Caw caw! Chirp chirp! Tweet tweet!

In anticipation of the 49th Annual Bird Calling Contest, set for April 4, participants have begun to prepare and perfect their bird calls and skits.

Producer Ken Brown said the contest is judged on three different criteria.

The accuracy of the call is a big thing,” Brown said. “The presentation of the information on the bird is another thing, and the execution of the skit and how it all fits together is definitely important.”

Placing third in last year’s competition, juniors Amy Kelleher, Becca Havian, and Jo Ireland are looking forward to performing in the contest again this year. Kelleher said it is a bit more stressful to have the contest earlier than it was last year, which was in May.

“We all have a lot on our plates right now, but we love the contest so it’s worth it,” Kelleher said. “We decided that we didn’t want to not enter and end up regretting that choice.”

Kelleher said while the competition can be stressful, everyone in the competition is very welcoming and not afraid to be weird.

“Also, going to New York last year was the greatest trip of my life,” Kelleher said. “We got to see an amazing city and became close with people we would never have had the chance to know before.”

Ireland agreed that going to New York and having the opportunity to be on the Late Show with David Letterman was an amazing experience.

“It was probably the highlight of my year last year,” Ireland said. “I wanted to do it with the same people because we worked really well together last year as a group and I have faith that we can do it again.”

Ireland said besides having the possibility of going on Letterman, creating the skit and performing on stage makes the contest fun.

“I think it’s a lot of fun to make a fool of yourself on stage,” Ireland said. “Adding a birdcall to the acting part of it makes it so much better.”

Stage manager Linda Jarvis said although winners from last year will be coming back to compete, it is a fresh start every year.

“It doesn’t help them or hurt them, so far as the judging is concerned,” Jarvis said. “Each year it starts again with the show.”

Sophomore Tyler Ellis, along with junior Claire O’Connor and sophomore Maret Sotkiewicz, will be participating as a trio for the first time this year.  Ellis said he has seen the contest before and thinks it is hilarious.

“It’s so entertaining seeing what people can come up with,” Ellis said. “And one of the reasons I wanted to do it is just to say I took part in it. It’s a Piedmont tradition that I would love to say I was a part of.”

Ellis said they decided to enter as a trio because they thought it would be a better experience for them to collaborate.

“I think we will work well because we all have traits that could help us in the contest, whether it be having the ability to make unique noises, contributing aspects of humor, or just a creative view on things,” Ellis said. “Sotkiewicz, O’Connor, Ellis unite!”

Ellis hopes his group can win the judges and audience over by cleverly incorporating bird facts into a funny skit.

“I would say I’m most excited to, hopefully, make the audience laugh,” Ellis said.

Kelleher said it is important to place equal weight on the quality of the skit, the accuracy of the birdcall, and the amount of background knowledge included in the performance.

“Last year we picked a bird and shaped the idea for the skit around the bird,” Kelleher said. “This year we found a great idea for the skit, but haven’t had any luck finding a bird.  So for now, the focus is mainly on finding a bird that we can imitate and that is interesting.”

Senior Gabe Bolio, who won last year’s contest with seniors Eli Nash and James Clifford, said his group researched various websites dedicated to birds and their calls to decide which bird to imitate this year.

“We [went] through the calls to find the most outlandish ones,” Bolio said. “The skits, [for last year and this year,] came from friends’ ideas or random epiphanies.”

Bolio said his group is excited to perform and to continue being a part of this Piedmont tradition.

“It’s a fun way of getting the community together to watch high schoolers continue with an old tradition,” Bolio said. “It helps make Piedmont unique.”

Jarvis said they hold meetings prior to the show to allow participants to practice their calls and skits, as well as to get to know each other.

“They get a comfort level, especially from talking to the kids who’ve been in the show before,” Jarvis said. “It becomes a really close knit group, not cliquey, but people are just drawn together because they really get what the show is all about.”

Students can still sign up to participate in the contest, which is set to take place on April 4. Contact Brown at kbrown@piedmont.k12.ca.us or Jarvis at ljarvis@piedmont.k12.ca.us for more information.