Heads up, birders: Fantasy Birding is now a thing, for those of us who've always wanted to do a Big Year but don't happen to be millionaires of leisure. The basic concept is that you pick a spot on the map to go “birding” the next day, then you get credit for anything real-world eBird users report within a 10-km radius for that period. And you get to watch from your couch as the birds roll in.
There's an ABA Fantasy Big Year already in progress, with more than 100 folks signed up (and some of us closing in on 300 species already). Given how successful it's been, we've got high hopes of taking it global. Come check it out, join us, and give us some feedback!
(Although it's turning out to be fun and addictive, the real motivation behind it was to develop an educational tool, as well as a way for those who lack ability or access to participate in our favorite sport. If you have any thoughts on how to further that goal, I'd love to hear them. And lastly: unlike fantasy sports, this is a totally non-commercial venture. So I'm promoting it here only to spread the merriment.)
Hope to see you there!
http://the-pigeon.org/fantasybirding
(And on Twitter @BirdingFantasy)
Cheers,
Matt Smith
There's an ABA Fantasy Big Year already in progress, with more than 100 folks signed up (and some of us closing in on 300 species already). Given how successful it's been, we've got high hopes of taking it global. Come check it out, join us, and give us some feedback!
(Although it's turning out to be fun and addictive, the real motivation behind it was to develop an educational tool, as well as a way for those who lack ability or access to participate in our favorite sport. If you have any thoughts on how to further that goal, I'd love to hear them. And lastly: unlike fantasy sports, this is a totally non-commercial venture. So I'm promoting it here only to spread the merriment.)
Hope to see you there!
http://the-pigeon.org/fantasybirding
(And on Twitter @BirdingFantasy)
Cheers,
Matt Smith