Big Day 2012

It's that time again! Here's information on the Big Day 2012 effort from Coastal Center Director Frank Gallo:

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In 2011, our team, the Connecticut Audubon Raven Luna-ticks (Nick Bonomo, Patrick Dugan, Frank Gallo, Dave Tripp, and Fran Zygmont) finally broke Connecticut’s Big Day birding record of 186 species (see the details in this post). We broke it by six, besting the New England record by one, as well, with a hard-earned total of 192 species in 24 hours. Our New England record lasted a week. Friends from Massachusetts now hold the record with 193 species. It’s a new year, and we want it back! Nick will be away, so we’ll have to work even harder.

In 2011, we again found amazing birds for late May in Connecticut, including Barn Owl, Northern Gannet, and Horned Grebe,  25 species of warblers, a late Great Cormorant, Common Eiders, Blue and Green-winged Teal! Tough misses included, Purple Finch, White-throated Sparrow, and Northern Saw-whet Owl. The highlight for me was descending from Meig’s Point with 185 species, having just seen a late gannet, both loons, and two species of scoters. Luckily, we had Seaside Sparrow in the bag to tie the record, and there in the marsh pond by the parking lot was a female Blue-winged Teal, like a little gift from the heavens. An already great day had just gotten better, and with hours of light left… 192! Ending our day with both a Barn Owl and Least Bittern calling was pretty great too…   

This year, we’re busy nailing down raptor nests (please let us know if you have any in your area), and are already out scouting. Our sights are set on 200 species, and we’ll give it our all! We invite you to join our team by pledging your support. Help us achieve our ambitious goal of reaching 200 species and raising $5,000 -- every dollar you pledge directly supports the Coastal Center at Milford Point – voted Yankee Magazine’s best birding destination in Connecticut.  We cannot do this without you, and we thank you in advance for your generosity! 

Pledge forms (in PDF format) are available by clicking here 

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Scott Kruitbosch
Conservation Technician