The Birding Cup
Annual Fundraising Event

(awards ceremony to follow immediately at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center)

Download a checklist of bird species in Pennsylvania.

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 Millbrook Marsh Nature Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

The Cup selects winning teams in three categories. The Birding Cup goes to the team that identifies the most species overall. The County Cup goes 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.

Our fund-raising goal for the 2008 Birding Cup is $14,000. 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.

Rules and Guidelines of the Competition

The Birding Cup is our annual fundraising 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

1. 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.
2. In addition to the Birding Cup, teams may compete for the County Cup (see rule III b. for more details) or the "Potter Mug" if the team has more than half of its members with fewer than two years bird watching experience. New this year is non-motorized category which teams compete for "Birding Boot" by spending 24 hours walking, biking, or paddling search of birds. Teams in this category may use a vehicle before the count begins and travel to the finish line after the counting has stopped.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Participants may join the team throughout the day, as long as the birds sighted and recorded are in accordance with the counting rule IV g. 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 2, and 7:00 p.m., May 3, 2008—twenty-four hours. To allow for out of county travel, all teams must turn in their checklist by 7:30 p.m. Saturday to be official and to enjoy food and good company.

Friday, May 2, 7:00 p.m.—Start counting!

Saturday, May 3, 8:30 a.m.—Coffee and tea available throughout the day at Shaver's Creek

7:30 p.m.—Turn in checklist at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center, on Puddintown Road, State College

7:00–9:00 p.m.—Share stories, review the checklist, eat pizza and snacks, and award the Cups!

III. Geographic Area

1. Only birds recorded in the following counties will count: Clearfield, Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Juniata, Huntingdon, and Blair.
2. 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.
3. Teams may begin their route anywhere in the count area, but must finish counting promptly at 7:00 p.m. Saturday and return to Millbrook Marsh Nature Center by 7:30 p.m.

IV. Counting

1. Count only full species as indicated by the current checklist.
2. 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.
3. Introduced or reintroduced species may be counted providing they appear on the current checklist.
4. Birds counted must be alive, wild, and unrestrained. Sick or injured birds may be counted. Birds in cages or eggs do not count.
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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

1. 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.
2. Team members must remain at distances that permit direct, unamplified voice contact at all times. Voice contact is defined as shouting distance.
3. 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

1. Team members must remain within voice contact of all other members at all times.
2. Team members must count only birds personally and unquestionably identified.
3. Team members must be familiar with the rules of the competition before the event.
4. 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 http://www.americanbirding.org/abaethics.htm
5. 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

1. 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.
2. 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!

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 fundraiser, teams are encouraged to solicit their own donations to The Birding Cup. In lieu of an entry fee, each team is asked to solicit its own donations.

To enter a team, please contact Doug Wentzel, Birding Cup team coordinator, at 814-863-2000 or djw105@psu.edu to enter a team.

Download a printable Birding Cup Pledge Sheet.

Download a checklist of bird species in Pennsylvania.

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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 $180 during last year's Cup.

Contributors may also choose to donate to a particular team. This is relevant, since one of our award categories is for 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. If you would like to make a donation online, click here. On the second screen, choose "Shaver's Creek" from the drop-down menu to designate your gift to us, and then write "Birding Cup" in the "Additional Information" line. 

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.

Cup Sponsors:

• Collegiate Pride
• Dix Honda
• Wiscoy for Animals
• Mt. Nittany Wheelworks

Food Donors:

• Pepsi Co.
• CiCi's Pizza
• Honey Baked Ham Company
• Roly Poly
• WalMart
• Weis Markets
• Subway of State College
• Giant Foods

Prize Donors:

• Appalachian Outdoors
• The Bicycle Shop
• The Cheese Shoppe
• Freeze Thaw Cycles
• Kitchen Kaboodle
• Mt. Nittany Wheelworks
• Nature's Pantry
• Tadpole Crossing
• Thames Fine Arts & Framing
• Webster's Book Store
• Wild Side Pets
• Wiscoy for Animals

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2008 Cup Results

• 2008 Birding Cup teams identified 171 species
• Champions: Wing Nuts—142 species
  ()
• County Cup: Huntingdon Hawkeyes—123 species
  ()
• Potter Mug: Nasal Bristles—115 species
  ()
• The Birding Boot: Timberdoodles—40 species
  ()
• Most birds identified by a single team—144

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
  (Josh 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

Species identified in 2008 included:

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Previous Cups

Winners of The Birding Cup
(for teams that identified the most bird 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)

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)

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)

2008 Timberdoodles (40 species)
2007 Vagrants (94 species)