Please join us in congratulating Suzie Poulin of Quebec, Canada – winner of the April 2022 eBird Challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. Suzie’s name was drawn randomly from the 3,603 eBirders who submitted at least 20 eligible checklists from a single location in April. Suzie will receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular for her eBirding efforts. Here’s Suzie’s birding story:
My real interest for birds began at early twenties, when I bought my first identification guide (Peterson). Now this book is full of annotations and pages are shriveled up. My studies were not in Ornithology but in Chemistry, very far from birds, but I always liked to be in nature to watch birds. After traveling in Africa where we observed such colourful birds my interest has grown more.
Blue Jay © Suzie Poulin
Around five years ago I discovered in Québec oiseaux, a review for birders, that a new application eBird was very interesting, so I installed it on my cell phone and I fell in love with it. Afterwards I also realized that eBird is not only a birding application but a site coming from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, plenty of very useful information about birds.
So now walking around or looking outside from our country home or from town home, I’m always trying to identify the bird which is moving or singing close to me. I participated many times in Global Big Day, Project Feederwatch and the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. I can say that watching birds is one of my principal hobbies. During the pandemic period I have followed many zoom courses and taken the habit to watch birds in my courtyard every morning drinking my coffee. And this was the way I got the chance to win binoculars.
Northern Cardinal © Suzie Poulin
I did research all my working life and I’m so proud to participate a slightest bit at the huge work done by the Cornell Lab to expand this platform. Many thanks to the Cornell Lab team for all this work. I also want to thank Carl Zeiss Sports Optics for sponsoring the monthly challenges. I’m so impatient to try the new binoculars. And many thanks at all of you who participate to help birds.