![ayoismeisalex](/avatars/36260.jpg)
ayoismeisalex
18.03.2021 •
English
A Big Year ( SPAMMERS WILL BE REPORTED)
By Bob Kowalski
Would you go to the ends of the earth to see a bird? What if it were a really special bird: one with beautiful feathers, an entrancing call, or a silly dance? What if seeing that one special bird would allow you to win a contest?
If that contest doesn't get you on television or win you any cash prizes, would you still do it? For those who participate in the "Big Year," the honor of beating the previous record is the only reward they get or even want.
A "Big Year" is a year in which a person attempts to see as many different species of birds as possible within a particular region. For most in North America who participate in a "Big Year," this region is the lower 48 American states, plus Alaska, Canada, and a couple of French islands off the Canadian coast.
You may be thinking that looking at birds is silly, but just think about the numbers of the recent record holders and the commitment it takes to get these numbers. One recent "Big Year" winner managed to see 744 birds in one year, missing the record by just one bird. Big Year birders travel by train, plane, boat, car, bicycle, and of course, by foot. They can cover over 150 thousand miles to get numbers of sightings this high. They can also spend a small fortune.
Just to clarify, the birds these contestants are counting are the number that they see in a particular year. You see, the contest is based on an honor system. No pictures or other evidence is required as proof of a sighting. Most birders take great pride in their reputation and their abilities to see or hear and then identify a bird. Usually, important sightings of the rare birds needed to get counts in the 700s are visited by hundreds of birders. It is pretty hard to cheat your way to a record-breaking year, but in general, few are interested in cheating.
This honesty comes from the fact that most people who want to break such a record know the greatest rewards are not necessarily in winning. Such rewards are in being able to commit a year of your life to doing something you love. Rewards are found in seeing amazing, inspiring creatures like the California Condor or the Magnificent Frigate bird. Rewards also come in spending time with people who, like you, want to spend their time looking to the skies and trees for glimpses of emerald, crimson, or cerulean blue feathered jewels.
You don't have to be able to travel a continent to have a big birding experience though. Have a big month. Or a big weekend. Set a personal record, learn to identify the species that live in your part of the world, or try to learn the calls of just two species of birds. You will soon find looking at birds isn't such a strange way to spend your time.
Extra! Extra! Backyard Birding
Many schools, families, and young birders across the country participate in the "Great Backyard Bird Count." While not as long as a "Big Year," the "Great Backyard Bird Count" happens every year. It depends on birders and families across the country to watch feeders and other areas in their yards and count the number of birds they see. Unlike the "Big Year," the goal is not to see who can count the most birds. Instead, participants in this event work together to help bird experts get a good idea of how birds are doing. Participants are given checklists and enter their sightings on a website. Called a "citizen-science" project, this event is open to anyone, requires no travel, and happens every year over one weekend in February.
How are the Big Year and the Great Backyard Bird Count similar? Use details from the article and the "Extra! Extra!" section to support your answer. (10 points)
Solved
Show answers
More tips
- H Health and Medicine How to Get Pregnant Faster?...
- S Style and Beauty Lamination of Hair: How it Works and What it is?...
- C Computers and Internet Best Applications for Your iPad: Review of the Best Candidates for Installation...
- S Style and Beauty Intimate Haircut: The Reasons, Popularity, and Risks...
- A Art and Culture When Will Eurovision 2011 Take Place?...
- S Style and Beauty How to Choose the Perfect Hair Straightener?...
- F Family and Home Why Having Pets at Home is Good for Your Health...
- H Health and Medicine How to perform artificial respiration?...
- H Health and Medicine 10 Tips for Avoiding Vitamin Deficiency...
- F Food and Cooking How to Properly Cook Buckwheat?...
Answers on questions: English
- E English Four friends own a car wash. the total profit in the first month was $438$438. in two months, each of the friends had made a profit of $184$184. they always divide the profits equally....
- E English What prompts the two frenchmen to cross the frontline of the war...
- E English In “civil peace,” jonathan observes what happens to another man who is robbed of his egg-rasher by a thief in a crowd. after the victim loudly protests the theft, how do the other...
- E English The speaker wishes to become a lyre — a. so that the wind blowing through his strings can make beautiful sounds b. because he despairs of finding words and wants only to make music...
- E English Which of the following is a true statement? a. a narrative essay often cites other sources. b. a narrative essay likely uses formal language. c. a narrative essay is often written...
- E English 2. the bolded words in the following passage are supporting details. today we took a train to new york. we saw the united nations, yankee stadium, and rockefeller center. what question...
- E English Click on the subordinating conjunctions. until when after accordingly although meanwhile because therefore though where before and than so since...
- E English In this excerpt from act ii of shakespeare’s macbeth, which figure of speech is used in the underlined words? macbeth: is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle toward...
- E English Me asap read the excerpt from land for free. tomorrow is a very important day for our family. as you know, the name bauer is the german word for peasant. my father was a peasant,...
- E English How do you currently study for tests? what changes can you make to your study habits to do better on tests?...
Ответ:
Ответ: