The objectives of this Big Day event are:
- To raise funds for conservation of declining Colorado birds
- To generate eBird data for all 64 counties on the same day
- To provide a fun recreational event for the Colorado birding community and enable more people to engage in bird conservation
We encourage you to form a team of 1-4 members. The team leader registers the team and reports the results. See directions for team leaders. Teams will compete during 24 hours on May 8 within a single county of their choice to find the highest number of species relative to a handicap value determined for their county. Teams must register for one of the following categories:
- Automobile
- Green (all birding by non-motorized means such as walking, cycling, and kayaking; may drive to destination)
- Youth (high school age or younger; must have an adult driver)
- Photo/Audio
- Non-competing
Prizes will be awarded to the winning teams of more than one person for each of the four competition categories. The winning teams will be awarded with $1000 each to donate to a conservation organization operating in Colorado. We will donate this money from our conservation funds that are separate from funds raised by the CoBC. To be eligible for a prize, teams must adhere to the ABA Big Day rules. These and the complete set of competition rules for the CoBC may be downloaded as pdf files (see resources at left side of page).
We recognize that some people would prefer to bird individually. If you wish to bird individually, or prefer not to compete or follow the competition rules, we welcome you to register your team under the "Non-competing" category. You (and anyone else on your team) may then bird as you wish. The results you submit to eBird, and any funds raised through donations and pledges, will still be important contributions to the Colorado Birding Challenge.
Other ways to participate :
- If you don't wish to lead a team, you may join an "open team" if available. Click on link at left side of page for teams currently looking for participants. Scroll down to see list of all teams that have registered.
- You may donate to the conservation cause. 100% of funds raised will be used for conservation. See a description of the current conservation projects.
Registration and participation are free for current and new CFO members. For other participants who are not CFO members, the entry cost is a $50 donation (which will be used 100% for conservation). Alternatively non-CFO members may join CFO for $25 (or $12 for students) and register for free. Registration will open early each year. We encourage everyone to support this cause by sponsoring a team with a donation or pledge (see currently registered teams) or making a general donation by clicking on MAKE A PLEDGE/DONATION on the left side of the page.