Hillsborough

NH Audubon’s “Twitchers” will be taking part in this year’s Superbowl of Birding on January 27, 2024. The Superbowl is a competition that takes place in January – but this Superbowl has nothing to do with football. It involves looking for as many bird species as possible in 12 hours and is run by Massachusetts Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center. Teams can compete in Essex County, MA and/or Rockingham County, NH in various categories.

After a break in 2023 when team captain Becky Suomala was away, the Twitchers will be back in New Hampshire competing for the Townie Award (the most species in one town). As “The Twitchers out of the Rye,” they are not planning on competing in Rye where the “Twitchers” first started in 2009, but their strategy is still under development. “We’re considering Seabrook, but we want to see what rarities are still around before we decide,” said captain Becky Suomala.

Rare species are worth more points than common ones. “They can really boost your score,” said Suomala. Teams are required to call in and report “five-pointers” so that sightings can be shared with other teams. The first team to call in a five-point species gets bonus points.

The Twitchers also raise money to support NH Audubon and the New Hampshire Bird Records and NHeBird programs. “We are especially grateful for pledges when we’re out at 5:00 am in the dark and cold listening for owls!” said Suomala. Pledge on-line at https://nhbirdrecords.org/twitchers (and read the results from previous years) or contact Becky Suomala at rsuomala@nhaudubon.org.

If you see a car with four people, peering with binoculars at a bird feeder, don’t be alarmed. They are the Twitchers or another team of birders taking part in this annual birding competition.