The Birding Cup
Annual Fundraising Event
Shaver's Creek's very own Bad Optics team took the 2011 Birding Cup title with 137 species seen! See below for more details.
May 4–5, 2012
7:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
(Awards ceremony to follow immediately at Shaver's Creek)
(The Birding Cup runs concurrently with the Native Plant Festival on Saturday.)
| Team Entries | Donations | 2011 Cup Results | Previous Cups | Rules and Guidelines |
The Birding Cup
The Birding Cup, Shaver's Creek's annual fund-raising tournament, is a contest among teams of birders to identify the most number of bird species in a twenty-four-hour period in the central Pennsylvania region (Huntingdon, Centre, and adjoining counties). Teams must compete based on a set of Birding Cup Rules, and the winning teams are awarded with their prizes immediately following the contest at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center in Petersburg, Pennsylvania.
The Cup selects winning teams in four categories. The Birding Cup goes to the team that identifies the most species overall. The County Cup goes to the team that finds the most species while searching in only one county. The Potter Mug is for the best team with at least half of its members who have less than two years of birding experience. The Birding Boot goes to the team that identifies the most species traveling only by nonmotorized means (walking, biking, canoeing).
Our fund-raising goal for this year's Birding Cup is $12,000. Pledges may be made per bird identified or in a single donation, and donors may choose to support a specific team. For more information, contact our office at ShaversCreek@outreach.psu.edu or by phone at 814-863-2000 or 814-667-3424.
Donors can also make secure, online donations at http://bit.ly/2012BirdingCupDonations. Team-specific donations can be noted in the “Additional Information” box at the bottom of the donation page.
*This year, for every $50 raised, registered Birding Cup teams can earn a raffle ticket toward winning a pair of Nikon ProStaff 7 8x42 binoculars donated by Nikon. Other prizes donated by Wiscoy for Animals and Lost Creek Optics will be awarded to winning teams! Raffle tickets will be distributed to teams at check-in, based on pledges raised by 7:30 p.m. on May 5, and the winner will be chosen that evening during the awards ceremony at Shaver’s Creek. Teams should decide ahead of time who in their group will take home the prize, or if they want to donate their raffle tickets to another team in need of optics.Download the official Birding Cup checklist of bird species in Pennsylvania.
Team Entries
Teams must consist of at least three members and must follow the Rules of The Birding Cup when participating. Team entries should be submitted no later than four days prior to the start.
Team entry is free; however, since this is our only annual fund-raiser, teams are encouraged to raise at least $100 in donations to The Birding Cup. Learn more about donations below. Download a printable Birding Cup Pledge Sheet.
*This year, for every $50 raised, registered Birding Cup teams can earn a raffle ticket toward winning a pair of Nikon ProStaff 7 8x42 binoculars donated by Nikon. Other prizes donated by Wiscoy for Animals and Lost Creek Optics will be awarded to winning teams! Raffle tickets will be distributed to teams at check-in, based on pledges raised by 7:30 p.m. on May 5, and the winner will be chosen that evening during the awards ceremony at Shaver’s Creek. Teams should decide ahead of time who in their group will take home the prize, or if they want to donate their raffle tickets to another team in need of optics.
To enter a team, please contact Doug Wentzel, Birding Cup Team Coordinator, at 814-863-2000 or djw105@psu.edu.
Download the official Birding Cup checklist to track bird species that you see during the Cup. This completed checklist must be submitted by 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center.
Donations
Contributions may be made as outright gifts to support The Birding Cup, or donations can be made "per bird species." In other words, you may pledge a given amount for each bird identified, so that a $1 per bird pledge would have equaled $168 during last year's Cup.
Contributors may also choose to donate to a particular team. This is relevant, since our new Nikon Binocular raffle is weighted towards the team that raises the most funds in support of the Cup. To contribute to a particular team, simply note the name of the team or the name of an individual from that team on your pledge card.
To receive a pledge card, contact us at 814-863-2000 or by e-mail at ShaversCreek@outreach.psu.edu. You may also contact the team that you are sponsoring. Donors can also make secure, online donations at: http://bit.ly/2012BirdingCupDonations. Team-specific donations can be noted in the “Additional Information” box at the bottom of the donation page.
Corporate or In-kind Donations
Companies or individuals are welcome to donate prizes, products, or services to support the Cup. To offer such support, contact us at 814-863-2000 or by e-mail at ShaversCreek@outreach.psu.edu, or write to us at 3400 Discovery Road, Petersburg, PA 16669.
2011 Cup Sponsors:
- Benjamin's Catering
- Collegiate Pride
- Dix Honda
- Wiscoy for Animals
- Lost Creek Shoe Shop
- Nikon
- Pepsi Co.
2011 Food Donors:
- Benjamin's Catering
- Pepsi Co.
- Giant Foods (Huntingdon and State College, PA)
- South Food District
2011 Prize Donors:
- Wiscoy for Animals
- Lost Creek Shoe Shop (Mifflintown, PA)
- Nikon
2010 Cup Sponsors:
2010 Food Donors:
- Benjamin's Catering
- Pepsi Co.
- Giant Foods — Huntingdon and State College
- South Food District
2010 Prize Donors:
- Wiscoy for Animals
- Subway of State College
2011 Cup Results
- 2011 Birding Cup teams identified 182 species
- Champions: Bad Optics — 137 species
(Laurie McLaughlin, Mark McLaughlin, Doug Wentzel, Matt Shumar, Rob Neitz) - County Cup: Wing Nuts — 128 species
(Jarred Woolsey, John Kevern, Jason Beale, Chris Rebert) - Potter Mug: Kingpishers — 77 species
(Kelly Triece, Lauren Heironimus, Tom Hofmann, Taylor Ritchie, JanAlex Mixon, Tori Kleinbort, Julianne Kober) - The Birding Boot: Red-rumped Irruptives — 116 species
(Mik Oyler, Joshua Potter, Jeremy Bean) - Most birds identified by a single team — 137
2010 Cup Results
- 2010 Birding Cup teams identified 168 species
- Champions: Wing Nuts — 130 species
(Jarred Woolsey, Jon Kevern, Jason Beale, Chris Rebert, Jon Smink) - County Cup: Bad Optics — 122 species
(Laurie McLaughlin, Mark McLaughlin, Doug Wentzel, Matt Shumar, Molly McDermott) - Potter Mug: Turnstones — 106 species
(Matt O'Donnell, Melissa Pardi, Clay Magill, Kris Peterson) - The Birding Boot: Red-rumped Irruptives — 97 species
(Mik Oyler, Joshua Potter, Jeremy Bean) - Most birds identified by a single team — 130
2009 Cup Results
- 2009 Birding Cup teams set a new record with 189 species identified
- Champions: Wing Nuts — 141 species
(Jarred Woolsey, Jon Kevern, Jason Beale, Chris Rebert) - County Cup: Common Loons — 140 species
(Dan Ombalski, Christina Manbeck, Mike Lanzone, Trish Miller, Phoebe Lanzone) - Potter Mug: Team Awesome — 95 species
(Natalie Cabot, Aaron Henning, Heather Ehrgood, Tim Wertz) - The Birding Boot: Red-rumped Irruptives — 103 species
(Mik Oyler, Joshua Potter, Jeremy Bean) - Most birds identified by a single team — 141
2008 Cup Results
- 2008 Birding Cup teams identified 171 species
- Champions: Wing Nuts — 142 species
(Jon Smink, Jarred Woolsey, Jon Kevern, Jason Beale, Chris Rebert) - County Cup: Huntingdon Hawkeyes — 123 species
(Greg Grove, Dave Kyler, Trudy Kyler, Deb Grove, Lewis Grove) - Potter Mug: Nasal Bristles — 115 species
(Kelsey Frey, Jon Kauffman, Brad Burford, Lucy Richardson, Ben Whittle, Milton Newberry, Parker Thompson) - The Birding Boot: Timberdoodles — 40 species
(Jessica Durle, Katie Myers, Pete and Troy) - Most birds identified by a single team — 142
2007 Cup Results
- 2007 Birding Cup teams identified 175 species
- Champions: Common Loons — 144 species
(Dan Ombalski, Dave Brandes, Mike Lanzone, Trish Miller) - County Cup: Birding the Midnight Oil — 122 species
(Tom Johnson, Lewis Grove, Deuanne Hoffman) - Potter Mug: The Phantom Inspectors — 93 species
(Paul "Palomino" Brigman, Brian "Draco" Sedgwick, Yvonne "Skeeter" Hatfield, Brad "Ursus" Perony, Matt "Perriwinkle" Iwanec, Tesha "Skye" Omeis) - The Birding Boot: Vagrants — 94 species
(Joshua Potter, Sarah Potter, Morgan Ilgen, Steve Back, Andy Back, Abbie Back) - Most birds identified by a single team — 144
2006 Cup Results
- 2006 Birding Cup Set the record of identifying 180* species
- Champions: Birding the Midnight Oil
(Tom Johnson, Lewis Grove, Deuanne Hoffman) - County Cup: Common Loons
(Dan Ombalski, Dave Brandes, Mike Lanzone, Trish Miller) - Potter Mug: Block Birds
(Adam Spangler, Seth Sechrist, Tim Wertz, Dave Burkett, Kate Hinman) - Most birds identified by a single team — 160
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Previous Cups
Winners of The Birding Cup
(for teams that identified the most bird species)
2011 Bad Optics (137 species)
2010 The Wing Nuts (130 species)
2009 The Wing Nuts (141 species)
2008 The Wing Nuts (142 species)
2007 Common Loons (144 species)
2006 Birding the Midnight Oil (160 species)
2005 Birding the Midnight Oil (134 species each)
Common Loons
The Wing Nuts
2004 Common Loons (139 species)
2003 Common Loons (129 species)
2002 Pisshed Off (137 species)
2001 Corky's Team (120 species)
2000 Pisshed Off (143 species)
1999 Pisshed Off (129 species)
1998 Corky's Team (107 species each)
Bad Optics
The County Cup
(for teams that limited their searches to one county)
2011 The Wing Nuts (128 species)
2010 Bad Optics (122 species)
2009 Common Loons (140 species)
2008 Huntingdon Hawkeyes (123 species)
2007 Birding the Midnight Oil
2006 Common Loons (140 species)
2005 Huntingdon Hawkeyes (103 species)
2004 Huntingdon Hawkeyes (116 species each)
JVAS Gnatcatchers
2003 Common Loons (129 species)
2002 JVAS Gnatcatchers (132 species)
The Potter Mug
(for teams with more than half of its members who have less than two years of birding experience)
2011 The Kingpishers (77 species)
2010 Turnstones (106 species)
2009 Team Awesome (95 species)
2008 Nasal Bristles (115 species)
2007 The Phantom Inspectors (93 species)
2006 Block Birds (96 species)
2005 Chiva Divas (82 species)
2004 Last-minute Marvels (8 species)
2003 Stinkbugs (82 species)
The Birding Boot
(for teams that do not use motorized transportation)
2011 Red-rumped Irruptives (116 species)
2010 Red-rumped Irruptives (97 species)
2009 Red-rumped Irruptives (102 species)
2008 Timberdoodles (40 species)
2007 Vagrants (94 species)
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Rules and Guidelines of the Competition
The Birding Cup is our annual fund-raising event to support educational programming, related research projects, and care for our resident hawks, eagles, and owls. Although there is no participation fee, in the spirit of the fundraiser and to help defer costs, teams are encouraged to solicit pledges and contributions to support bird related programs. In lieu of outside support, teams can simply make an in-kind donation.
The Birding Cup is awarded to the team that counts the most bird species during the 24 hours of the event. The following set of rules establishes the standards and practices under which all Birding Cup participants must comply. The rules are adapted from the Big Day Count Rules established by the American Birding Association and the World Series of Birding. All participants must be familiar with and willing to comply with all of the rules in order to compete in the Birding Cup.
I. Participants
- Teams must consist of a minimum of three individuals at all times. Submit a list of members no later than four days prior to the start, and include the level of competition (see below). Please call or e-mail Doug Wentzel with questions and to register your team at 814-863-2000 or djw105@psu.edu.
- In addition to the Birding Cup, teams may compete for the County Cup, (see rule III 2. for more details) the Potter Mug (if the team has more than half of its members with fewer than two years bird watching experience) or the Birding Boot (birding by nonmotorized means). Teams in this category may use a vehicle before the count begins and travel to the finish line after the counting has stopped.
- In the event of a team winning both the Birding Cup and another category, the second place finisher for the other category is awarded that prize. For example, a team stays within a single county yet still manages to record more species than any other team and is therefore awarded the Birding Cup. The County Cup goes to the team with the next highest tally that stayed within one county.
- Any number of nonbirding participants may join the team, but these participants may not assist the team in any way in the location or identification of birds. A designated driver who is a member may assist in the identification or location of birds, as long as they drive safely.
- Participants may join the team throughout the day, as long as the birds sighted and recorded are in accordance with the counting rule IV 7. For example, if your team started with five people, you should be tallying birds that are seen/heard by at least four team members. If you are joined by two additional members from noon–3:00 p.m., the total team members that you now have is seven. In order to count a bird during that time frame, it must be seen by 3/4 of your team members, which would be at least six members. Members joining their team during the competition should not supply the team with information gathered after the start time.
II. Event Schedule
All counting must take place between 7:00 p.m., May 4, and 7:00 p.m., May 5, 2012 — twenty-four hours. To allow for out of county travel, all teams must turn in their checklist at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center by 7:30 p.m. Saturday to be official and to enjoy food and good company.
Friday, May 4, 2012, 7:00 p.m. — Start counting!
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 8:30 a.m. — Coffee and tea available throughout the day at Shaver's Creek (as part of the Native Plant Festival)
7:00 p.m. — Stop counting.
7:30 p.m. — Turn in checklist.7:00–9:00 p.m. — Share stories, review the checklist, eat food, draw the Nikon raffle, and award the prizes!
III. Geographic Area
- Only birds recorded in the following counties will count: Clearfield, Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntingdon, and Blair.
- A team may compete for the County Cup by restricting their counting to one of the above counties. Teams should declare their intentions when they submit a list of team members four days prior to the start.
- Teams may begin their route anywhere in the count area, but must finish counting promptly at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
IV. Counting
- Count only full species as indicated by the current checklist.
- Birds must be conclusively identified by sight or sound. A bird identified as to one of a species or group (e.g., scaup either greater or lesser) may be counted as a species, if no other bird in that group appears on your list. FOR EXAMPLE: Scaup, spp. counts as one bird. Greater Scaup and scaup, sp. still counts as one bird.
- Introduced or reintroduced species may be counted providing they appear on the current checklist.
- Birds counted must be alive, wild, and unrestrained. Sick or injured birds may be counted. Birds in cages or eggs do not count.
- Electronic or recorded birdcalls may not be used to attract birds or entice them to vocalize during Birding Cup. Bird recordings may be used to help in the identification of birds and may be included among your gear; however, you may only use the recordings as a reference.
- All birds tallied must be identified by at least two members of the team. Identifications made by one team member do not count; but then again, you may have quick learners on your team!
- Any bird tallied must be seen and/or heard by at least 3/4 of the team members (all members of a 3-person team). So, if you have five members on your team, at least two people need to identify a tallied bird and at least four people have to hear and/or see the bird. It is not necessary for all team members to record the same individual bird. If three members of the team hear a Downy Woodpecker and a fourth person does not BUT manages to record another Downy Woodpecker later in the day, then Downy Woodpecker has been recorded successfully.
- To minimize disturbance to nesting, threatened and endangered species, teams that know the location of these species whose nest must be approached within flush distance to be viewed need not physically view the adults or young. Teams need only approach in relative close proximity during daylight hours, (or during the night if the species is considered nocturnal, e.g., Barred Owl) and wait for five minutes or for as long as it would have taken for all members to view young or attending adults.
V. Travel
- All vehicles except aircraft may be used. Participants are not required to travel in the same vehicle so long as they make an effort to stay together and comply with other travel rules when counting birds.
- Team members must remain at distances that permit direct, unamplified voice contact at all times. Voice contact is defined as shouting distance.
- Please travel safely and use good judgment. All teams must comply with Pennsylvania highway, biking, and boating laws. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.
VI. Conduct and Ethics
- Team members must remain within voice contact of all other members at all times.
- Team members must count only birds personally and unquestionably identified.
- Team members must be familiar with the rules of the competition before the event.
- Each participant must maintain proper birding ethics at all times and be good ambassadors. A copy of the American Birding Association Code of Ethics may be found at www.aba.org/about/ethics.html
- All teams should enjoy themselves and keep the big picture in mind — the event is designed as an educational fundraiser rather than a strict competition. Your support and good conduct is greatly appreciated.
VII. Outside Information
- Any information received prior to the count period may be used. During the competition, teams must make every reasonable effort to avoid receiving bird finding help from other sources. Phone, radio contact, and prearranged field encounters, except encounters whose purpose is to gain access or entry to private or restricted areas, are not permitted. When other birders are encountered accidentally, participants may not solicit bird finding information and should avoid receiving any information from them (unless the other team is in a good mood and feeling generous). If an accidental encounter occurs, despite all precautions and in the spirit of raising money, the team may use the information received.
- Exceptions: The bird sighting sheets at state parks, and other locations where bird sightings are regularly listed may be used.
Congratulations, you made it through the rules. Good luck and good birding!
Many of the photographs included throughout the site are © Sven Zellner. For a listing, please contact us.
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