Peanuts In My Pocket

The Bird Nerd Project for 2025 was a success, with participants submitting bird photos from their adventures throughout the year. We decided to kick off our next season with a new goal.

This time we will share photos of anything we think is interesting. No real limits. Even family photos are welcome. For points and tracking, the subject must be a living thing that is not captive, not human, and not a plant. In short, any wild creature counts. Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, whatever you find. Just no pets or zoo animals.

We reached consensus on the general idea, and we are still working on the finer points. Here are the rules we have so far.

• Photos must be taken between Thanksgiving 2025 and Thanksgiving 2026.
• No repeat species. Once you have logged an American Crow, you get one point and that is it for that species. Upgrades are possible if you find a banded crow or one with prey.
• Captive animals do not count. This includes pets and anything in a cage at a zoo.
• Keep track of your own list, but report finds in the group text chat. Don is the official scorekeeper, and we are all responsible for keeping Don honest.
• Group consensus can award points for special cases. For example, a member submitted a Lilac-crowned Parrot performing a mind-reading stage act. It counts and is listed as a “lilac-crowned psychic parrot.”
• At the end of the year, each species counts for 1 point.
  • Unique species count for 1.5 points. A unique species is one that no other member has posted by the end of the year.
  • Banded or tagged animals earn a 1 point bonus.
  • An animal photographed with prey earns a 1 point bonus. Birds at feeders do not count as having prey.
• If you post a bird that you previously posted before Thanksgiving 2025, you only get 0.25 points. (This addresses Joe and Don’s advantage mentioned below and encourages finding new species.)
• There are no geographic limits.

I will take on the job of data normalization, based on what I learned from the last project. People use wildly different names for the same species. At one point I used three different names for the same bird before realizing my mistake. To keep scoring fair, we will use one common name per species. I will figure out the best approach once submissions start rolling in.

Point totals and standings will be published at least once each quarter, possibly once a month if time allows. The winner will be declared at our annual Thanksgiving family party. The prize is bragging rights and, if history repeats itself, possibly lumpia.

I have an advantage as a retired and overly enthusiastic birder with too much time on my hands. We may need some kind of fairness modifier. Suggestions are welcome.

I have started slowly, with just nine posts so far: a Fox Squirrel, a California Ground Squirrel, a Bewick’s Wren (lifer 206), a Nuttall’s Woodpecker, a White-breasted Nuthatch, an American Crow, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Chipping Sparrow, and the ubiquitous American Coot.