Jay Lehman, left, and Neil Hayward, right, opening the envelope that reveals the ABA’s 2014 Bird of the Year
Over the weekend of January 5 and 6th, I was in eastern Massachusetts, ringing out the old and in the new. Liz and I got to bird with Dorian Anderson, who had just commenced “Biking for Birds,” his 2014 ABA Big Year by bike. He is off to a sensational start! Expect to be seeing and hearing more here about Dorian’s amazing efforts very soon. We also attended a surprise party for Neil Hayward, whose Accidental Big Year has likely established a new all-time record for the ABA Area, pending decisions on 3 potential ABA first records. Jay Lehman of Ohio, who attended the party at Neil’s, also had a tremendously successful ABA Big Year, too, smashing the 700 mark by a wide margin.
I sat down with Neil and Jay in Neil’s kitchen for a wide-ranging discussion about Big Years, birding in general, comparing lists, conservation, and popularizing birding, among other topics. I’ll be sharing excerpts from that interview in the coming weeks. I can tell you that the conversation was interesting, fun, and thought-provoking.
Today, I’ll give you just a snippet, wherein we gave Jay and Neil the honor of announcing the ABA’s Bird of the Year for 2014. Have a look!
So there you have it! The brand new ABA Bird of the Year! Whatever kind of birding you’re planning in 2014, we hope you’ll display your ABA BoY stickers proudly and prominently. Good birding, everyone!