52 Species

I'm not a picture taker, however my friends are so as soon as I get photos from I will post them.

Today I exercised the carpool rule to the max. at 6am my father, Todd, Adrian and myself met at a parking lot on Columbus Ave in South Philly. All four of us piled in the car to do a rarity sweep. Our goal was the Common Chaffinch in Hunterton TWP, NJ, Snowy Owl at Merrill Creek Reservoir and Say's Phoebe in Bucks County PA. The chaffinch is a first for NJ, it is a European finch, very common in gardens. Only 2 or 3 records before in NE Canada. The bird was visiting feeders behind a birder's house. I'll write more when I get the photos.

added rule to Green Year

I am adding driving with a full car (4 passengers) to my Green Big Year list. Carpooling for birders is something I want to encourage!

I will keep a note of birds seen with aid of car and present two separate totals at the end of the year.

Green Big Year

As of January 1st 2011 I will be doing a "Green Big
Year"

Going green isn't meant to be self imposed hardship or inconvenience. The point is to highlight alternatives to using large amounts of fossil fuel for a hobby.

1. I will only count birds seen from foot, bike, sailboat, human powered watercraft, or public transportation.

2. I will not count birds even under rule #1 if I flew, drove, or was driven to location specifically for birding. For example, if I flew to AZ for birding, I cannot count birds on a hike up Madera Canyon.

3. I can accept a short ride to a birding location if traveled by the rule #1. Such as accepting a ride to Militia Hill Hawk Watch, if I took the train to Ft Washington.