This past January we at COA decided to do something a little differently. Instead of a normal Big January (just what is normal these days?) where birders take to the field to try and see the most bird species they can during the month of January, we decided to promote a competition to help the CT Bird Atlas project. We asked birders to focus on the late winter period under-surveyed atlas blocks and to perform 1-hour surveys in these needy blocks. We also provided prizes to winning participants thanks to the generosity of a very generous anonymous donor, COA, and Min Huang of CT DEEP.
29 birders submitted surveys under the rules of the competition. These selfless individuals combined for 472 one-hour surveys. That is the equivalent of over 47 blocks being taken from 0% complete for late winter to 100% complete! Of course, the hours were spread over many blocks and as a result the late winter atlas map now has many more blocks with substantial survey data. I simply must take this opportunity on behalf of myself, COA, and the whole Atlas Team to thank everyone who participated. Your efforts are very deeply appreciated. And to those who performed surveys in blocks that weren’t eligible for the competition, our deepest thanks as well. This project is citizen science at its finest, and it wouldn’t be happening without all of you!
Now, the winners! The competition set the following guidelines to award prizes:
- First place would be the volunteer who performed the most surveys.
- Second place would be the volunteer who performed the second most surveys.
- The young birder who performed the most surveys would be the third guaranteed prize winner.
- Finally, four participants who performed a minimum of five one-hour surveys would be picked by random for the final three awards.
And they are:
- Chris Howe, First Place (Diamondback 8×42 binoculars by Vortex and a copy of the new book All the Birds of the World by Lynx Press.)
- Shelley Harms, Second Place (a copy of All the Birds of the World)
- Eli Holton, Young Birder (a copy of All the Birds of the World” and a signed print of the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art by winner Julia Phillips)
- Marianne Loomis, by random draw (a copy of All the Birds of the World)
- Frank Mantlik, by random draw (a copy of All the Birds of the World)
- Larry Lunden, by random draw (A signed print of the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art by winner Julia Phillips)
- Jim Sherwonit, by random draw (A signed print of the 2021 Connecticut Junior Duck Stamp Art by winner Julia Phillips). Jim has generously offered to have the print awarded to another participant and we are in the process of contacting another individual randomly chosen.
Congratulations to all the winners! I will be shortly posting a list of all participants. Thank you everyone.
Dave Provencher
CT Bird Atlas Team Member
Southeast Region Coordinator
Member COA Board of Directors