Missisquoi’s World Migratory Bird Day “Big Weekend Challenge"

29 Tabor Rd,Swanton VT 05488

15 May, 2021

Description

Last year our Migratory Bird Day events were canceled due to COVID-19. This year, we are adapting by introducing our Big Weekend Challenge! Last year our annual World Migratory Bird Day festivities needed to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Sadly, we lost a year of our long-term data. This year, we are adapting and changing they way we usually hold our event, and we really need your help! Instead of guided group walks and boat excursions, we are introducing our Big Weekend Challenge. We invite you to come and independently help us document the birds present on the refuge. Here’s how to participate: 1. Visit the refuge trails and/or waterways anytime from sunrise to sunset on Saturday and Sunday. For a map of trails and water access points please visit the Missisquoi NWR website. 2. Record your all your bird sightings via eBird to any of the refuge’s hotspots and share your lists with our eBird account (MNWRBirdDay) which allows us to have a record of your data. The more you bird and contribute, the better our data will be. To get you motivated, the Friends of Missisquoi NWR will be awarding a number of awards for different categories of participation, so the more time you spend looking and recording (and the more data you collect for WMBD), the more chances you have to win. Don’t forget to bring your camera along to qualify you for some of the photography prizes! Our goal will be to see if we can beat our record of 113 species for WMBD. Please register here, or send us your contact information, so we can contact prize winners! If you are unfamiliar with eBird, please visit this video for a great tutorial on how to submit your sightings right from your smartphone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvYYeDd05TQ Come out and enjoy Missisquoi NWR as the birds return to the refuge and help make this a successful weekend of data collection. As you participate as a citizen scientist for the refuge, please be sure to follow all current COVID-19 guidelines, stay on the open trails and waterways, and be careful not to venture into any of the restricted areas. ***Please note the Jeep Trail will be closed at this time of year, but Mac’s Bend Road will be open for walking. (event photo credit: USFWS)