FAQ

FAQ

  1. Can I bird in my usual spots and participate?
  2. I want to participate, but would prefer to participate with other birders. Is there someone I can bird with? How do I find them?
  3. My location isn't in the Hotspots. What should I do?
  4. Do I really need to count the birds?
  5. Can I volunteer for the Bayou Birding Bon Temps?
  6. Were these questions really frequently asked?
  7. Where's the conservation?
  8. What's lagniappe?
  9. I really like the BBBT. Can I make a donation to help support the event?
  10. Would we get extra points for a creative team name?

 

Q1: Can I bird in my usual spots and participate? 

  • 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.

Q2: I want to participate, but would prefer to participate with other birders. Is there someone I can bird with? How do I find them?

  • 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.

Q3: My location isn’t in the Hotspots? What Should I do?

  • 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.

Q4: Do I really need to count the birds?

  • 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”. 

Q5: Can I volunteer for the Bayou Birding Bon Temps?

  • Yes you can. Contact the Louisiana Bird Resource Center and we’ll find a way to match your interests with the BBBT.

Q6: 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.

Q7: Where’s the conservation?

  • 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.

Q8: What’s lagniappe?

  • 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.

Q9: I really like the BBBT. Can I make a donation to help support the event?

  • Absolutely! Contact Matt Brady at the Louisiana Bird Resource Center for donation options.

Q10: Would we get extra points for a creative team name?

  • Creativity points, yes.

 

** Header Image is White Ibis by Brogan Fairchild **