Adrien Mauss, seawatching on Kerguelen Island
Please join us in congratulating Adrien Mauss of Mulhouse, France, winner of the August 2015 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optic. Our August winner was drawn from among those who submitted at least 31 complete checklists in August. Adrien’s name was drawn randomly from the 1,878 eBirders who achieved the August challenge threshold. Adrien will receive new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binoculars for his eBirding efforts. We asked Adrien to tell us a little more about himself, his use of eBird, and his love of birds – read on for more!
My name is Adrien Mauss and I’m a French user of eBird. I’ve been watching birds since I was a child. I like most the migration seasons, when numbers of birds are moving and when birding is so great with high diversity of species and many surprises.
I first used eBird during a short stay in the USA in 2007. At that time, there were no equivalent in France and I had been really delighted by it. First because I can use it as a personal database to keep track of my records, secondly for the power of exploring data, by making charts or maps.
I’ve waited a little more to use eBird again when it became worldwide. Then I used it to prepare my bird trips abroad, and next to submit my own data. Now I use it for regular birding in France where I live through the eBird app for iPod, after been a BirdLog user. It allows me to make mostly completed checklists, as it is easier to me than on paper. But I make eBird checklists more to have interesting charts than to win challenges!
Since last year, I’m also an eBird reviewer for northern France where I usually look for birds. And it seems this month is my lucky one as my friends and I also found an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, a breeding bird of Eastern Europe, but a very rare vagrant in France. Autumn is so great!
[Team eBird note: Adrien’s image above was taken as he saw the birds on this eBird checklist—most birds on here are not ones you see every day!]