| |
|
|
 |
|
April 24 - May 3, 2009 |
|
Good Times! |
|
 |
|
x |
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Can I bird in my usual spots and participate?
A: If your usual spots are an existing birding trail site, WMA, or NWR, yes. The objective of the BBBT is to develop checklists for these locations.
There is definitely a location near you with so many to choose from across the state.
Q: I want to
participate, but would prefer to participate with other birders. Is
there someone I can bird with? How do I find them?
A: There are probably people in your
region that will be participating. There are a couple of ways to find
them. Perhaps the best way to find someone to bird with is to contact
your local bird club. There is a list on the
Louisiana Ornithological Society website.
Another option is to send a post to the
LABIRD list-serv requesting birding
companions.
LABIRD instructions
Q: My location isn’t in the Hotspots? What Should I do?
A: First, check to see if the
location is listed under a different name. Perhaps there are two names
for the same place. You can use eBird’s Google Maps function to map all
the hotspots in a given area to see the hotspots in the area of
interest. Most of the sites have been entered. If it’s not there, you
are the first person to enter a checklist for the site; and those are
the good times I’m talking about. Enter it as a new location and call it
a hotspot.
Q: Do I really need to count the birds?
A: You have the option of putting an
“X” instead of numbers for species observed, but this data has far less
value than relative abundance data. If you don’t have the expertise to
identify distant soaring raptors and nocturnal chip note, you’re not
alone. This doesn’t mean you can’t contribute. There is a question at
the beginning of every checklist entry regarding effort: were all
species observed identified and recorded?
Getting relative abundance data for most of the birds in the area and
declaring that not all birds were identified is better than the dreaded
“X”. For an essay on counting birds
check out this article at eBird.org.
Q: Can I volunteer for the Bayou Birding Bon Temps?
A: Yes you can. Contact the Louisiana Bird Resource Center
and we’ll find a way to match your interests with the BBBT.
Were these questions really asked frequently? No, not really, but we’ll
never know because they’ve already been answered. Send me some real
questions and I’ll add them … even if they aren’t asked several times.
Q: Where’s the conservation?
A: Nice of you to ask. For now,
we’re keeping the BBBT as simple as possible. We don’t have big monetary
sponsors, an endowment, or grant funds to manage a grants program so we
are focusing on the basics first and will expand as we can. However,
individuals or teams can organize a birdathon type of fundraiser based
on their BBBT participation. That’s precisely what the
World Series of Birding does and teams participating in
the World Series of Birding have raised millions for programs and
conservation efforts. Hopefully this is something we can help promote in
years to come.
Q:
What’s lagniappe?
A: The word lagniappe entered Louisiana via the Spanish. They picked it up
in Quechua markets of the Andes offering a little extra as a yapa. The
Spanish changed it to la ñapa and it finally settled as lagniappe, a
little something extra.
Q:
I really like the BBBT. Can I make a donation to help support the event?
A: Absolutely! Contact Richard Gibbons at the Louisiana Bird Resource
Center for donation options.
Q:
Would we get extra points for a creative team name?
A: Creativity points, yes.
Q:
Are there giant trophies with a gold swooping Bald Eagle on top for all
the winners?
A: No, but we have t-shirts thanks to the Lt. Governor’s Tourism office.
Maybe we’ll find a way to work in a bald cypress knee if there is
interest in a boasting object.
|
|
|
|
|
|
