We are shooting for 150 species this year, a lofty goal but we are hoping that our familiarity with the region will give us the edge we need to find lots of birds. The competition starts at 7:00pm on Friday May 3, an early date which may decrease the number of warblers moving through and cause us to miss later migrants such as thrushes and flycatchers. We will pick up as many species as we can before it gets dark and then go for owls, rails and bitterns. Depending on our luck with owls we might head out early in the morning to try again before heading to hotspots like Scotia and Lower Trail for warblers and other migrants. We will put in some good miles through Centre and Huntingdon Counties rounding everything up before heading back to Shaver’s Creek by 7:30pm on Saturday evening to submit our totals and see what others managed to find.
We will be counting on the weather to be excellent for migration, hopefully some light to moderate south winds and no precipitation. The best case scenario would be to see excellent migration condtions from the Gulf Coast north, bringing lots of new migrants through the area.
Contributions may be made as outright gifts to support The Birding Cup, or donations can be made “per bird species.” In other words, you may pledge a given amount for each bird identified, so that a $0.10 per bird pledge would equal $15 if we reach our goal. You can make secure, online donations at http://bit.ly/2012BirdingCupDonations. Make sure you note Nemesis Birders in the “Additional Information” box at the bottom of the donation page. For each $50 we raise, we will get a ticket for a Nikon binocular raffle! Contact Drew at drewweber@gmail.com if you are interested in sponsoring us by species.
Our Sponsors
Update: We currently have raised $1.50 per bird species we see. Help us boost this number! email drewweber@gmail.com for more info. Thanks!