The Big Sit is an annual birdwatching event, where birdwatching teams stake out a 17 foot circle for 24 hours and inventory all the birds they can see from within that circle. In Birdwatching circles this is usually a casually competitive fundraising event.
I realize we don’t have many expert birdwatchers who would be interested in doing this kind of thing THIS year in the Wildlife Sanctuary, however if a couple of people would like to join me I think it would be fun to ‘test drive’ the idea for the future. Get an idea of what we will need to do to pull it off for NEXT year when I am hoping the Rail Trail and the Sanctuary Trails will be open.
Perhaps for a few hours from say 5 or 6 am until 12pm or any other fraction thereof. A few people can stake out a spot inside the Nevin Sanctuary with some folding chairs and a cooler. I think if we do some work on the ‘bridge island’ before hand this would be an awesome vantage point this year.
I will bring this up at the Sept meeting, but i am hoping we can get some interested parties outside of that group.
More about the Big Sit:
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/index.php
“The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birdingevent hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest and founded by the New Haven(CT) Bird Club. Every team that observes this year’s “Golden Bird” hasa chance to win $500. We hope bird watchers from around the globe willunite on this special day by participating in this event (it’s free!).The Big Sit! is sponsored by Swarovski Optik.
The Big Sit! is like a Big Day, or a bird-a-thon in that the object isto tally as many bird species as can be seen or heard within 24 hours.The difference lies in the area limitation from which you can observe.THIS FREE EVENT is OPEN to every person and club in any country!
Some people have called it a “tailgate party for birders.” Today thereare Big Sit! circles all over the world, including Guatemala, India,the Netherlands, England, Vietnam, and New Zealand.
The simplicity of the concept makes The Big Sit! so appealing. Find agood spot for bird watching — preferably one with good views of avariety of habitats and lots of birds. Next you create a real orimaginary circle 17 feet in diameter and sit inside the circle for 24hours, counting all the bird species you see or hear. That’s it. Finda spot, sit in it, have fun.”
