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Friday, October 10, 2008

Birders are known for their counts. The Christmas bird count. The life list. And so many more.

This Sunday, birders across the country will be engaging in another -- the 14th annual "Big Sit!" Participants stake out a 17-foot diameter circle and note as many species as possible in 24 hours.

The rules are simple and non-competitive, according to press information about the event. "Count all the birds you see or hear from within one 17-foot diameter circle, real or imaginery (species, not individuals). For competitive birders, it's a chance to showcase identification skills. For casual bird-watchers, the Big Sit! can be a wonderful opportunity to learn new species while meeting new people or old friends."

They have 24 hours - midnight to midnight - to do it. But birders in this area will team up dawn to dusk for a sit at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum in Philadelphia.

They'll gather at the Observation platform about .75 miles from the Visitor Center - "a nice walk along the dike road," says participant Debbie Beer. Several members of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club will be there, she reports, under the leadership of Tony Croasdale, a passionate birder since grade school and a favorite volunteer at Tinicum.

(The date, but the way, coincides with National Wildlife Refuge week, October 12-18.)

Read more about the Big Sit! at the website of one of the sponsors, BirdWatcher's Digest, www.birdwatchersdigest.com

Posted by Sandy Bauers @ 2:20 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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About Sandy Bauers
Sandy Bauers is the environment reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she has worked for more than 20 years as a reporter and editor. She lives in northern Chester County with her husband, two cats, a large vegetable garden and a flock of pet chickens.

GreenSpace - her column about how to reduce your carbon footprint in everyday life - appears every other Monday in Health & Science.

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