For all those interested:
Miami-Dade county in Florida was the winner last year!
Carlos
Gentlemen, start your engines.
In 2004 Becky Enneis proposed a contest to me and Bob Carroll. She was
scandalized that most birders spent the summer indoors, and she thought
that competition might motivate some of them to get out in the field
during the warm months. And so The June Challenge was born. We had only
a handful of participants that first year, but last year there were 48
entries from 14 counties (including one from Norfolk, England).
We discovered something interesting in the first few years of the
Challenge: June is a pretty good month for rarities. We found a Snail
Kite and a Reddish Egret, as well as strays from the coast like Gray
Kingbird, Sandwich Tern, and Willet. Late spring migrants were recorded
almost every year. But all that just comes down to the first rule of
birding: if you want to see birds, get out there and look for them. Even
in June.
There are some rules for this competition:
1. Birds must be seen. No heard-only birds.
2. All lists must be compiled within the borders of a single county. You
can do The June Challenge in a second county if you like, but keep a
second list for that county.
3. You can count anything, but keep track of how many ABA-countable and
non-countable species are on your list. Report them in this format:
Total (ABA countable / non-countable), e.g., 115 (112 / 3).
4. Send me your totals on July 1st ([email protected]).
Good luck to all. And have fun!
Rex Rowan
[email protected]
Gainesville
Miami-Dade county in Florida was the winner last year!
Carlos