Kick Off Your 2021 Birding with a Yard Bird Count Competition
To launch a new year of birding fun, Thorn Creek Audubon is inviting birders to participate in a friendly yard bird count competition on Jan 2 & 3.
Usually our first birding event of the year is the Christmas Bird Count, an Audubon project TCAS has supported for 50 years. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we have reluctantly canceled our CBC, which involves teams traveling all day throughout our count area. So, we decided to organize a stay safe at home birding event, the 2021 TCAS Yard Bird Count Competition.
Interested? Here's how to participate…
1. Download the tally sheet and the details. Use whichever file you prefer.
Tally sheet & details - Download PDF
Tally sheet & details - Download Word file
2. Keep track of the birds you see from your yard on Saturday, Jan. 2 OR Sunday, Jan 3.
3. Email your results by January 5
The Rules…
• Tally your birds on one day only - either Saturday, Jan. 2, or Sunday, Jan. 3.
• You need to be in your yard, but a bird doesn't. Peer over your neighbor's fence or look for fly-bys.
• If you live in an apartment, the entire apartment complex counts as "your" yard.
• You can enlist anyone in your household to help.
Yes, there's a prize: Along with the opportunity to snag category bragging rights, the person recording the most species can choose an Audubon Singing Bird Clock, an Audubon board game, or an Audubon jigsaw puzzle.
Grand winner and prize recipient: Most species seen
Bragging rights categories:
• Highest number of a single species seen - the only day you'll be glad 57 starlings descend on your feeders
• Most total birds seen
• Most owls seen or heard
• Most new yard birds
• Most species seen from yards in Cook, Will, and Lake (Ind.) counties
The results: We'll announce the tally details and the winners in our email news and on the TCAS website.
Photos welcome: When you submit your results, send a photo or two of fun yard birds you saw on Jan 2. or Jan 3 for inclusion with the competition recap.
Any questions? Email us at thorncreekaudubon@gmail.com
November 30, 2020
