Fourteen groups of students vied for top honors at the sold-out 55th Annual Bird Calling Contest held in the Alan Harvey Theater on Friday, March 29. The contest, one of the high school’s most cherished traditions, features an evening of lighthearted, silly skits that combine scientific facts about birds with their signature calls. The event’s claim to fame was that contest winners were once invited on the Johnny Carson and David Letterman shows, a tradition that fell by the wayside in 2019 when Letterman retired. A combination of circumstances — the end of its national showcase, declining student interest, theater renovations, and COVID — led to its temporary demise before being re-introduced in 2023.
This year the judges awarded the top spot to the Ruddy Duck performers — Carmen Gaylord (’26), Charlotte Mascola (’24), Cat Pasion (’24), and Clio Salzer (’24). Mascola and Salzer won in 2023 for Thick-Billed Raven.
The Canada Goose Fight team (Theodore Ferguson ’26 and Chaz Amit-Guite ’26) gained a second place win. Three of Beth Black’s PHS English classes participated in the contest — her 4th period Junior English Honors was recognized in third place for their performance of a Ross Goose.
Canada Goose by Theodore Ferguson (’26) and Chaz Amit-Guite (’26) 
Beth Black’s 4th period Junior Honors English class chose the Ross Goose
The judges panel consisted of PHS alums and past bird callers Yossi Fendl (class of ’91, four-time bird caller and 1991 winner with the Least Bittern), Auban Willats (PHS math teacher and PHS alumna and past bird calling participant) and celebrity judge Alex Hirsch (creator of the TV program Gravity Falls and the 2002 contest winner with Little Blue Heron).
Other groups included a Monty Python-esque tribute to the Cliff and Tree Swallows, a skit about UC Berkeley’s famous Peregrine Falcons, two different takes on Cooper’s Hawks, plus renditions of the Montezuma Quail, Common Loon, Zenaida Dove, Bonaparte’s Gull, Clark’s Nutcracker, Blakiston’s Fish Owl, and finally, the famous Eurasian Eagle Owl Flaco.
Peregrine Falcon skit by Beth Black’s first period Junior English Honors Class 
Cooper’s Hawk by Payton Cole (’25), Aliana Tang (’25), Junlin Jiang (’25) Canada Goose by Theodore Ferguson (’26) and Chaz Amit-Guite (’26)
PHS senior Daniel Banin served as the master of ceremonies and the PHS Troubadors provided the musical interlude while the judges conferred. PHS senior Kira Pan designed this year’s poster. Banin thanked PHS librarian and event organizer Kathryn Levenson for producing the show — her last, as she retires this year. The event concluded, as usual, with the Great Squawk — past bird caller alums in the audience are invited to join in for a final cacophonous call.
Isabelle Myers ’26 and Camille Snyder ’26 
Cooper’s Hawk: Owen Hebert ’24, Valentina Prieto-Black ’24, Ellie Broscow ’24 
Montezuma Quail: Oliver Amen ’24, Grant Schaefer ’24, Ben Ferguson ’24, Ben Perez ’24 
Bonaparte’s Gull: Austen Beck ’24, Oliver Greenebaum ’25, Aiden Woolwine ’24 
Common Loon: Andre Bowers ’24, Dorian Poole ’24 
Eurasian Eagle Owl ‘Flaco’: Beth Black’s 6th period Junior English class 
Clark’s Nutcracker: Adelina Mbise ’26, Charlotte Silver ’26 
Zenaida Dove: Lauren Ashton ’24, Sophie Nicoll ’24, Ava Grochowski ’24, Camille Snyder ’24 
Marlowe Nelson (’24) and Will Kennedy (’24) perform as Blakiston’s Fish Owl 
Senior Kira Pan acknowledged for her program design artwork
