Prize Winners for Birds are Back Celebrity Challenge

An Ipswich Sparrow on Sable Island.  Photo by Zoe Lucas.

Note: When an experienced birder was in close contention for a prize, we leant towards giving the prizes to the inexperienced. 

We had a limit of one prize per participant.

Prize Winners:

1. Getting the Point(s) Prize: Heather MacLeod, (17.5 points.)

“I think I'm a diehard birder now!” –Heather MacLeod.

This prize is for the birder who gets the most points based on the points system in the bird list.
   

2.  Not Getting the Point(s) Prize:  Allen Richardson, NS Power. (Thanks for being such a great sport, your efforts are greatly appreciated!)

This prize is for the birder who gets the least points based on the point system in the bird list.
   

3. The Birder with the Most Prize: Joanne Bernard, Alice Housing. (11 species from the list.)

“I must say that for a city girl who hates anything to do with outside and nature, I really enjoyed this and I am glad I tried something outside of my comfort zone.  I even bought a couple of birdfeeders and now enjoy them on my deck…” –Joanne Bernard

This prize is for the birder who tallies the most species on the list, but not necessarily the most points.
   

4. The Birder with the Least Prize: Costas Halavrezos, Maritime Noon, CBC. (It was a tight race. Thanks for all the support.)

“I know there are loons in Lake Micmac… but perversely, they've stayed out of sight when I've been there. And after all these years of lovingly caring for their likenesses on the one dollar coin...some gratitude.” –Costas Halavrezos

This prize is for the birder who tallies the fewest species on the list, but not necessarily the least points.
   

6.  The Longest Spring List Prize: Sandy Greenburg, Razzmatazz. (41 species in total.)

This prize is for the birder who sees the most species. We encourage birders to keep a list of all the birds they see, not just the 20 on the list.
   

7.  CO2 not for U Prize: Nick Wilkinson, Gypsophelia. (Nick biked over 300 km during the challenge and saw most of his birds on his biking ventures.)

The birder with the smallest carbon footprint.
   

8.  The Dubious Twitcher Prize: Phlis McGregor, Arts reporter, CBC. (Phlis had some tough competition from John Dunsworth, but counting birds at the Museum takes the cake.)

The birder with the most dubious sightings.
   

 9. The Extreme Birder Prize: John Allen, Propeller Brewery.

“It was a fantastic trip and made all the more interesting by my new found pastime (though since I did my best work sitting on a raft with a beer in hand, I think it was still technically “bird watching” as opposed to birding).” -John Allen talking about his rafting trip down the Colorado River.

The birder who went to the most extreme lengths without ruffling any feathers.  

10.  The Photography Prize: Andrew Younger, HRM Councilor & Zoe Lucas, Sable Island.

The birder who takes the best picture of a bird during the Challenge.
   

11. The For Our Birds Prize: Susan Leblanc-Crawford, Zuppa Circus. 
Susan's efforts during the challenge included:

• talking all the time about the challenge
• becoming a member of the EAC
• sending a message about the challenge, with links to the EAC's website and the list of things people can do to help the birds, to the Zuppa Circus Facebook group's 723 members!
• posting info on the Zuppa Circus Facebook group, and the Zuppa Circus website
•  writing to her MLA

 “Thanks so much for asking me to be a part of the challenge! It has been really great, and I am totally excited to continue birding and to learning more about birds in Nova Scotia. I had a great time watching and marveling at the diversity of the species.”
–Susan Leblanc Crawford.

The birder who does something for the birds during the Challenge.

Thanks to Mountain Equipment Co-op, The Museum of Natural History, The Fairbanks Centre, Just Us Coffee Roasters Cooperative, Planet Organic, For The Birds Nature Shop, The Foxy Moon Hair Gallery, Frank Taussig and Councillor Dawn Sloane for their generous donations of the prizes.