My First BIGBY

I've been impatiently waiting for the calendar to flip over to 2013, not to make resolutions or start a new year list, but to start my first BIGBY.  I learned about the BIGBY Challenge about half way through 2012 and love the idea of Green Birding.  I couldn't wait for 2013 to come so I could get started!  I live in Kaukauna (Appleton area) and have set a goal of at least 100 species.  There are some great birding locations within biking distance so I hope to make it.  Time will likely be the biggest obstacle.

Today I took my first major excursion after adding the usual yard birds on New Years Day to get the list started.  I took my bike down from the rafters and rode two miles over to the 1000 Islands Environmental Center to bird along the Fox River.  My trip was well worth it as I added 13 species to bring my list total to 30.  The highlight of the day was easily the Peregrine Falcon, which was also a lifer for me.  I had a great time on my first ever January bike ride and look forward to what the year will bring.

Good BIGBYing!

Happy New Year 2013!

The slate is wiped clean, the spreadsheets are blank, and all is ready for a new year of fossil fuel free birding. Please contact me or Tim if you aren't up for the challenge this year (you can always come back next year) or you know someone in Wisconsin who would like to join. And congratulations to Jesse for his 2012 high total of 214 species! Here are the 2012 Top Ten:

Jesse          214
Daniel        207
Kim           199
Andy         197
Alex          190
Kay           184
Todd          180
Scott          178
Jeff            173
Max           169

Happy Green Birding in 2013!

First post of many

Hey Folks,
My name is Alex Stark and I am from Prairie du Chien. Like many of you, I am also doing a BIGBY this year! Thanks to Jesse Ellis, I just found out about this blog. I'm still trying to figure out how I can use this site to compare and also share my BIGBY list with all you and your lists. Any help that you guys can offer is really appreciated!

On the birding side of things I just scored my BIGBY Forster's Tern. However I am really looking forward to the next two weeks....

Alex Stark

It was a big morning out there today! Zillions of birds across the Madison area, probably because of good migration conditions and an early-morning T-storm. Picked up most of my warblers for the year for BIGBY, and a number of expected passerines.

I have a question - I saw a Brewster's Warbler, and that species is on the BIGBY list, so I checked it off. Is this legit? Was this "unit" counted last year?

Nine Springs Parade

I also made it out to Nine Springs today. On the way I picked up Warbling Vireo and Yellow Warblers. Got nice looks at the phalarope and the caspians. The ride back into the wind generated enough calories burned to enjoy a cold Bedlam IPA from Ale Asylum. Andy P.

Uff da! That's what they say, right, when you ride 15 miles? I live near Hilldale Mall on the west side of Madison. Prior to this, all of my BIGBYing barring a lone excursion to the Arboretum (an extra mile or two), has been on rides to the Picnic Point/University Bay area, but I knew I needed a few Larids to fill out my list, and I wasn't going to get them on Mendota. So, Nine Springs, via Lake Monona, and it paid off! On Monona I had a flyover Caspian Tern, a new BIGBY bird, and at Nine Springs, I finally added non-Killdeer and Woodcock shorebirds to my list - seven species in all, including a stunning female Wilson's Phalarope. There were also two Caspian Terns here, but the other coup for my BIGBY list was the lone Bonaparte's Gull. I had missed this species early and it's one that is not a "gimme" anywhere near me. On the way in we ran into Kim Kreitinger, who was also adding to her Bigby list... she pointed out that she had recently passed me in the standings. Unfortunately, Kim, the snipe put me up to 118, one more than you have listed! Of course, it's late April so all this will be moot tomorrow, but here's hoping we can pass Andy P before he tops his list off again...

Sometimes, the birds make it easy

Since moving out of WI almost two years ago, my BIGBY efforts have been heavily impaired. I don't have the free time I did before, and instead of living within walking distance of Lake Michigan and multiple migrant traps, along with an easy bike ride to great shorebirding, I'm trapped in the middle of suburban sprawl.

That being said, there still have been a few good birds around, and a few of them making it easy; last Thursday, while playing Bags at a BBQ in my apartment complex, a (likely migrating) Peregrine Falcon winged low overhead.