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Big Year Categories
Here are the Big Year
categories. You can join just one, or you can join them all.
COMPETITIVE:
Individual Big Year [Details]
This is the traditional Big Year contest. How many species can you see in
a year in DuPage County.
Team Big Year [Details]
Form a team of no more than four or five individuals. Keep track of the
number of species seen by ALL the members of the team and a combined total
(species seen by only part of the team). Family/Spousal permission is
recommended.
Field Trip Big Year [Details]
Don’t get out birding often? Sightings for this category are limited only
to DuPage Birding Club field trips, so people who can bird every day of
the week won’t have as much of an edge in this category. This will, of
course, put extra pressure on the field trip leaders to deliver on all
those “promised” birds.
NON-COMPETITIVE (and less competitive):
Individual Non-Competitive Big Year * [Details]
This is a twist on the traditional Big Year contest. How many more species
can you see in DuPage County this year? Set a personal goal to see a
certain number of species. We’ll include your current total and your goal.
We want everyone to keep track of how many species they see in a year. It
encourages you to get out more, discover new birds, and enjoy birding. If
you are disgusted by those listers with totals of over 200 species in a
year, this category is for you. We reserve the right to bump over anyone
who better fits the competitive category.
Bird By Numbers * [Details]
Join this category and you will receive a booklet of DuPage County birds.
Each page in the book contains a certain number of species. The first page
starts out easy and things get progressively harder as you go along. Try
to complete just page one (the 50 most common species) or try to get all
the way to page six (200 species). How many pages can you complete? Set
your own pace and your own goal.
Site Big Year [Details]
Do you have only one or two particular spots where you like to go birding?
Keep a list and see how many species you can find there in a year. You’ll
probably find a few new birds that no one knew where there. Your data can
even help conserve important nesting areas at your favorite site.
Yard Big Year [Details]
This is a category that is a personal favorite of mine. See how many
species actually show up in your backyard in a year. You will likely be
surprised! Since each yard is different in size and habitat, there’s no
need to worry about those yards that are “better” than yours (unless
you’re trying to compete). Just keep track in your yard, and be surprised!
Birds can be seen in your yard, across the street, or flying over. As long
as you see it while in your yard, it counts (no using Hubble Space
Telescopes that can view to the Everglades please!).
Member Big Year [Details]
This is a fun category for the social crowd. See how many members of the
DuPage Birding Club you can talk to in a year. You’ll get one point for
phone conversations and two points for face-to-face contact (please don’t
stalk the club members, some flush up easily when disturbed and we all
want equal opportunities to talk to them).
Most Lifers [Details]
Beginners may find this category appealing. See how many lifers you can
find in a year in DuPage County. Go look for some of those birds reported
on the DuPage Hotline, or ask other club members about where to find a
species that you’ve always wanted to see.
Most Sites Visited * [Details]
See how many DuPage Forest Preserve sites you can visit in a year. Sites
co-owned by the DuPage Forest Preserve and local park districts count.
Tri-County State Park also counts for this competition. A “visit” means
that you went bird-watching within the site. For all those wise guys out
there, just eating lunch there doesn’t count! Actually get out of the car
and take a walk or ride. Birders of all levels have equal potential to win
in these categories.
Most New Sites Visited * [Details]
See how many new DuPage Forest Preserve sites you can visit during the
year. Let’s get out and explore the many preserves that our county has to
offer. Take pictures of new places and share your highlights with us.
Club Big Year * [Details]
This is the easiest contest of all. We need Everyone’s help! We’re going
to see how many species we can collectively get in DuPage County as one
big team. We’ll post a list of birds still needed and work away at it. If
you see a species that is still on the list, just let us know. The only
requirement is that if it is a rare bird, two people need to see the bird
for it to count. If you see a rare bird when you’re alone, you can still
help by reporting it to the DuPage Hotline right away so that others can
go try to relocate it. This category is open to everyone. There’s no need
to sign-up or even be a member of the DuPage Birding Club. (Consult the
DuPage Checklist to see which birds are rare. If you are uncertain, just
report it to the DuPage Hotline.)
Category Details
(read them now, or
reference them later)
Individual Big Year
This is the traditional Big Year contest.
How many species can you see in a year in DuPage County.
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The total should be your
personal total for the year. By the way, individual doesn’t mean you
have to be birding by yourself.
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This category is
open to all birders: competitive and non-competitive.
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Team Big
Year
Form a team of no more than
four or five individuals. Keep track of the number of species seen by ALL
the members of the team and a combined total (species seen by only part of
the team).
Keep two totals – Team Total and Collective Total
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The team shall consist of
between two and five participants.
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A team member may drop due
to extreme hardship (eg. change in job schedule, spouse threatening to
divorce if you don’t stop birding so much, ect.).
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TEAM TOTAL: Each species
seen, must be seen by all team members, but they don’t have to all see
it at the same time, or even all see the same individual bird. As long
as all members have seen the species during the course of the year, it
counts towards the team total.
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COLLECTIVE TOTAL: The
collective total is a combined list of all the members’ individual
sightings (includes sightings missed by one/some member(s) of the
group).
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Field
Trip Big Year
Keep track of how many species
you see while on DuPage Birding Club field trips in DuPage or afar.
A great category for the weekend-only birder - since most trips are on
weekends.
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Any birds seen while on a
DuPage Birding Club Field Trip count
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Birds do not have to be seen
in DuPage County
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Birds seen after the trip is
“officially over” don’t count
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Birds seen while driving
between sites only count if you are carpooling WITH the group (no taking
your own “short-cuts” that go past birdy areas).
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Individual Non-Competitive Big Year *
How many more species can you
see in DuPage County this year? Set a personal goal to see a certain
number of species. We’ll include your current total and your goal.
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The total should be your
personal total for the year. By the way, individual doesn’t mean you
have to be birding by yourself.
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This category is for
non-competitive birders only
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Birders who see more than
175 or 200 species in a year should enroll in the competitive Individual
Big Year – you don’t have to compete with others though.
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Bird
By Numbers *
Join this category and you
will work through a booklet of DuPage County birds. Each page in the book
contains a certain number of species. Things get progressively
harder as you go along. Try to complete just page one (the 50 most common
species) or try to get all the way to page six (200 species). Set your own
pace and your own goal.
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All birds on the page must
been seen to “complete” the page.
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“Half pages” will also be
recorded – A half page is defined as 50% of the species on the page
rounded down to the nearest whole number (eg. 7 out of 15 on a page with
15 species).
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The Big Year Committee
reserves the right to remove a bird from the page (and help everyone
out) if a bird is deemed as being unusually absent from the county or if
it is far too difficult to find in relation to the other birds on the
page.
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Anyone who manages to
complete all ten pages will receive the title “insane birder”.
GET
THE BOOKLET |
STANDINGS
Site Big
Year
Keep a list and see how many
species you can find at a single site in a year. You’ll probably find a
few new birds that no one knew where there. Your data can even help
conserve important nesting areas at your favorite site.
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Birds must be seen while you
are within the site’s boundaries.
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Flyover birds count
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The site chosen should be a
single, generally recognized area (eg. Morton Arboretum, Waterfall Glen,
Arrowhead Golf Course, Burlington Park, ect.)
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You can keep lists for more than one
site, just keep them separate.
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Yard Big
Year
See how many species actually
show up in your backyard in a year. You will likely be surprised! Birds
can be seen in your yard, across the street, or flying over. As long
as you see it while in your yard, it counts.
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Birds must be seen while you
are in your yard
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Flyover birds count and
birds in neighboring yards/areas, as long as you see it FROM your yard.
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People with yards in Kane, Cook, and
other chicagoland counties can also participate in this category.
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Member
Big Year
This is a fun category for the
social crowd. See how many members of the DuPage Birding Club you can talk
to in a year. You’ll get one point for phone conversations and two points
for face-to-face contact.
Keep two totals – Members Seen
and Members “Heard-only”
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For families, you only have
to see one member from the family to mark them off.
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One point will be awarded
for heard-only sightings, two points for face-to-face contact.
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Members do not have to be seen/heard in
DuPage County.
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You must engage in a
conversation or at least some verbal exchange.
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Both parties engaged can add
the other to their list. It doesn’t matter who initiated the
conversation.
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Don’t stalk club members –
some flush easily like birds. We all want equally opportunity to
see/talk to them.
MEMBER
CHECKLIST | STANDINGS
Most
Lifers
See how many lifers you can
find in a year in DuPage County. Go look for some of those birds reported
on the DuPage Hotline, or ask other club members about where to find a
species that you’ve always wanted to see.
CHECKLISTS | STANDINGS
Most Sites Visited *
See how many DuPage Forest
Preserve sites you can visit in a year. Birders of all levels have equal
potential to win in this category. Let’s get out and explore the
many preserves that our county has to offer. Take pictures of new places
and share your highlights with us.
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A site is defined as any
preserve/park that is managed by the DuPage County Forest Preserve
District and is listed on their District Map.
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This includes Lincoln Marsh,
Lyman Woods, Hitchcock Woods, and other jointly managed sites.
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Tri-County State Park will
also be counted as a site (jointly managed).
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Elsen’s Hill and McKee Marsh
will be considered as separate sites from West DuPage Woods and
Blackwell.
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“Visiting” a site means that
you actually went birding there (no, you can’t just eat lunch there).
CHECKLIST OF SITES |
STANDINGS
Most
New Sites Visited *
See how many NEW DuPage Forest
Preserve sites you can visit in a year. Birders of all levels have equal
potential to win in this category. Let’s get out and explore the
many preserves that our county has to offer. Take pictures of new places
and share your highlights with us.
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A site is defined as any
preserve/park that is managed by the DuPage County Forest Preserve
District and is listed on their District Map.
-
This includes Lincoln Marsh,
Lyman Woods, Hitchcock Woods, and other jointly managed sites.
-
Tri-County State Park will
also be counted as a site (jointly managed).
-
Elsen’s Hill and McKee Marsh
will be considered as separate sites from West DuPage Woods and
Blackwell.
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“Visiting” a site means that
you actually went birding there (no, you can’t just eat lunch there).
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A “New” site will be defined
as any site that you have not birded at before. Previous non-birding
visits do not count against you.
CHECKLIST OF SITES |
STANDINGS
Club Big
Year *
This is the easiest contest of
all. We need Everyone’s help! We’re going to see how many species we can
collectively get in DuPage County as one big team. We’ll post a list of
birds still needed and work away at it. If you see a species that is still
on the list, just let us know. This category is open to everyone.
If the bird seen is extremely
rare, accidental, or unlisted (according to the checklist)
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At least two people need to
see the bird (not necessarily at the same time) & agree upon the ID, OR
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The sighting needs to be
accompanied by concrete photo evidence / documentation
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If you see a rare while
alone, please report it to the hotline so that others can go see it and
we can add it to the list.
BIRDS STILL
NEEDED and CLUB STANDINGS (Current
total)
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