[narrator] The following is an excerpt from the Texas
Parks and Wildlife television show.
(lawnmower}
[John Brotherton] My family is crazy.
[Sarah] Birds.
[David] Birds.
[Luanne] Birds.
[John] Birds.
(Music)
[Narrator] MEET THE BROTHERTON FAMILY OF DAINGERFIELD,
TEXAS.
THEY'RE CRAZY.
CRAZY ABOUT BIRDS.
[SARAH BROTHERTON] I do look at birds a lot.
[JOHN Brotherton] I'm always looking at birds.
[DAVID Brotherton] I do it everyday.
[John] Well there's some teal.
[David] Got some teal?
[John] Cinnamon teal.
[David] Cinnamon?
[Narrator] THE ENTIRE BROTHERTON FAMILY, DAVID, LUANNE,
SARAH AND JOHN, SPEND A LOT TIME TOGETHER.
WHETHER IT'S CALLING CARDINALS…OR PLAYING GAMES…THE BROTHERTONS DO IT AS A FAMILY.
[David] Whammo!
[John] There's a pigeon thing.
[David] Got it.
(Music)
[Narrator] DAVID IS THE FIRST BIRDER OF THE FAMILY.
HE STARTED SCOPING SPARROWS WHILE GROWING UP IN ARKANSAS.
AS DAVID GREW, SO DID HIS INTEREST IN BIRDS.
BY THE TIME HE MET LUANNE, HIS HOBBY HAD TURNED INTO AN OBSESSION.
[DAVID Brotherton] I think the first time that I asked her if
she wanted to go bird watching I think she thought I was trying to do something else.
I think she was rather disappointed when I actually took her bird watching (laughs).
[Narrator] EVEN THE KIDS WEREN'T IMMUNE TO THIS CALL
OF THE WILD, GETTING STARTED WELL BEFORE THEY KNEW WHAT A BIRD WAS.
[DAVID Brotherton] When my wife was pregnant with John, I was
just learning to do my Barred Owl call.
And when I would do it, the cat would meow, the dog would bark, and John would kick mama.
[John] Least.
[David] Black-billed, black tern with a yellow tip.
See the yellow tip?
[John] Aw.
[Narrator] FOR ONE WEEK EACH YEAR, THE BROTHERTONS' HOBBY
TAKES THEM TO THE TEXAS COAST.
THERE THEY JOINED OVER 100 OTHER BIRDERS FROM 10 STATES AND 5 COUNTRIES, FOR THE GREAT TEXAS
BIRDING CLASSIC.
[David] Rose-breasted Grosbeak is what John said.
[Troy Messina] One in the bushes.
[Narrator] THE CLASSIC IS THREE DAYS OF FRIENDLY COMPETITION
TO SEE WHO CAN FIND AND IDENTIFY THE MOST SPECIES OF BIRDS.
THE $50,000 IN PRIZE MONEY DOESN'T GO TO THE BIRDERS, IT GOES TO BIRD HABITAT PROJECTS
CHOSEN BY THE WINNING TEAMS.
[LINDA CAMPBELL] The classic has been very successful, not
only in terms of making people aware of the great diversity of birds in Texas and in the
need for conserving habitat, but also in terms of raising money for habitat conservation
projects
[Sarah] It looks like a Marbled Godwit thing.
[Troy Messina] Short Billed Dowitcher.
That's what it is, Short Billed Dowitcher.
[Narrator] TEAMS OF "ROUGHWINGS", KIDS AGED 8 TO 13,
COMPETE ONLY ON THE FIRST DAY.
WHILE THE ADULT TEAMS CAN BIRD FROM MIDNIGHT TO MIDNIGHT, THE YOUNGER BIRDERS ARE LIMITED
TO AN EIGHT HOUR DAY.
[TROY MESSINA] It's a test to see how good you are, and how
good other people are, and how good you are compared to them.
[SARAH ] I like it because it's outdoors, and it's
just fun.
[JOHN] Bunch of walking too.
[David] Let's go further on down guys.
[Narrator] BIRDING IN A CONTEST IS KIND OF LIKE SIGHTSEEING,
YOU DON'T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME IN ONE PLACE.
THERE'S A LOT OF DRIVING…
A LITTLE BIT OF LOOKING…
[John] I got a Blue Jay.
[Narrator] …AND A LOT MORE DRIVING.
[Sarah] Is that a bluebird, or a plane?
[Troy ] It looks like a plane.
Yeah it's a plane.
[Sarah] They're not.
[David] They're not what?
[Sarah] They're Red Knot.
[JOHN Brotherton] When our family goes out, you're against each
other trying to find out the best birder but when you're a team.
[Sarah] Heron.
[John] Right.
It's sort of funner because you're working together as a group, and, you know you can
give high-fives and stuff.
[David] Very good.
[Narrator] THE ADULTS HAVE FUN TOO.
[David] Way to go Miss Peggy!
[Narrator] BUT THEIR COMPETITION IS A LITTLE MORE INTENSE.
[David] Coots, little Blue Heron, Cattle Egrets, turtle
of some sort.
[Narrator] A FEW DAYS SCOUTING BEFORE THE COMPETITION,
SAVES TIME ONCE THE CONTEST BEGINS.
[DAVID B] Yesterday we got our ears turned to a Tropical
Parula.
We spent 30 minutes at it yesterday, tomorrow we will spend probably about 10 seconds.
We'll hear it and go.
[Music]
[Narrator] WHEN THE CONTEST STARTS, THE BROTHERTON'S
TEAM IS ON THE ROAD EARLY…3 AM EARLY.
[David] What was that?
White-winged Dove.
[Narrator] THEIR FIRST STOP IS AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER,
IN THE DARK,TO HEAR AN OWL.
[Narrator] BEFORE THE DAY IS OVER, THEY WILL DRIVE 400
MILES, CROSS FOUR COUNTIES, VISIT TWO STATE PARKS, TWO WILDLIFE REFUGES, THREE BIRD SANCTUARIES,
AND ONE GARBAGE DUMP.
[owl call]
[Narrator] WHILE THE EARLY BIRD MAY INDEED GET THE WORM,
THE EARLY BIRDER DOESN'T ALWAYS GET THE BIRD.
[DAVID ] We're at Falcon Dam and we're about 13 minutes
too early.
It doesn't open till 6am.
We're kind of waiting here, gonna try to go down, we're gonna try to go down here and
see if we can finds a Great Horned Owl.
[Luanne] There it is!
[Music]
[Luanne] Over there.
[David] We just got a Lesser Night Hawk.
[Luanne] Doing great.
We got 14 birds already.
[David] Hey!
Naw it's a dove, I'm sorry.
[Luanne] Pyrrhuloxia.
[David B] See him?
Exposed right there.
Ok.
Well we're getting some of the desert stuff.
Look, you can see the shoulder patch.
[Luanne] Pied-billed Grebe.
[David] What?
Is that a Great Egret out there in the water Lou, flying across?
Oh, there's an Eastern Meadowlark right there.
There's a bird flying over there.
There's one pelican out there in the water way out there.
[Luanne] Almost 7:30 and we have 34.
[David] Just a hundred away from target.
[David] There's a spotted sandpiper.
It's a Ringed.
[Luanne] That's number 80.
[David] Way to go!
[Luanne] 81!
[David] Good number of species but we're an hour behind
where we're supposed to be.
We need some warblers ladies.
[Narrator] THE WARBLERS WOULD ELUDE THE TEAM FOR MOST
OF THE DAY, AS WOULD A DECENT MEAL.
[DAVID] I've had a can of sardines, a handful of Doritos
chips, and a Hershey bar.
[Cuckoo call, door shutting, tripod banging, bag zipping]
[Narrator] DESPITE THE FRANTIC NATURE OF COMPETITIVE
BIRDING, THERE IS METHOD TO THE MADNESS.
[DAVID B] Not many people know about the art of finding
a bird…first you got to listen for it.
[Music]
[DAVID] Visually finding a bird can be really tricky,
you got to look for little movements.
If all else fails you can do little sounds to attract the bird.
[Bird calls]
[bird chirping]
[Narrator] NO BIRDING TRIP TO THE VALLEY WOULD BE COMPLETE
WITHOUT A TRIP TO THE BROWNSVILLE SANITARY LANDFILL.
[DAVID] We are not going to stay long.
[Narrator] THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE IN AMERICA…
[David] Get the bird and go.
[Narrator] WHERE YOU'LL FIND THE TAMAULIPAS CROW.
[David] Are those grackles or are they the crows?
[Narrator] GARBAGE DUMPS ATTRACT A LOT OF BIRDS…
[David] Got a Herring Gull there Lou?
[Narrator] AND ONLY THE MOST DEDICATED BIRDWATCHERS.
[David] Just wonderful.
[Narrator] SIXTEEN HOURS AFTER THEY BEGIN, THE GROUP
FINALLY MAKES IT TO THEIR LAST STOP.
[LUANNE] It's 7:35 and we have 157.
And there's about 5 or 6 birds right here that we want to try to get real quick.
[David] Go look right over the guy's scope.
He's got a Purple Gallinule, right over the guy's.
Lou do you got anything?
[Luanne] Nope.
[David] Is that a Snipe?
Is that a Snipe?
Everybody hear it?
Let's go.
Take your binoculars just look right over in those leaves.
Oh there's a Rail right there.
Try for the Least Bittern one more time?
One more time.
[Luanne] I think we're about finished now.
[David] We'd take a Brown Pelican if it flew over,
I don't think it's gonna happen.
[Music]
[Narrator] NO ONE IN THE FAMILY COUNTED ENOUGH BIRDS
TO WIN A TROPHY, BUT FOR ALL THE BROTHERTONS, THE GREAT TEXAS BIRDING CLASSIC WAS A HUGE
SUCCESS ANYWAY.
THEY GOT TO SEE LOTS OF BIRDS, AND THEY GOT TO DO IT TOGETHER.
[DAVID] I thought that was a neat, neat thing to do,
be with family.
No I'm sorry, I've got Barn Owl in my thoughts.
We're gonna get a Barn Owl.
See I'm not done yet.
You just think I'm done.
[Narrator] AFTER A WEEK OF CHASING BIRDS FROM BRAZOSPORT
TO BROWNSVILLE, THE BIRDING BROTHERTONS OF DAINGERFIELD, TEXAS, HEADED HOME FOR A WELL
DESERVED REST…AND A BREAK FROM THE BIRDS.
[David] Good night kids.
[John] Good night Dad.
[Sarah] Good night Mom.
[John] Good night Sarah.
[Luanne] Good night John.
Good night Sarah.
[John] Good night Mom.
(Screech Owl call)
[David] Listen, a screech owl.
[Luanne] Good night David.
(Screech Owl call)