click the red button to send an email with your name and home town - that's all
If you really want to be helpful - please click here to complete a short form with your details (after you have sent the email, of course... that way nobody gets lost in the system!)
The Big Green Big YearThis is a low-key, friendly bit of birding rivalry that is not especially original but which seems appropriate in these days of carbon emissions and climate change. If you have ever felt even a tiny bit guilty about driving or flying to see a good bird (or several) why not join us in a year of carbon-neutral birding? The Big Green Big Year has the acronym BGBY and is therefore pronounced Bigby* ... and it is simply a Big Year in which you only count those species seen within walking or cycling distance of your home or principle place of work. As simple as that, no dashing off to the far corners of the planet burning fossil fuels as you go. Richard Gregson, Baie d'Urfé, Québec (Bigby coordinator) |
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L'origine de Bigby est au Québec ou j'habite ... je suis (nous sommes) bien conscient que ces pages sont en anglais pour le moment, mais s'il y a des miroiseurs français qui aimeraient devenir les Bigbyeurs, vous pouvez envoyer vos courriels en français ... le Bigby est internationale et multi-linguistique. Tous le monde sont bienvenue.
There are no prizes other than the glory - but we can have fun and keep fit and maybe make a small statement about what we value. There are almost no rules - those you see here are where we start from but the community makes the rules as the year progresses, it's in your hands.
There are two principal categories:
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The Walking Bigby
During which you list all species seen in 2008 which have been reached on foot from home or from your regular place of work. If you were traveling by any other means when seen then the bird won’t count for your Bigby. Walking, of course, includes snowshoeing as well
The Self-Propelled Bigby
This will allow you to extend your range a bit and include birds reached by either walking, on bicycle or by canoe .... in winter skis are also usable for this category. Walking Bigby birds can be included.
... and we have added a late entrant, third category for those who would like to try it:
The Public Transport Bigby
This one has been added by public request ... so long as you travel to your walking/cycling/canoeing site by bus or by rail (but absolutely not by taxi, friend's car or plane) and return in a similar fashion then you are doing a Public Transport Bigby. Walking Bigby and Self-propelled Bigby birds can be included.
Should be enjoyable … start with your garden list (scope here for a Big Year based around birds seen while holding a glass of something alcoholic perhaps?) and simply work outwards. Just make sure that you are always travelling under your own steam.
... but also;
A Triple-B
A sponsored big day event raising money for green/wildlife etc causes must be conducted in accordance with the rules for walking or self-propelled Bigbys but in this instance it is permitted to bird in an area other than around your home so long as once you commence the count you remain entirely self-propelled throughout the day. Using public transport to arrive at the starting point is acceptable, using other means of transport is also acceptable if no other alter
If you are interested, why not register your name with Sparroworks by email and we will keep a tally and publish the results at the end of the year. It could be a lot of fun and at least we'll keep fit and polish our haloes a little in the process.
To “Bigby” is a very usable word - as in “I’m just going out Bigbying, dear” or “I added two new species to my Bigby today”.
Reporting your lists:
We want to keep things as simple as possible - after a small survey to which some of you responded, we have decided that your lists (competitive or for comparison) can be submitted in two ways ... ideally we'd like you to use both of course.
- At the simplest level, please send in your monthly and year totals using the simple form that is available at this link. As you enter data into this form you will also see at the foot of the page entries previously made by other Bigbyists. you can use the form as often as you wish, monthly entries with a running annual total would be fine if you are that organised.
- In addition - it would be really helpful to know what species you have been seeing. Micheline ("Paruline") has created a spreadsheet with all the species from all the countries in which you are Bigbying. You can download a copy here. In that, all we ask is that you enter a record for each species seen during the year and, when complete, send it to her at paruline30@yahoo.com when she will do the compilation and analysis for us
Finally, if you don't have listing software, why not collate your sightings on eBird and help citizen science?
[Visit the Sparroworks website - a shameless plug for an unfinished project]
* The term Bigby was suggested by my friend, Marcel who is taking part. There are no claims for originality from the Sparroworks, everything has been borrowed from others.
