I've received a few questions since we announced the Sapsucker Woods Big Birding Year Competition in our newsletter and at the Monday Night Seminars this Fall. Here is the background and details--prize information and how-to are at the bottom...
BACKGROUND The last 55 years of bird watching in Sapsucker Woods have seen over 200 species reported: from wayward Little Blue Herons to breeding Virginia Rails, midwinter Gyrfalcons to migrating Short-billed Dowitchers. The one thing that has tied all of these observations together is that most of theses species were reported by citizen scientists and bird watchers enjoying a walk in the woods, then reported to scientists and peers at the Cornell Lab, shared at a Cayuga Bird Club meeting, or posted to a listserv. In the past, these observations were scribbled onto sheets of paper and filed away, only seeing the light of day when some highly motivated person found the energy and time to dig up the records. But what if every observation you made was available to scientists and other birders in real-time? That’s exactly what entering your birding checklists into eBird—an online checklist program developed here at the Cornell Lab—does. In an effort to increase both our knowledge of Sapsucker Woods and participation in eBird we’re launching the first ever Sapsucker Woods Big Birding Year: a friendly competition to use the observational powers of our friends and members (YOU!) to help us catalogue the avian inhabitants of Sapsucker Woods using eBird. It’s a simple yet powerful idea: when you go birding in Sapsucker Woods, keep track of all of the birds you see or hear as well as a couple of details like the amount of time you went birding and the time of day. Then, when you have the opportunity, enter your observations into eBird using a computer. eBird will automatically keep track of your observations and allow us to keep tabs on who’s leading the field. Sapsucker Woods is already the most-birded hotspot in New York, with nearly 5,000 checklists entered by 380 unique users, and we’re ranked 4th nationally! During this upcoming year we would love to see those numbers double, and your bird watching plays an important role in helping us understand the comings and goings of the birds in Sapsucker Woods. We’ve even lined up a number of great prizes to help motivate you to come bird here as often as you can. Good luck and good birding! PRIZES Three categories: 1. Most species reported 2. Most checklists submitted 3. Most time spent birding. Each category winner will win a Redfield Rampage 60mm spotting scope with a 20–60x zoom, donated by Leupold, and an MP3 collection of 35 common bird songs of Sapsucker Woods from Macaulay Library. Other prizes include a copy of the new Bird Songs Bible for the person who reports the most species; a Cornell Lab mug and hat for the person who submits the most checklists; and a copy of _The Bird Watching Answer Book_ by Laura Erickson for the person who reports the most time birding in Sapsucker Woods. eBird INSTRUCTIONS To be eligible for prizes in the Sapsucker Woods Big Birding Year, you must enter your observations into eBird. Here’s how: 1. Sign up for a free account at eBird.org 2. When entering your observations, choose the “Sapsucker Woods” Hotspot as your location. 3. Make sure to enter the amount of time that you were birding, as well as all of the species you were able to identify. 4. Check back later this year to see who’s leading the competition! The competition runs from 30 September 2010-30 September 2011--good luck & good birding! charles. ****************************************** Charles Eldermire Public Education Outreach Associate Manager, Sapsucker Woods & Johnson Visitors' Center Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-1131 (607) 254-2111 [fax] birds.cornell.edu/visit twitter.com/sapsuckerwoods facebook.com/sapsuckerwoods -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
