Please join us in congratulating Melissa Laurino of Villas, New Jersey—winner of the November 2023 eBird Challenge, sponsored by ZEISS. Melissa’s name was drawn randomly from the 4031 eBirders who submitted 20 eligible shared checklists during November. Melissa will receive a new ZEISS SFL 8×40 binocular for her eBirding efforts. Thank you to everyone who participated in the November eBirder Challenge, we are grateful for your support and continued dedication to data collection and conservation. Here’s Melissa’s birding story:
Thank you for the honor of winning November 2023’s eBirder of the month!
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I currently serve as the Research Director with
Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center in Cape May, New Jersey. I curate our marine mammal photo-identification catalogs and oversee our undergraduate and graduate research internship program with our non profit, Cape May Marine Mammal Research Center. We use eBird to collect data and document sightings with Tom Reed from the
Cape May Bird Observatory and other excellent leaders on our pelagic trips.
Pelagic trips, ranging anywhere from 6, 12, or 24 hours long, are an excellent opportunity to explore, learn, and document diverse species of birds and marine mammals – including rarities like the
Bermuda Petrel! The endangered
Bermuda Petrel observed on a 24hr pelagic was the first state record for New Jersey.
In addition to pelagics, we have been lucky to document a few rarities close to shore too! While photo-identifying individual Bottlenose dolphins outside the Cape May inlet, we came across
New Jersey’s first photographed record of a
Masked Booby! Every trip is different when you are traveling in nature, you never know what you may see! The best thing about finding the Masked Booby was being able to share the experience with so many great friends made along the way. This unexpected encounter highlights the exciting unpredictability and biodiversity of our local waters.
I value the opportunity to research, educate and promote the conservation of local wildlife with Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. As we continue to explore and learn, I am excited to see the potential impact our efforts may have on future conservation.
