This November’s eBirder of the Month challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, highlights the value of splitting your day of birding into multiple lists. If you go out birding for a morning or the whole day, you’ll probably be visiting several different spots. If you keep a list for each distinct place you visit, it makes a big difference in how your sightings can be valuable for fellow birders, researchers, and for your own memories in the future! The eBirder of the Month will be drawn from eBirders who submit 3 or more eligible checklists in a single day in November. Each day that you submit 3 eligible checklists gives you one chance to win. Winners will be notified by the 10th of the following month.
We commonly get questions about when to stop a checklist and start a new one. A good rule of thumb if you’re driving between birding locations is to start your checklist when you get out of the car and stop the list when you get back in. Even if you’re just stopping at each place for a few minutes, these shorter lists are incredible valuable! In general, the more precise the list (shorter distance and duration), the more valuable the information. You can learn more about best practices and how to make your eBirding easier through our eBird Essentials course.
Each month we will feature a new eBird challenge and a set of selection criteria. The monthly winners will each receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular. Don’t forget about the 2019 Checklist-a-day Challenge. Can you submit 365 eligible checklists this year?
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics is a proven leader in sports optics and is the official optics sponsor for eBird. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and support the vital scientific data being collected by dedicated eBirders.” – Richard Moncrief, Birding and Nature Observation Segment Manager at Carl Zeiss SBE