[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

re: no ABA list entry for Bob Holmes



After reading Josh Rose's comments the other night about the
recently arrived 2002 ABA List Report and his note that Bob
Holmes's NC list entry was lacking this year, I thought I might
insert a little note as to why.  Bob was a bit taken aback by
last year's report that contained a huge error and decided to
sit out this year in mild protest.

His NC life list total was correctly reported in the 2001 list
as 396.  However, one of the compilers boo-booed and also reported
that as Bob's ANNUAL LIST for NC.  This obviously quite overshadowed
the truly unbelievable year list that Russ and Patricia Tyndall
compiled last year when they set a new NC year list total by
listing 344 species!!  Bob Holmes does not even keep an annual
list and personally feels terrible that the ABA denied the 
Tyndall's their just reward in print.  Bob sent a rather firm
letter to the ABA expressing his displeasure over their mistake
and has tried to apologize to the Tyndall's who have been most
gracious about it.

I noticed that the ABA acknowledged some errors in last year's
report (on page 2 of this year's report) and even mentioned that
two of the errors involved North Carolina entries.  However,
their error in regards to Dr. Holmes was not mentioned.  Too bad.

Anyway, Bob's totals for the 2002 report would have still have
been 396--he didn't see a single new bird in NC in 2002.  This
year has been great for him (and the rest of us, too!).  To my
knowledge Bob Holmes was the seventh person to hit 400 in NC
behind John Fussell, Ricky Davis, Harry Legrand, Derb Carter,
John Wright, and Wayne Irvin. And if Larry Crawford would have
lived a little longer, he would have made it just ahead of Bob.

The New Bern paper did a front page article last week on Bob's
lifetime avocation and his recent accomplishment in hitting 400.

Maybe someday us "B" teamers will make it.

Isn't this a fun race?

Good birding-

Wade Fuller
New Bern, NC