I won't be publishing day-by-day lists of the birds I see on this
blog during 2014 – I envision this as a place for summaries and
various impressions I have as the year passes. But all the birds I
record will be posted on eBird, so if you want detailed lists, that's
the place to go. I did not adopt eBird as fast as some of my birding
friends, but once I did, I was hooked quickly. I'm now an eBird
reviewer and hotspot editor for Virginia and am glad to be
contributing something besides my records to the project. If you
happen to be reading this with no knowledge of what eBird is, please
check it out.
Also, in case you're wondering why the word “county” is in
parentheses in the blog title... I would wonder, too. Two reasons.
One is simply to emphasize that this blog is not about Prince Edward
Island (PEI), Canada, in any way. PEI and Prince Edward (County),
Virginia, are different places in different countries. I've never
been to PEI, though I'd like to visit some day. So if you arrived
here via a search engine looking for birding info on the
smallest Canadian province... I'm sorry. But welcome, anyway.
Another reason for the parentheses is to emphasize “county,” as in county birding, county listing, and so on. I have been a county lister for many years, and adding some energy to my search for new county birds in Prince Edward is another reason for doing this big year. I'd encourage anyone who is a birder, and who doesn't already think in terms of listing birds in their home county (at least), to consider doing so. We still have a lot to learn about bird distribution at the county level, and trying to add birds to your county list(s) is a great way to make a contribution – assuming you make your data available. And eBird makes it easy to do that, and to keep up with your county lists, as long as you enter your checklist locations accurately.
Many people have done big years confined to various single counties before. You can read about a 2013 effort in South Dakota on the ABA website, and a few other online accounts include a 2008 big year in Santa Barbara County, CA and 2010 and 2011 big years in Maricopa County, AZ. All of these take a slightly different approach to birding, which makes them fun to read, and point out various issues facing a county-level big year birder. I've had trouble locating accounts of big years from Virginia counties, but if anyone knows of any, I'd like to hear about them.
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| Shorebirds have to look hard for habitat in Prince Edward (County). Birders have to look hard for shorebirds in Prince Edward (County). Spotted Sandpipers at Twin Lakes State Park, 2013. |
Another reason for the parentheses is to emphasize “county,” as in county birding, county listing, and so on. I have been a county lister for many years, and adding some energy to my search for new county birds in Prince Edward is another reason for doing this big year. I'd encourage anyone who is a birder, and who doesn't already think in terms of listing birds in their home county (at least), to consider doing so. We still have a lot to learn about bird distribution at the county level, and trying to add birds to your county list(s) is a great way to make a contribution – assuming you make your data available. And eBird makes it easy to do that, and to keep up with your county lists, as long as you enter your checklist locations accurately.
Many people have done big years confined to various single counties before. You can read about a 2013 effort in South Dakota on the ABA website, and a few other online accounts include a 2008 big year in Santa Barbara County, CA and 2010 and 2011 big years in Maricopa County, AZ. All of these take a slightly different approach to birding, which makes them fun to read, and point out various issues facing a county-level big year birder. I've had trouble locating accounts of big years from Virginia counties, but if anyone knows of any, I'd like to hear about them.
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