Big Birding Day 2008 – Form or Join a Team!
May 10 is Big Birding Day, when you and your team try to list as many bird species as you can in a county of your choice in the Madison Audubon service area, including Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Iowa, Jefferson, Richland and Sauk counties! See the links at the bottom of the page to download registration forms, pledge sheets and BBD rules.
Before the event, don’t forget to sign up as many people as you can to make a pledge for each species your team lists. This can be as little 5˘, or as much as your donors agree to give, so be creative! All proceeds benefit the Madison Audubon Society, and the more pledges you earn, the more we can put into Madison Audubon’s important conservation work. Please note that getting pledges is voluntary.
Remember, BBD may start for you as early as 4:00 AM, before the owls and whip-poor-wills go to bed, but no earlier. Or you can start later for a more leisurely day, but everyone quits at 6:00 PM to gather by 7:00 PM for a banquet at the Imperial Garden West on the corner of Allen Boulevard and University Avenue in Middleton. There we celebrate the day and give some nice prizes to those who saw the most birds and raised the largest sum in pledges. (Please note: quitting and gathering times were incorrectly given in the April CAWS as 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM, respectively)
Remember too, you don’t have to be an experienced birder to participate – just be sure to bring your binoculars, interest and curiosity – you’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn in one day! If you can’t participate during the day, join the group for dinner, as some folks do every year.
All fees and rules are listed on the forms that you can download below. For more information, or if you have questions, contact volunteer BBD coordinators Chuck Heikkinen and Delia Unson at 608-274-4043 or 608-206-0324, leave a message if they are not available, or send them an email at deliachuck@gmail.com. You may also call the MAS office at 608-255-2473. All fees and registrations must be in by May 3, one week before the event. See you out there on May 10!
