The “Twitchers in the Rye” will be taking part in the Superbowl of Birding on January 28 and the team is accepting pledges to support New Hampshire Bird Records and NH eBird (both programs of New Hampshire Audubon’s Conservation Department).
The Superbowl is a competition that takes place on the last Saturday in January – but this Superbowl has nothing to do with football. It involves looking for as many bird species as possible in 12 hours and is run by Massachusetts Audubon’s Joppa Flats Education Center. Teams can compete in Essex County, MA and/or Rockingham County, NH.
“When we formed our team we wanted to show people how many birds can be seen in just one town in New Hampshire,” said “Twitchers” team captain, Pamela Hunt. “We decided on Rye because of its great birding habitat and the chance for such a great name!”
The other members of the “Twitchers” in 2012 are Becky Suomala, Pat Myers and Andrea Robbins. “This is our fourth year and if some of the lingerers hold on, we have a good chance of beating our previous high of 63 species and 112 points all in the town of Rye.” Rare species are worth more points than common ones, and teams are required to call in and report the five point birds so that sightings can be shared with other teams. The first team to find a “5-pointer” gets bonus points.
Help spur the “Twitchers” on by pledging an amount per species or per point — and support the collection of bird data for conservation at the same time. “When the mercury drops and the winds blow, pledges help keep us going – knowing each species or point will help build contributions for conservation!” said Becky Suomala.
If you’d like to pledge, please contact Becky at bsuomala@nhaudubon.org or 603-224-9909 x309. For last year’s results check the Current News on the New Hampshire Bird Records home page: www.nhbirdrecords.org.
If you find any interesting birds in Rye between now and the 28th, please post them to NHBirds – it will help us and the other NH Superbowl teams. And if anyone lives in Rye and wouldn’t mind four cold people stopping for a bathroom break – please let us know! Pit stops are pretty scarce in Rye in winter!
