Jon, this is a great idea but, as you suggest, filled with challenges if you are attempting to set some rules for the game.  Like golf (no, I don’t play anymore), only YOU will know what your honest number is at  year end.

Perhaps an answer is the maintenance of two lists - my 'ALONE' list and my 'TOTAL' list.  Someone can check with eBird to see if that is possible.  There are all kinds of special things being done within eBird like species lists for IBA's (Important Birding Area), patch totals, etc..

Regarding rules, I suggest it be like a company sales contest.  A few people are in charge of setting the ground rules and sales people go out and do their best within those rules.  There will always be whining and complaining (my entire career was in sales so I know this first hand, especially when you are #2 or #3 and want to change the rules to become #1).  You will never make everyone happy.  In the end, this is just a friendly competition and another reason to tell your spouse why you are going birding instead of washing the dog, mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, etc., etc., etc..

If this becomes a friendly competition I suggest it be done at the county level and the state level because not everyone has the time, money, or interest in traveling all over Ohio.  This way all who want to participate can do so.

Again, great idea for those who like to have 'goals' each year for their birding.

Matt Valencic
Geauga County (where 231 species of birds have been seen this year and the top eBirder has seen 218 of them.  Explore 'Geauga County' in eBird to see the details.)



-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jon
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 7:06 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] A Big Question about Big Years

To say that I have spent a lot of hours driving with my friends Kent and Ben over the past 2 years would be an understatement.  During those drives we have talked about birds, family, life, and everything in between.  Here is a subject that we began kicking around a few months ago and I thought it might make for some interesting conversation here.  If you would rather just chase reports of birds, then you can hit the delete button now.

We started pondering this question:  How many birds could a person see in Ohio in a calendar year WITHOUT using any outside resources?  Think of it as a “Pure Big Year”.  Outside resources would include this listserv, all social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), phone “hotlines” (yes, some still exist), or information gained in any way outside of your own finding of a bird.  If you aren’t the one who literally finds the bird on your own, it does not count.  NO CHASING.  We think that historical resources such as the Annotated Checklist, or Peterjohn’s Birds of Ohio would be perfectly appropriate as this constitutes doing research in order to develop a game plan.  

We often see folks getting over 300 birds in Ohio lately, which is a pretty remarkable number.  Clearly a HUGE part of that is the ability to chase the reports of birds found by others.  

So the question is:  How many species of birds do you think that an experienced birder could locate in a year without ANY kind of outside help?

Clearly, those who have been birding in Ohio for years would have the advantage of knowing where and when to seek out species to increase their odds, but that is what I mean by an experienced birder.  During our conversations about this subject we have tossed around a few numbers that we think would be possible, but I will not share them here so as to encourage others to weigh in without undue influence.  There have been county efforts that may be a good reflection of what would be possible state-wide (like Jen Brumfield’s Cuyahoga effort).  

I am also interested to hear what kinds of pitfalls you can imagine for such an endeavor.  For instance, how would you handle a trip to the boardwalk at Magee Marsh in May?  How could you NOT be using the efforts of others (clogs on the boardwalk around a Mourning Warbler) in that circus of people?  How would a person cope with the psychological challenges (loneliness, mental fatigue) of undergoing such a difficult endeavor?  Would photo documentation be required to make the tally “legitimate?"

I truly hope that some of the excellent birders who call Ohio home will weigh in on this thoughtfully.  I wonder if anyone would attempt such a challenge?  I wonder if an optics or other birding-related company would consider sponsoring such an endeavor?  


Jon Cefus
Cuyahoga Falls 


“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” 
-Douglas Adams


______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]