Announcement: June Challenge

Please see the note below from Travis Blunden at Wings Over Florida and The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. If you are interested in participating in this activity, follow the directions below. This is not being provided by Space Coast Audubon Society, we are just making you aware of this opportunity. (Note that the Event goes through the whole month of June.) See the Report Out Meetup Announcement in late June.

As a bonus this year there will be a prize for the most bird species seen in Brevard County by a Space Coast Audubon Society member. The winner will receive two tickets to the Brevard Zoo at the SCAS September Membership Meeting on September 15th (or mailed to you if you can’t make the meeting). To qualify you must be a SCAS Member and have submitted your results to the June Challenge Website.

The June Challenge begins on Thursday, June 1.

This year the Florida June Challenge has been adopted by Wings Over Florida and The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. We have created a webpage on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail website for the June Challenge. Here we have the rules, the history, and soon will have an online submission form for your checklist. [Go to the Webpage](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffloridabirdingtrail.com%2Fjune-challenge%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C19e6582857334a083ddd08da3e93714b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637891100224581482%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8Vj7qIWaV6UCsOrDzBanrIQkbVwaAYXYnLvW7sYLr0Y%3D&reserved=0).

The June Challenge is a friendly competition designed to keep us birding through the summer heat while non-birders retreat indoors and miss all the fun. The aim of the competition is for each individual contestant to see as many species as possible within the boundaries of his or her county between June 1st and June 30th.

Rules for the Challenge:

1. Count only birds found within a single county, ideally the one you live in. Explore your home turf and find some new birding spots. (Doing more than one county is permissible, but each must be reported separately.)
2. Each bird on your list must be seen, not just heard. There have been complaints in the past about the no-heard-birds rule. The most substantial objection involved the possibility that secretive birds would be harassed until they came into view. Simply put – Don’t do that! Respect the birds. Use tapes judiciously and avoid harassment. Rely on patience and birding skill.
3. Share your unusual bird sightings with others. It is, after all, a friendly competition. You’ll be competing with birders in your own county to see who can amass the longest individual list, but let the others know if you find something good so they can go out and look for it.
4. Any free-flying bird is countable for the purposes of the Challenge but keep track of how many ABA-countable and non-countable species are on your list. Report them in this format: “Total number of species seen (number that are ABA countable / number that are not),” e.g., 115 (112 / 3). If your local population of an exotic species is recognized as established by the ABA, then any member of that population is an ABA-countable bird. Otherwise put it on your non-countable list.

Hints for new Challengers: Bird as much as you can during the first and last weeks of the month, to get late spring and early fall migrants. Those of you in landlocked counties, check your big lakes for coastal strays like gulls, terns, and pelicans.

And remember! The deadline for results is midnight on Monday, July 3rd. Please be sure to send your results in by the deadline in order to be counted! [Go to the Webpage](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffloridabirdingtrail.com%2Fjune-challenge%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7C19e6582857334a083ddd08da3e93714b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637891100224581482%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8Vj7qIWaV6UCsOrDzBanrIQkbVwaAYXYnLvW7sYLr0Y%3D&reserved=0).