in the Nov. 10 Socorro/Magdalena Mountain Mail Festival of the Cranes special section. In that story, he had just shattered his 1998 record of 407 and was setting at 408 after spotting a vagrant Blackpoll Warbler in a cottonwood-poplar grove at Melrose.
At the time, Oldenettel told me he didn't think he could reach his personal goal of 420 species. "It gets hard when you get this far along," he said. But he surprised himself. By the end of the year he hit 428, including one species never before recorded in the state -- a Little Stint at Bitter Lakes, near Roswell, on May 31.
Significantly, Oldenettel's total was not only the biggest in New Mexico history, but bigger than the totals of 47 other states. Texas and California have had greater "big years." "But they both have significant coastlines," Oldenettel pointed out.
What is as fascinating as his birding accomplishments is the effort he put into it and the out-of-the way places he saw.
"In all, approximately 78,000 miles were driven pursuing birds in New Mexico during the year," he wrote on his website. His Grand Cherokee, which hit 200,000 miles on Jan. 1 (the day his quest started), was at 270,000 when he "ripped the rear end out" at 270,000. He then bought a new Ford Escort which had 17,000 miles at year's end.
http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/oldenettle2.jpg
He also put on a lot of miles outside the state, having been called away from his task for family emergencies and business for two or three weeks.
But he made the best of his time while he was here. "I saved a fair amount of driving during spring (April-May) and fall (Sept.-Nov.) migrations by renting a room in Clovis as a base of operations."
Oldenettel said he birded six days a week typically, spending Wednesdays in the Socorro area for Rotary meetings and violin lessons! Yes, it's an odd combination for sure.
Unlike tourists who mostly see New Mexico's more publicized attractions, Oldenettel went where he needed in search of his quarry, aided by a group of friends and fellow birders who kept him up to date, and vice versa, on sightings of rare species. In the process, he must have hit every body of water in New Mexico, some several times, including many sewage ponds and a few municipal garbage dumps.
But Oldenettel tells his story far better than I ever could and you can read it on the Internet at http://members.aol.com/borealowl/. To get to the "Big Year" story, (he has hidden it well) scroll down to "Birding" then hit "New Mexico." At the very bottom of his "New Mexico" list is the access to the "2005 Big Year" list.
There are many other features equally readable on the website, including his own yard list. Also check out the county by county lists for New Mexico. He's found more species by far in Socorro County (353)) than any other. Sierra and Eddy trail with 326 species each.
Some of his species lists will run your mouse right off its pad. His lifetime list was 904 as of Jan. 3, 2006. His North American list was 823. He's seen 699 species in the "lower 48," 481 in New Mexico, and 224 in his own yard in Luis Lopez.