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Posted by Toe on 14:52:26 12/08/09
First, congrats to Leo Miller and his successful S. FL additions to his big year. If you haven't tried a big year, you don't know how stressful it can be. For anyone considering a big year, especially one in the county, here are some tips that have worked for me:
Step 1: learn to whine
Step 2: annoy, and make things generally unpleasant for, other birders (see step 1)
Step 3: check out every hammock, wetland, hedge, field, pond, shoreline, brush pile, marina, lake, lagoon, park, parking lot, landfill, canal, marsh, and dump site in the county every day. After these are checked, move on to other habitats
Step 3: make a sacrifice to the weather gods to work in your favor
Step 4: learn to count beyond 3
Step 5: subscribe to every listserve in an effort to see the most current news on what the birds are doing (actually, you can ignore the Borneo RBA for now)
Step 6: When all else fails, make up birds!
Step 7: Find a White-crowned Sparrow, and the rest of the year will be a breeze
and, thanks to another birder's suggestion, the last step is especially critical for Rock Jetty's upcoming big year:
Step 8: get up before 9:00 AM!
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