the big sit

You have to love this.
The 15th Annual Big Sit! will take place on Sunday, October 11th, in backyards and National parks all over the country.
It is sponsored by Swarovski Optik, and hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest (a magazine I don't subscribe to, in case anyone was wondering what I'd like for Christmas), and the New Haven Bird Club.
The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event. It's free, but there are contests available to teams who register. Every team that observes this year's "Golden Bird" could win $500. The golden bird is chosen AFTER the event -- after all teams submit their lists, the bird is randomly chosen from the total list of all birds spotted. And if your circle listed seeing the bird, the circle will be put into a drawing.
Some people have called this event a "tailgate party for birders." Today there are 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 a good spot for bird watching -- preferably one with good views of a variety of habitats and lots of birds. Next you create a real or imaginary circle 17 feet in diameter and sit inside the circle for 24 hours, counting all the bird species you see or hear. That's it. Find a spot, sit in it, have fun.
However, in past years, Bird Watcher's Digest has encouraged bird clubs to use The Big Sit! as a fundraiser, by organizing a Big Sit team and collecting pledges for each species they tallied. If you visit their website, listed above, you can even find sample pledge forms to assist in that effort. It would be a great way to raise money for conservation or a special project. And the nice thing is, if it's ideally situated, you could even do this in your own backyard.
Being this movement originated in the Northeast, when you view the list of registered clubs, the states with the highest numbers tend to be in the New England states. For comparison, Georgia only has three registered clubs. Colorado only has four.
I think next year, Colorado may just increase their numbers by at least 1. I think it would be something I can look forward to hosting in my new home state.

--Laura