Société Duvetnor
Lire la nature
La Maison de l'astronomie
Club des ornithologues de la Gaspésie
90 years of birding in Quebec
Bird Protection Quebec celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2007. To mark the occasion, we invited birders to participate in our Big Year of Birding, a celebration of our history as one of North America's oldest birding organizations and our way of thanking Quebecers for their contribution to our success. The event took the form of contests in which Quebec residents and/or members of Bird Protection Quebec competed for valuable prizes while pitting their birding skills and knowledge against other birders.
We designed the event and selected the contest categories in such a way as to appeal to everyone, from the seasoned to the backyard birder.
Participants were invited to compete as individuals, or in teams of up to four people, in as many categories as they wished. All birds counted must have been seen within the boundaries of the province of Quebec in 2007.
Winners in each category were awarded prizes, with the most significant prize going to the winner of the Big Year (18+ category).
The contest categories
The Big Year The grand prize went to the person or team recording the greatest number of bird species in 2007. Second and third place prizes will also be awarded in this category.
The Big Year (17 and under category) A special prize was awarded to an individual junior birder (defined as anyone aged 17 or under as at January 1, 2007) recording the greatest number of bird species in 2007. Teams are not eligible to compete in this category.
The Big Month Each month, a prize was awarded to the individual or team recording the most bird species during that month. Participants were encouraged to enter as many of the monthly events as they wished, keeping in mind that no single birder or team could win more than one of the monthly prizes during the year.
The Big Day A significant prize was awarded to the person or team recording the highest number of species in any single 24-hour period (midnight to midnight), during 2007. A special achievement award will be presented to anyone surpassing the current Quebec record of 166 species.
The Big Sit A prize was awarded to the individual or team recording the greatest number of species at any single, static location of their choice anywhere in Quebec during a one-hour period on the Victoria Day weekend (May 19-21, 2007). Observers had to stay within a 12-foot diameter circle of their selected location during the entire one-hour period. A special achievement award will be presented to anyone surpassing the current Big Sit record of 46 species.
Most New Lifers A prize was awarded to the individual adding the greatest number of new species to their "Life List" during the year. Teams were not eligible to compete in this category. This category was designed to appeal to novice birders who currently have a short Life List. More experienced birders were automatically handicapped by virtue of their experience.
The Backyard Bird List A prize was awarded to the individual or team of family members recording the greatest number of species on the property on which they resided during 2007. Competitors with more than one Quebec-based residence were asked to designate a specific one for the purpose of this competition.
Photography Contest Each month, special recognition was given for the best bird-themed photograph submitted for that particular month. All levels of photographers were invited to participate in this contest. Selected by a panel of judges on the basis of originality and execution, the photographs are displayed on our website and reproduced in our newsletter (copyright to be retained by the photographer). The twelve monthly winners were then be eligible to win first, second or third prize in the Photograph of the Year category.