Colorado Birding Challenge
September 14, 2024
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Welcome to the 2024 Colorado Birding Challenge!
Get set to take part in CFO’s annual birding challenge to find as many species of birds as you can in 24 hours in the Colorado county of your choice!
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
It’s easy to take part in the COBC!
- REGISTER your team
- CHOOSE your category
- SELECT your county
Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link to SET UP YOUR TEAM’S COBC TEAM PAGE. Each team will have a unique COBC Team Page displaying its name, the category you are participating in, your team members, your fundraising goal and the county you’re birding in.
Share your COBC Team Page with your friends and family and post it on social media to let everyone know about your plans and give them the opportunity to contribute to your fundraising goal!
Your efforts will help to raise needed funds for CFO programs and the Conejos River Restoration Project! The COBC also generates valuable eBird data that can help researchers, policy makers and others!
COUNTY PAR
Not all Colorado Counties were created equal! Our great state has 64 unique counties, some are bigger than others, some have mountains, some have reservoirs. All have different habitat types and given the geographic diversity, the number and timing of migrants may be very different on September 14.
In an effort to create as level a playing field as possible, the COBC Committee has developed a proprietary formula that we call “par.” Using 10 years of eBird data, and taking into account how intensely each county has been birded, we’ve determined how many species might reasonably be expected to occur in each county in September 2024.
Each team’s official total will be compared with the par value for the county birded, and this is how we will determine which is the winning team. For example, if one team competes in Conejos County (par 62) and reports 75 species, that represents 120% of par. A team birding in Larimer County might have a higher total, say 95 species, but since the par value for Larimer is 109, that would represent 87% of par. Thus the team birding in Conejos would finish higher.
CATEGORIES
The Challenge - Teams in this category compete to maximize their county list using a vehicle(s) to travel throughout their selected county. A registration fee of $50 for CFO members and $75 for non-members will be charged.
Green Challenge - Teams in this category compete using only human-powered transportation (no eBikes or other motorized vehicles. A registration fee of $50 for CFO members and $75 for non-members will be charged.
Under 25 Challenge - All team members must be aged 25 or younger to participate in this category. No registration fee for members or non-members.
Bird Your Own Way - Individuals or teams are invited to participate in this category, whether they are traveling or simply keeping a yard list. No registration fee for members or non-members.
RAISING MONEY
CFO’s 2024 goal is to raise $50,000 and we need your help to reach it! Register your team, complete your COBC Team Page, share the news with your friends and family and post your Team Page on social media. People will have the option to donate a specific amount or pledge a dollar amount for each bird your team finds.
RULES
The competition will take place on Saturday, September 14th from 12:00 AM to Midnight, rain or shine. Only birds seen or heard within your team’s designated county on this day will count toward your total.
For the three competitive categories:
Teams must consist of at least two participants and follow the ABA Big Day rules. Only birds identified within your team’s designated Colorado County will count toward your total. Please take the time to read and understand these rules, particularly the 95% rule (95 percent of each team’s total must have been definitively seen/heard by all members of the team) and the commitment not to utilize information from other birders, including eBird reports or other electronic sources during the COBC.
An eBird Trip Report must be submitted listing all birds counted as your team’s official count for the day. We encourage teams to keep individual eBird checklists for each location visited rather than keeping long traveling lists that are of limited value to researchers. Trip Reports must be emailed to cobc@cobirds.org along with your team name and county by 5 PM on Sunday, Sept. 15.
For non-competitive teams or individuals:
You are free to conduct your big day however you prefer. You can do a county big day, a big sit, a feeder watch or simply go birding. You are free to seek sponsors for your count or make a donation yourself. Register on the COBC webpage and you’ll receive a link to set up a COBC webpage that lets people know about your goals and allows them to support you with donations!
To add your count total to the official COBC list, keep track of your sightings by making eBird checklists, create an eBird Trip Report for September 14, 2024 and email your Trip Report along with your team name and county you birded in to cobc@cobirds.org by 5 PM on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Thank you for helping CFO reach its 2024 goal to raise $50,000 supporting CFO programs and the Conejos River Restoration Project!
Conejos River Restoration Project
The Conejos River is the largest tributary to the Rio Grande in Colorado, both originate in the San Luis Valley. The Conejos system supports wildlife habitat, agricultural production, and outdoor recreation. The Conejos River Restoration Project, an effort in partnership between the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project and Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, addresses the need for multi-benefit restoration along four miles of the Conejos River.
- PHASE I - Surveying and Planning - Completed Spring 2023
- PHASE II - Priority Project Implementation - Current Phase
- PHASE III - Secondary Project Implementation - Future Work
Donate
Funds raised in the 2024 COBC will support CFO programs and habitat restoration along the Conejos River in southern Colorado. Pledge to support a COBC team or make a direct donation today!
It's a Team Effort!
Competitive teams must consist of at least two participants and follow the ABA Big Day rules. Only birds identified within your team’s designated Colorado County will count toward your total. Please take the time to read and understand these rules, particularly the 95% rule (95 percent of each team’s final list must have been definitively seen/heard by all members of the team) and the commitment not to utilize information from other birders, including eBird reports or other electronic sources during the COBC.
Noncompetitive teams are free to conduct their big day however they prefer. You can do a county big day, a big sit, a feeder watch or simply go birding. You are free to seek sponsors for your count or make a donation yourself. To add your count total to the official COBC list, keep track of your sightings by making eBird checklists, create an eBird Trip Report for September 14, 2024 and email your Trip Report along with your team name and the county you birded in to cobc@cobirds.org by 5 PM on Sunday, Sept. 15.
Colorado Birding Challenge Conservation Grants
Colorado Field Ornithologists invites applicants to submit proposals to be the beneficiary of each year's Colorado Birding Challenge. Proposed projects should have a lasting benefit to Colorado birds or the habitats on which they rely.
More than $75,000 has been raised and donated for conservation efforts through the Challenge since 2021. The application period opens annually in early fall and closes in mid-November.