The June Challenge 2023

Long ago, in 2012, I won The June Challenge with 126 species and a friend commented, “I don’t think anyone will ever beat that total.” The phrase hadn’t been invented yet, but the proper response would have been, “OK Boomer.” My friend hadn’t foreseen today’s crop of birders, or the amazing communications network they would have at their fingertips. My winning total was actually beaten four times in the following decade: in 2015 by Lloyd Davis and Mike Manetz, who set a new record with 129; in 2016 by Jonathan Mays with 128; in 2021 by Tim Hardin with 127; and in 2022 by Tim Hardin and Jose Miguel Ponciano, who tied the record with 129. Although I never would have been rash enough to say, “I don’t think anyone will ever beat 129,” I figured that 126-129 was pretty close to the upper limit of what was possible in Alachua County during June. Someone might hit 130 one of these days, maybe even 132. But nobody was going to exceed it by much.
     But then came 2023. The low water at Paynes Prairie boded well; similar conditions had brought lots of shorebirds to the Prairie in 2021 and to Newnans Lake in 2012 and 2017. So I expected a good year with a winning total in the 120s. There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm among the birders too. Actually to say it was “a lot” understates it. It was a “hold my beer” kind of enthusiasm, the kind that trekked out onto the mud flats at the center of the Prairie basin, the kind that wandered around Longleaf Flatwoods Preserve at 11:00 at night, the kind that rented touring boats to get out into remote sections of Newnans Lake and Lake Santa Fe, not once but six times, the kind of enthusiasm that actually alarmed some people who read about it. Birders splashed around in alligator-infested water. They got  mired on the Prairie (Maggie Paxson advised, “For anyone thinking of going out there, expect knee-deep plunges and thigh-high vegetation to wade through. It was exhausting.”) Tim Hardin and Jose Miguel Ponciano spent 45 minutes squatting on the open mudflats while a violent thunderstorm raged overhead. Jose Miguel wrote, “We just hunkered down, made ourselves as small as possible and waited for it to pass. We saw the Prairie filling with water in real time. We saw the storm (and our lives) pass before our eyes, with high winds and loads of water, right above our heads. Thunders falling left and right. It was scary. And stupid. And then it was awesome!!!! We saw Black-bellied Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, and a Caspian Tern sitting by a freaking Franklin’s Gull, and yep, two American Avocets. Man, this was an EPIC birding day. Absolutely fantastic!!!!”

     Law enforcement even got involved, and not just once. Mostly they were responding to reports of possible trespassing, but in one instance the Sheriff’s Office was called out to rescue a poor man who was stuck way out on the Prairie – it was Tim Hardin, of course, not stuck at all. This is the first year in which it might have been reasonable to regard The June Challenge as an Extreme Sport! It may have been a little reckless at times – the Park Service actually requested that we tone it down – but it was certainly fun to watch!

     And all of this extra enthusiasm, all of this adventuring, produced a list of birds that didn’t just beat the old record but obliterated it. As stated above, the five highest winning totals during the previous nineteen years had been 126, 127, 128, 129, and 129. This year’s winning total was 146 by Tim Hardin – not just one more than the old record, not just two more, but seventeen more! And in fact the old record was beaten by five other birders as well and tied by one. Ben Fick nearly equaled Tim’s winning total with 145, and Jose Miguel Ponciano, despite being out of the country for the first week of the month, made superb use of his remaining time and finished with 138. It was also great to see the under-16 contingent represented in the Challenge again this year. Isaac Ewing, age 14, is the younger brother of the legendary Ben and Sam Ewing, and he seems to be made of the same impressive stuff. No doubt he’ll be carrying home the June Challenge trophy before much longer.

     But not all the credit goes to the birders. The birds had something to do with it as well. There were eighteen species of shorebirds, including a Red-necked Phalarope, Black-bellied Plovers, American Avocets, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Stilt, Pectoral, and Western Sandpipers. There were nine species of gulls and terns, including a Common Tern, a Black Skimmer, and a Franklin’s Gull. There were four late-spring or early-fall migrant warblers: American Redstart, Blackpoll Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and Black-and-white Warbler. There were eleven species of waterfowl, including Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, and Northern Shoveler. Both
pelicans, Brown and American White, showed up. And don’t forget that poor Dickcissel, first found on April 19th, who was kind enough to remain at his post on Sparrow Alley, singing away, until June 11th!

     It was our twentieth June Challenge, and our best ever. Thanks to all of you who worked hard and continuously to make it so exciting and so successful. Alachua County’s birders are the very best!

                                                                                                            By Rex Rowan

Here is the complete list of totals per Challenger. The number of people who saw 100 or more birds was 34, which is 71% of the total participants. (When tied, the contestants are listed alphabetically by last name.)

The cumulative total of birds reported in Alachua County during June was 152.