Please join us in congratulating Chris Morrison of Nova Scotia, Canada – winner of the July 2021 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Chris’s name was drawn randomly from the 6,260 eBirders who submitted at least 31 eligible checklists in July. Chris will receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular for his eBirding efforts. Here’s Chris’s birding story:
My lifelong interest in birds has had three watershed moments. The first was around 1965 when I was given a Brooke Bond Tea, Songbirds of North America trading card book. I loved collecting the cards but it paled in comparison to identifying and matching birds in the wild with the ones in the book. Throughout my life I can vividly remember the thrill of seeing many birds for the first time. It began with a White-breasted Nuthatch about 55 years ago and to this day I can still experience the same kind of excitement seeing a new bird.
Red-winged Blackbird © Chris Morrison / Macaulay Library
The second landmark was in the spring of 2013. While walking the dog on a familiar trail, the cacophony of agitated crows led me to a rare sight for our area. It was a Turkey Vulture and I managed to get surprisingly close to the bird. The best I could do to capture the moment was take some photos with my iPhone. Needless to say the result didn’t provide much of an impression of the rare sighting. The incident inspired me to research and purchase a camera with a reasonable zoom for photographing birds. I was amazed by the quality of the images which rekindled my passion and interest and led to hundreds of hours of birding and literally tens of thousands of photographs.
White-throated Sparrow © Chris Morrison / Macaulay Library
In 2020 I participated in eBird’s Global Big Day and decided to do it again this year. I was aware of eBird and had submitted lists and images in the past but wasn’t particularly engaged. I noticed on the dashboard that I had managed a checklist streak of 12 days or so. Well, I could probably do better than that if I put my head to it. I also decided to put some effort into using eBird’s Mobile app. And that created the third watershed moment. I’m currently on a 90 day streak and have created 227 checklists this year. The app makes it incredibly easy to create lists and eBird’s web interface does a great job of managing and making data and media easily accessible. And then there are the powerhouse resources available with Merlin, and All About Birds!
My birding has never been more focused or fulfilling. It’s fun, relaxing and there’s a subtle and motivating element of challenge. On top of the personal pleasure, I’ve also become fully engaged and aware of the unbelievable work that eBird and The Cornell Lab of Ornithology do. I am so grateful for the programs, tools and support they offer, and the difference and positive impact they are achieving. I’m proud to be contributing to citizen science and feel fortunate to be a part of eBird’s worldwide team and conservation efforts. Thank you to everyone involved.
I would also really like to thank Zeiss Sports Optics for their support of The Cornell Lab or Ornithology – AND – for my new Conquest HD binocular!!