Why not decide to do a Big Year in your county of residence, or one nearby?
Many of us love to travel to see unusual and rare birds like the Western Tanager and it's great fun.
But if you consider a Big Year in your county, you very quickly need to figure out where you might find various species that are easily seen at Scarborough Marsh or other major bird sites. Think about Stilt Sandpiper, it's annual in numbers at Scarborough but much more challenging to see further east and inland, but not impossible. Planning a county Big Year will force you to think more about your local habitats and you're likely to find interesting spots that you'd previously ignored. Instead of driving a fair distance to Evergreen Cemetery for spring migrants, burning fossil fuels, where would I go in Sagadahoc County? Stilt Sandpiper is tough to see in Sag Co but if I devoted more thought and time, I'm pretty sure I could find some.
It's a way to drive shorter distances and to discover local treasures. And most of the discoveries would be yours, not simply going to a known spot where others have reported Stilt Sandpipers or whatever.
Hope some of you will try it.
Happy New Year and may many exciting birds lurk in your local patches.
Best, Peter
Begin forwarded message:
From: Rich MacDonald <rich@thenaturalhistorycenter.com>Subject: Hancock County Big Year!Date: January 3, 2015 at 11:49:24 AM ESTTo: Rich MacDonald <rich@thenaturalhistorycenter.com>Happy New Year, one and all!
In order to encourage people to post their sightings to eBird, The Natural History Center is issuing a 2015 Big Year challenge: a year-long Big Year competition in Hancock County, Maine. At the end of the year, the birder reporting the most species will win a field guide of their choice from The Natural History Center.
To participate, all data must be entered into eBird. All birds observed in Hancock County, Maine, between 01 January 2015 and 31 December 2015 count toward the final tally. You can bird solo, with friends, or with groups. If you find a truly good bird, please post it to the Facebook page of The Natural History Center so others know about it. And feel free to share this with anyone you think may be interested.
Happy birding!Richard MacDonaldThe Natural History Center6 Firefly LaneP.O. Box 6Bar Harbor, Maine 04609207/801-2617 (store)207/266-9461 (mobile)
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