What about a Safaritalk Big Day?

[pedro maia]

I saw that last saturday was ebird’s Big Day and thought we might do something like that here, pick up a day that suits most of those who participate in BY (and others, of course) and make a “sprint” competition to see who can photograph the most species in that day.

 

It would be fun to compare the species each one can find in the same day in such different locations.

 

I can imagine the EBC’s coming...

[Galana]

It could be fun. They call them "Bird Races" in UK I believe. Runs midnight to midnight quite often on Jan 1st..

[pedro maia]

After reading “midnight to midnight” the idea doesn’t seem so appealing.

[Galana]

They are just rules. Nobody drags you out of bed to go birding for a few Owls and Nightjars.

[wilddog]

How about you all agree a set number of Consequetive hours Birding... Say 8?and you can chose when your 8 hours start and stop. 

[xelas]

I think 8 hours are too few. Last week we have been birding "five-to-five" 4 days in a row! So what about a 12 hrs limit?

Edited May 8, 2019 by xelas

[pedro maia]

I don’t think there sholud be a limit within a 24 hour period, I was joking about the midnight to midnight period, if someone want to go 24 hours in a row should be free to do it, but if a majotity thinks there should be a limit I’m also ok with that.

 

But for starters we need quorum, a minimum number of participants, and if there are enough we need to pick up a date.

 

By the way, @Galana I could use Owls and Nightjars, I don’t have any of those in my BY.

[Galana]

The problem as I see it with selecting less than 24 hours is control. I know we are all very honest decent folks who not not dream of exceeding any allotted time limit, be it 6 hours, 12 hours and squeeze in one more bird to raise the 'true' total. but how would a judge know that without knowing the start and finish times?

But if the Exif info records a time and date between 00.00 and 23.59 on the appointed day the matter is settled.

I say this in the innocent knowledge that most cameras have a gizmo to shift time zones and other clever things but the judge will know that if he sees a shot of the Lesser Spotted Tick bird taken at 23.59 in broad daylight something is not quite right when at midnight in that times zone it was pitch black.

[pedro maia]

@Galana I have enough of judges in my daily life, in a competition like this, if it goes through, I don’t even think about the possibility of anyone counting a bird after the alloted time and if that hapens I just don’t care.

 

My proposal is 24 hours for whoever is interested in the person’s time zone, although my search for nigthjars will start a little later.

[Galana]

24 hours. Midnight to midnight it is.

[Atravelynn]

I find amusing the discussion around rules such as adhering to them or ways to prevent "cheating."  I must lack the competitive gene.  Nice idea though!

 

 

[Dave Williams]

The litmus test for honesty is playing golf on your own and scoring it as it should be.

 

 

[Galana]

8 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

The litmus test for honesty is playing golf on your own and scoring it as it should be.

Or playing Patience without looking at the other hand.

[Peter Connan]

Any chance we can pick our own day? Because I would really like a day when the migrants are here, and I guess so would everybody else...

[Galana]

5 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

Because I would really like a day when the migrants are here,

Don't worry Peter. If you have our summer visitors we will surely have our winter ones. Or VV. The trouble being that one of the hemispheres would have limited daylight so why not pick an Equinox?

[Peter Connan]

Slightly adjusted to fall on a weekend if required?

 

Only problem is, this year's equinox is on the 23rd September, and we have a public holiday the 24th, and that weekend is my photography club's weekend away, so that would exclude me.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Peter Connan

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

that weekend is my photography club's weekend away, so that would exclude me.

And that week would find me high in the Dolomites and short of breath! (and probably birds too!)

I suppose we had better ask @pedro maia as it was his idea!

[pedro maia]

It was my idea but I don’t own it, I suppose it’s ok if each one picks his own day, it won’t be easy to choose one that suits everybody, but I think the results should be posted in the same day, even if that means some will have to wait for quite a while.

 

@Peter Connan when is the migration for you?

 

@Galana you’re lucky to go to the Dolomites, the most beautiful part of the Alps.

[michael-ibk]

10 minutes ago, pedro maia said:

 you’re lucky to go to the Dolomites, the most beautiful part of the Alps. 

 

Pffff...

 

[pedro maia]

18 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

 

Pffff...

 

 

Don’t get jealous, Austria is my favourite ski destination but the Dolomites are gorgeous.

 

And part of them was Austria...

Edited May 12, 2019 by pedro maia

[Peter Connan]

@pedro maia any time in the summer (your winter)

[pedro maia]

I think we should wait for other opinions and also I think there may not be enough people joining to make this interesting.

[Peter Connan]

Pedro, if you look at the first Big Year, there were only four competitors...

 

Good ideas sometimes need a bit of time to prove themselves.

[Galana]

I don't think it will work if we all can pick a day that suits us. e.g. I am having a bit of a famine these last few weeks but will shortly be knocking a few out from a Hebridean trip. (and I cannot even count the Golden Eagle anyway).

I am open to suggestions as to how it would work. Longest day in either hemisphere would have us on tenterhooks for 6 months. (And if I go to Uganda I could do both over two days!!)Can I have two entries if I am in Namibia and Costa Rica?

[pedro maia]

In any case, either picking a day or with a fixed day, I think each one should have to do the Big Day from where he/she lives, not during a birding trip, so no @Galana, you can´t have two entries (and couples can do it but must spend the whole day together - this is not aimed to anyone in particular, of course ).

 

When we know who is interested we can just choose democratically according to the majority.