Press Releases

Cornell Team Looking to Bounce Back in World Series of Birding

May 28, 2006

May 2006, Ithaca, NY--Can you say "redemption?" The annual World Series of Birding is coming up again May 13, and Team Sapsucker from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is looking to bounce back into contention after a fourth-place finish last year. During this so-called "Big Day," teams travel the length and breadth of New Jersey, using sight and sound to tally their list of species over a 24-hour period. The Cornell crew is taking aim at the birding triple crown: highest species count, highest count for an out-of-state team, and most money raised for conservation. Team co-captain and Lab director John Fitzpatrick says, "We faltered a bit last year, even though we raised $147,000 for conservation. It made all of us really hungry and now we're going into it with a new level of intensity and focus!"

Supporters pledge an amount of their choosing for each species identified during the event. All the funds raised this year will be used to expand eBird, (www.ebird.org), an online program that allows users to record their bird observations electronically at any time and explore data from across North America. With funds from Big Day pledges eBird will be expanded to include Central and South America, collecting baseline data needed to support conservation for species in trouble such as the Cerulean Warbler and the Painting Bunting.

Every penny pledged goes toward this conservation goal because once again all expenses for Team Sapsucker are being underwritten by long-time sponsor Swarovski Optik. Each person who pledges gets a chance to win a pair of top-rated Swarovski binoculars. Anyone pledging 50 cents or more per species will receive a Team Sapsucker microfiber lens cloth. All pledges of $1 or more per species will receive a Team Sapsucker tote bag. Co-captain John Fitzpatrick will make a personal call from the field to anyone who pledges $5 or more per species.

To find out more or to make a pledge, visit www.birds.cornell.edu./wsb or call (800) 843-2473.