Guided Bird Walk and eBird Workshop, February 1, 2020

Guided Bird Walk and eBird Workshop

Photo by Richard MacIntosh

The first guided bird walk and eBird workshop will be held this Saturday, February 1, 2020. This will be the kickoff workshop for the Kodiak Big Year Challenge. We will meet in the parking lot of Kodiak College at 10 am. The group will work together, identifying birds and making lists at one or two nearby locations. We will then return to the college where new users will be introduced to eBird in a hands-on fashion, exploring its powerful tools and inputting the day's bird lists.

This event is intended for birders of all levels, especially those who are less familiar with eBird. Ideally, sign up for the Big Year Challenge before attending, but we can help you get registered Saturday if needed. Binoculars will be available for those who need them.

**Also, the January prize will be either the Sibley Bird App (or similar bird guide if you are not an app user). Winner will be randomly drawn from those who are registered for the Big Year Challenge by the end of this week. So you may as well sign up already!

Contact kodiakaudubon@gmail.com or Cindy Trussell 486-2878 with questions.

Kodiak Big Year Event Details

The Kodiak Island Big Year Challenge is a chance for Kodiak birders of all skill levels to celebrate a year of birding. Participants must find as many bird species as possible here in Kodiak Island's eBird region during 2020. 

To help everyone with this bird challenge, Kodiak Audubon is offering bird walks and workshops (for eBird and bird ID) throughout the year, plus monthly prizes. 

To be eligible for a Grand Prize, you must reach one of two levels: 50 birds for newbies, or 100 birds for experienced birders.  Participants are required to log their checklists into eBird. (You can set up a free account on ebird.org)

To enter Kodiak's 2020 Big Year Challenge, please email the following information to kodiakaudubon@gmail.com:
  - Your name
  - eBird user name 
  - your experience level
  - Please indicate that you have paid your $5.00 registration fee via Kodiak Audubon Store

The contest begins January 1 and continues through December 31, 2020.  All participants must submit their bird lists to eBird no later than January 6, 2021, to be eligible.