Don’t expect any fast balls, but the “World Series” of birding is taking place in New Jersey on Saturday, 9 May. Birding big day events can turn what is normally a relaxing hobby into a nail-biting race to see as many species as possible in an alloted time. Rules differ between events, but contestants (typically teams of 3 – 4 people) usually have from midnight to tear around the countryside to try and hear or see more species than competing teams in 24 hours. It’s interesting to read that contestants in the New Jersey bird race who are issued with a traffic speeding fine during the event are disqualified!

This from Philly.com:

 

It’s the World Series of Birding, a New Jersey Audubon Society event that’s become the pre-eminent bird-watching event in the country, raising more than $9 million in conservation funding in its 25-year history in the Garden State. Beginning at midnight next Saturday, contestants will spend 24 hours looking and listening for as many different species of birds as possible from High Point to Cape May Point. Contestants range from kids out to have fun with their parents to more than 100 teams comprised of fully sponsored ornithologists (they study birds) or part-time bird fanatics who claim they’re just out to have fun and help preserve bird habitat in the nation’s most densely populated state. Fundraising aside, most of these teams unfurl their talons when it comes to the World Series. The top teams have scouts out right now, scouring all corners of the state with high-powered binoculars for rare and common birds. That’s right, they are scouting for the entire week. [more here]

 

Even wiki has an opinion about big day events:

Birding as a competitive event is organized in some parts of the world. These are found to be more exciting by some. These competitions encourage individuals or teams to accumulate large numbers of species within a specified time or area with special rules. Some birders will also compete by attempting to increase their life list, national list, state list, provincial list, county list, or year list. [more here]

Big day events aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but one can’t question the value that is derived from the funds raised. The New Jersey Audubon Society seem to be onto a good thing; USD 9 million raised to date, not bad!