Don Roberson

Hit 400 mark: 10 Oct 1988 with Gray Wagtail at Salinas R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 458
Has been birding MTY since: 1973, resident since 1979 Resides at: Pacific Grove
Occupation: Research attorney
Claim to fame: "discovered" Moonglow Dairy; wrote Monterey Birds (1985, 2002); co-editor Atlas of Breeding Birds of Monterey County (1993); served on California Bird Records Committee
Okay, but recently?: edits local eBird reports; remains MTY bird records compiler for North American Birds; found MTY's first Yellow-bellied Flycatcher at Pt. Pinos (2004)

Photo: Nov 2009 Birdsville Track, South Australia © Murray Lord

Steve [Stephen F.] Bailey

Hit 400 mark: 4 Nov 1997 with Brown Thrasher at Pfeiffer-Big Sur S.P.
Current total [Dec 2009]: 434
Has been birding MTY since: 1971, resident 1992–2004, now Resides at: Arcata, CA
Occupation: Bird tour leader; retired Director, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Claim to fame: found the rarest vagrant of anyone during breeding bird atlasing: a Yellow-throated Warbler; was seabird editor for Am. Birds for 14 years
Okay, but recently?: saw 3110 birds while globe-trotting in 2007, the 3rd highest world year list on record!

Photo: Jan 2004, Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History © D. Roberson [with MTY specimen of Mottled Petrel]

Craig Hohenberger

Hit 400 mark: 9 Sep 1998 with Yellow-throated Warbler at Carmel R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 431
Has been birding MTY since: 1975, resident since 1985 Resides at: Carmel
Occupation: Biology teacher, Carmel Middle School
Claim to fame: Founded Big Sur Ornithology Lab; was President of Monterey Peninsula Audubon for over a decade
Okay, but recently?: had Zone-tailed Hawk fly over his classroom several times in winter 2003; very active, with his studients, in Carmel River mouth revegetation project

Photo: May 2004, Big Sur R. mouth © D. Roberson

Bob [Robert F.] Tintle

Hit 400 mark: 23 June 1996 with Whip-poor-will at Big Sur R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 430
Has been birding MTY since: 1983 Resides at: Pacific Grove
Occupation: Biology teacher, R.L. Stevenson School
Claim to fame: discovered a Grace's Warbler at Jacks Peak in Dec 1998, a first MTY record
Okay, but recently?: continues to mentor RLS students in birding locally, but is learning a new "home patch" around Santa Fe, New Mexico

Photo: 11 Apr 2004, Pt. Sur © D. Roberson [pictured with wife Rosemary]

Rita Carratello

Hit 400 mark: 2 Feb 1999 with Grace's Warbler at Jacks Peak
Current total [Dec 2009]: 427
Has been birding MTY since: 1988 Resides at: Pacific Grove
Occupation: Adult education teacher
Claim to fame: did the layout and desk-topped published Monterey County Breeding Bird Atlas; edited the local Audubon newsletter Sanderling for years; was voice of Monterey Bay RBA tape
Okay, but recently?: hosted great birds in her garden, including a Canada Warbler in 2008, and two Hooded Warblers in 2009

Photo: Aug 2009, Saddlebag Lake, Mono Co. © D. Roberson

Steve Rovell

Hit 400 mark: 28 July 1999 with Yellow-throated Vireo at Big Sur R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 424
Has been birding MTY since: 1990 Resides at: Marina
Occupation: Earth science teacher
Claim to fame: a member of John Sterling's "vagrants," he once used the handle "vagrant" for his email address; was Monterey Peninsula Christmas Bird Count compiler for years
Okay, but recently?: organized team that set county Big Day records in Monterey, Kern, Riverside et al.!

Photo: 23 May 2004, Big Sur R. mouth © D. Roberson

Ron [Ronald L.] Branson

Hit 400 mark: 4 Sep 1988 with Hudsonian Godwit at Salinas R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 422
Has been birding MTY since: 1961 Resides at: Monterey
Occupation: Physician (now retired)
Claim to fame: was very active in finding first MTY records in the late '60s, and was first member of 400 club; he was one of the county's first premier bird photographers
Okay, but recently?: looked at a lot of flowers & photographed Great-winged Petrel and Short-tailed Albatross

Photo: Jan 1994, Carmel R. mouth © D. Roberson

Brian J. Weed

Hit 400 mark: 29 Nov 1997 with Williamson's Sapsucker at Jacks Peak
Current total [Dec 2009]: 419
Has been birding MTY since: 1981 (keeping lists since '83) Resides at: Pacific Grove
Occupation: Grandparent
Claim to fame: two great yard birds on Cedar Street — Rusty Blackbird & Long-eared Owl; found "best bird" of 2002 Mty Pen CBC (Baltimore Oriole)
Okay, but recently?: a regular Snowy Plover surveyor for PRBO & Pt. Lobos list compiler; continues to teach an adult education class in birding

Photo: 1 May 2004, Monterey © D. Roberson

Alan Baldridge

Hit 400 mark: 15 Nov 2001 with Scarlet Tanager at Laguna Grande Park, Seaside
Current total [Dec 2009]: 412
Has been birding MTY since: 1966 Resides at: Pacific Grove
Occupation: Retired librarian, Hopkins Marine Station
Claim to fame: discovered Swallow-tailed Gull at Hopkins in 1985; co-wrote The Bird Year (1980), a natural history of local birds; has hosted many rarities in yard (incl. Kentucky Warbler! )
Okay, but recently?: Was honored, along with wife Sheila, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for exceptional service to local nature history studies

Photo: Mar 2000, Andrew Molera S.P. © Rita Carratello

Rick Fournier

Hit 400 mark: 8 May 2003 with White-winged Dove at Carmel R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 412
Has been birding MTY since: 1988 Resides at: Walker Valley near Elkhorn Slough
Occupation: professional bird guide
Claim to fame: owner of Monterey Birding Adventures, guiding birders locally and beyond
Okay, but recently?: discovered many new birding spots and a long list of rarities in his "home patch" around Elkhorn Slough

Photo: 26 Oct 2003, Moonglow Dairy © D. Roberson

Bruce Gerow

Hit 400 mark: 22 Nov 1998 with Chestnut-collared Longspur near Gonzales
Current total [Dec 2009]: 412
Had been birding MTY since: 1981, was a life-long county resident; now deceased
Claim to fame: "discovered" Salinas ponds and their shorebirding potential; found MTY's first Upland Sandpiper there on 12 Sep 1997

Bruce passed away at age 73 on 15 June 2004. His son Steve is a premier birder in Santa Cruz.

Photo: Sep 1992, Moss Landing © D. Roberson

June Buntin

Hit 400 mark: 3 Jan 1999 with Grace's Warbler at Jacks Peak
Current total [Dec 2009]: 410
Had been birding MTY since: 1984, now deceased
Claim to fame: discovered (with Ruth Doudiet) the first on-shore Masked Booby in California at the Salinas R. mouth in June 1992; hosted Harris's Sparrow & Dickcissel in her Salinas yard

June was in her 80s when she passed away on 23 Nov 2008

Photo: Sep 1985, Moonglow Dairy © D. Roberson

Kent Van Vuren

Hit 400 mark: 6 Jan 2005 with Cackling Goose at Moss Landing
Current total [Dec 2009]: 407
Has been birding MTY since: 1976, resident since 1982 Resides at: Prunedale
Occupation: teacher
Claim to fame: helped pioneer birding in San Benito County; has found many first-county records in other northern California counties
Okay, but recently?: saw a Zone-tailed Hawk fly over his Prunedale home on 20 Nov 2005; has had American Tree Sparrow at his feeder

Photo: Mar 2006, Prunedale © Kent Van Vuren

Chris Tenney

Hit 400 mark: 7 Sep 2000 with Yellow-throated Vireo at Carmel R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 405
Has been birding MTY since: 1980 Resides at: Monterey
Occupation: retired teacher, now freelance researcher & world traveler
Claim to fame: co-editor of Monterey County Breeding Bird Atlas (1992); during the Atlas project, spent more hours atlasing than anyone & created the data-base
Okay, but recently?: authored two fascicles in Birds of North America project (Black-chinned Sparrow, N. Beardless Tyrannulet)

Photo: May 2006, Monterey © D. Roberson

Jim Booker

Hit 400 mark: 24 May 2000 with White-eyed Vireo at Big Sur R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 401
Has been birding MTY since: 1978, resident 1995-2001, now Resides at: Mission, Texas
Occupation: environmental consultant & field trip leader
Claim to fame: directed the banding operation at Big Sur Ornithology Lab from 1995-2000; compiled Big Sur CBC for several years
Okay, but recently?: discovered four first MTY records during his tenure here, including his 400th bird, a White-eyed Vireo

Photo: 4 Mar 2000, near Anderson Peak © D. Roberson

Bill Hill

Hit 400 mark: 5 Nov 2009 with American Tree Sparrow at Carmel R. mouth
Current total [Dec 2009]: 400
Has been birding MTY since: 1992, resident since 1945 (3d generation) Resides at: Carmel
Occupation: retired fire chief, Carmel
Claim to fame: was co-discoverer of the Little Curlew at Carmel beach in Sep 1994, one of the rarest vagrants ever to be found in California!
Okay, but recently?: is the voice of the Monterey BirdBox, and maintains it; continues to regularly find rarities at his "home patch" at Carmel R. mouth

Photo: May 2004, Monterey © D. Roberson

400 Club wannabees — those birders who can see the Promised Land not too far away in their future . . . .

Those with current MTY lists over 350:

• Tim Amaral 397
• Scott Terrill 396
• Rich Stallcup 392
• John Luther 382
• Blake Matheson 381
• Matt Brady 370
• John Sterling 369
• Rob Fowler 366
• Ryan Terrill 366
• Todd Easterla 353