Space Coast Birding and Flyway Festival     Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival

November 7-11, 2001 in Brevard County, Florida

A celebration of birds and wildlife.

     Pelican

2000 Birding Competition Rules & Categories

The following are the rules under which all Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival birding participants will comply. The rules are in fundamental accord with Big Day Count rules established by the American Birding Association (ABA). ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BE FAMILIAR AND WILLING TO COMPLY WITH ALL OF THE COMPETITION RULES. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of any team.

  1. Teams

    1. There are two broad categories under which team may register, Competitive and Non-Competitive.

    2. Competitive teams will consist of three Adult Divisions (Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginners) and two Youth Divisions (12 & Under and 13 to 18 Years).

      The following is a suggestive guideline for setting up an adult team:

      1. Advanced: each team member should have more than five years of active birding experience.
      2. Intermediate: each team member should have three to five years experience.
      3. Beginners: all or most team members should have less than three years birding experience.

      Team makeup is a Team, not a Committee decision. Each Adult Team must select the Division they wish to compete in based on

      1. the experience level of the team members, and
      2. the prizes they wish to compete for.

      The Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Committee will not make this decision for the team, nor will the Committee monitor the teams for compliance with these guidelines. The Divisions are intended to allow more equal competition between the participants and increase the opportunities for distribution of prizes.

      Youth Teams will be divided by age and all individuals on the team should conform to the age requirements. At the discretion of a team, a youth may compete in a higher division. In other words, a 12-year-old may compete in the 13 to 18-year-old division or any adult division. But, a 18-year-old cannot move to the 12 & under division.

    3. All Competitive Teams must pay the registration fee and are eligible for prizes in the Division they register under.

    4. Non-Competitive Teams are not required to pay a registration fee but must complete the registration process. They will follow the same competition rules and guidelines as competitive teams; however, they will not be eligible for prizes. In lieu of prizes, Noncompetitive Teams will be awarded a Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Certificate of Participation which will include the teams name and total number of species identified.

  2. Counting

    1. Only full species as defined by the American Birding Association (ABA) Checklist of the Birds of the Continental United States and Canada (5th edition 1996) may be counted. Acceptability of species not on the official Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Checklist ("Festival Checklist" provided to all entries) will be determined by the Festival Birding Competition Judges. Judges decisions will be final.
    2. A species may be counted only if conclusively identified by sight or sound by two or more members of the team in a single observation event. A species identified by a singe team member may not be counted
    3. A bird identified only as one of a group of similar species may be counted if no other species in that group is also counted. The most common "species groups" are indicated on the Festival Checklist. They include, for example, "Greater Scaup - Lesser Scaup- Scaup Species." If Scaup Species is counted, then neither Greater nor Lesser Scaup may be counted.
    4. Birds counted must be alive, wild, and unrestrained. Sick or injured birds may be counted. Eggs do not count as birds.
    5. Electronic or recorded bird calls may NOT be used to attract birds or entice them to vocalize during the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Birding Competition or while scouting prior to the event.
    6. The team species count must be recorded and submitted on a copy of the Festival Checklist. Lists submitted in other forms will not be accepted for judging.

  3. Time

    1. The Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Competition begins Saturday, November 11, 2000, at 5:00 a.m. and ends Sunday, November 12, 2000 at 10:00 a.m.. This will allow twenty-nine hours of birding. All tallies will be turned in at the check-in station at Brevard Community College, Titusville Campus, by 11:30 a.m. November 12, 2000.

  4. Geographic Area

    1. Only birds seen in Brevard County may be counted.
    2. Birds seen in, on, or above a body of water which defines the county line (St. Johns River, Sebastian River or Sebastian Inlet) may be counted providing the observers are standing in Brevard County and looking no further than midway across the body of water.
    3. Birds seen directly offshore from the Brevard County coastline may be counted.
    4. Teams may begin and end their route anywhere in Brevard County provided that forms are turned in as specified in Part III.

  5. Travel

    1. Any type of vehicle may be used except aircraft and air boats. Note, personal water craft, (jet skies) and air boats are not permitted within the boundary of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge or Canaveral National Seashore.
    2. Team members must remain at distances which permit direct, unamplified voice contact at all time. Voice contact is defined as shouting distance. Electronic voice transmission is prohibited.
    3. All members of Adult Division teams are required to travel in the same vehicle. Participants in the Youth Divisions are not required to travel in the same vehicle as long as there is compliance with Rule V B.

  6. Participants

    1. Teams must consist of a minimum of three with a maximum of four members.
    2. Any number of non-birding participants may travel with 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 not a team member may not assist in the location or identification of birds.

  7. Conduct

    1. All team members and non-birding participants must comply with the ABA Code of Birding Ethics at all times. A copy of the ABA Code of Birding Ethics is included in the information packet with the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Birding Competition Rules. At the sole discretion of the Judges, verified violations of these codes and rules may be cause for disqualification of a counted species or the entire team.
    2. Particular attention is drawn to Article 1 of the ABA Code regarding avoidance or disturbance of habitat, nesting and other sensitive sites, and rare, threatened, or endangered species (several are present in Brevard County); and to Article 2 regarding observance of laws and private property rights. Please note Florida is a "private property" state and trespass is considered a serious offense.
    3. All team members and non-birding participants must remain within voice contact of all other members at all times (see Rule V B).
    4. Each of the members of the team must count only birds personally and unquestionably identified.
    5. All team members and non-birding participants must read, understand, and agree to comply with the rules of the competition before the event.
    6. No team may intentionally flush or drive into hiding any bird to prevent another team from finding it.

  8. Outside Information

    1. 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 are not permitted.
    2. Exceptions to Rule VIII. A: The bird sighting sheets at National Wildlife Refuges and other locations where bird sighting sheets are regularly found maybe referenced during the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Birding Competition provided that the information appearing on the sheet has not been prearranged.
    3. Any information received prior to the count may be used during the count.

  9. Scoring

    1. Counting must cease at 10:00 a.m. on November 12, 2000, no matter where in Brevard County the team is located at that time. At 10:00 a.m., each team is required to seal their completed Festival Checklist in the official envelope provided and sign it, verifying that they have completed their count and abided by all official rules. No alterations or corrections may be made after the envelope has been sealed.
    2. All teams competing in the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Birding Competition must submit their totals in the sealed official envelop in person to officials at the check-in station by 11:30 a.m. on November 12, 2000. Teams that fail to meet the 11:30 a.m. deadline will forfeit one bird from their Official Total for every full five minute period that they are late.
    3. All species preceded by a red diamond on the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Checklist and all species not listed on the official checklist must be documented on the FOS Documentation Forms provided. Documentation and illustration of species must be completed by team members. The deadline for written documentation will be the time at which the checklists are handed in. Undocumented birds will not be accepted.
    4. In the event of a tie, the following rules will apply. If a tie occurs for first place, first and second place prizes and honors will be divided. If a tie occurs for second place, second and third place prizes and honors will be divided. If a tie occurs for third, the third place prizes and honors will be split between the teams as equally as possible.

  10. Protest

    1. Any team or Official of the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival may lodge a formal written complaint for a rule infraction with the Judges. The protest must be received by the Judges no later than 11:30 a.m. November 12, 2000. The team the protest is lodged against will be offered an opportunity for rebuttal. The Judges are empowered to delete suspect birds from the team's list or disqualify a team based on the information available the day of the judging. The Judge's decision will be final.

  11. Eligibility, Fees, and Deadlines

    1. A registration fee of $100.00 to enter the competition must be paid by or in behalf of each team on or before November 1, 2000. The fee for registration received after November 1, 2000 will be $150.00 per team. No registrations will be accepted after 3:00 p.m. November 10, 2000.
    2. All participants, including all team members and those accompanying team members, must sign, date and submit a Release and Hold Harmless Agreement prior to the competition. The Release and Hold Harmless Agreement is required for both Competitive and Noncompetitive Teams. Copies of this Agreement may be found in this information packet.
    3. Registration fees and release and hold harmless agreements may be mailed or delivered to Neta Harris, 2000 S. Washington Ave., Titusville, FL. 32780, Phone 321-268-5224 by November 8, 2000. After November 8, 2000, registration fees and release and hold harmless agreements may be delivered to the Festival registration desk at Brevard Community College, Titusville Campus. No registrations will be accepted after 3:00 p.m. November 10, 2000.
    4. Individuals who fail to comply with these rules have no standing as participants, cannot win or receive prizes, and their team will be disqualified.


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