dmark@cs.Buffalo.EDU (David Mark) (07/29/89)
THE "BIG MINUTE"
Have you got some spare time in a good birding area? Do you like listing,
but can't take it too seriously? Or, are you a serious lister wanting to
relax a little? Do you like challenges? Then try a BIG MINUTE!!
The idea of the "BIG MINUTE" is to try to observe (see and/or hear) as
many species as possible within a 60-second period. (Unlike the
"Big Year" and the "Big Day", the "Big Minute" does not have to
be a "calendar minute", since most people's watches are not set
that precicely!). Other standard listing rules would apply, so birds
must be "wild and unrestrained" when observed (no zoo lists for this
category!!).
The current record is 22 species, set by me on June 1 1983 at Oak
Hammock Marsh in southern Manitoba ("The Pettingell Book of Birding
Records,", p. 129). I thought that I would be able to observe
quite a few more than this. I had two telescopes, and a non-listing
companion to keep time and write down the birds I called out. I set up
each scope on a different group of shorebirds. After calling the birds
in each scope, I scanned the marsh for others. In the first couple of
"Big Minutes" that day, I discovered that I did not hear any of the
birds singing in the trees behind me. So, I asked my friend to give me
a ten-seconds-left warning, so that I could listen for a few more. I
tried 5 separate minutes over a half hour. The best was 22, the combined
list of all 5 was about 35, and the total species observed over the 30
minutes was 44.
Is 22 good? Was I doing something wrong? Is a marsh edge the best
habitat? Would a winter duck spot be better? Why not try it and
send me your results! There will be a new edition of "The Pettingell
Book" soon, and I can pass the record along.
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David Mark, Geography, SUNY at Buffalo
dmark@cs.buffalo.edu