The challenge you’ve known and loved since it began in 2009 is back!
Birds nest in the craziest places–from tiny ledges on skyscrapers to the grill in your neighbor’s yard. Whether you find a robin’s nest on a statue or a hummingbird’s nest on wind chimes, your picture, video, poem or artwork of a bird nest in a funky place can win big in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Funky Nests in Funky Places contest. With nesting season underway, this contest is challenging everyone to get outside and observe nature even in the most unexpected places.
Entries are starting to come in: nests in freezers, helmets, bike seats, mailboxes, fuel trucks, coffee cans, duct tape, on water skis, and more!
Entries may be photos, videos, artwork, poems, or stories. You don’t have to be a bird expert or an expert photographer. It’s a wonderful excuse to get outside!
All ages are welcome to participate as individuals or with a class, community center, or afterschool program. We are accepting entries from anywhere in the world.
A huge thanks to Fujifilm Digital Cameras and Optical Devices, Celestron, and Pennington. We have fantastic prizes: binoculars, cameras, bird feeders, an iPad, and more.
Entry deadline is June 15
Find more information about how to locate nests, approach nests without disturbing the birds, and enter the contest at www.funkynests.org. In Spanish: www.nidoschiflados.org
In this issue: Mini-grants announced, the Great Backyard Bird Count, No Bird Left Behind challenge recognized entries, and we want your events!
Stay informed by joining our eNewsletter. Please make sure that you select the Celebrate Urban Birds check box!
February 5, 2013
GBBC Coming Soon: Share Resources in Spanish!
Celebrate Urban Birds has been working hard to get folks involved in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count this year! It is a fun, free, family-friendly way to discover and help birds! Please help us bring the GBBC/Contando Aves en Comunidad to people who have never had the opportunity to participate in programs like this before. You can share the GBBC Spanish version of the website (instructions to participate, how to enter data and frequently asked questions at “Contando Aves en Comunidad”(www.contandoaves.org).
You can also download a Spanish press release in PDF to share with your Spanish speaking friends here:
We received a wonderful response to our 2013 mini-grant invitation. Thank you! It’s really exciting to see such creativity and so many varied organizations across all geographical areas thinking about urban birds, conservation, and the arts.
Our 2013 winners are:
1. Teen Outreach Program – PPGNW, Shelton WA
2. George Junior Republic UFSD, Freeville NY
3. Branch Brook School, Newark NJ
4. Friends of Haffen Park, Bronx NY
5. La Joven Guardia del Teatro Latino/ La LIGA, Syracuse NY
6. Sunshine Arts, Upper Darby PA
7. Groundwork Lawrence, Lawrence MA
8. Camp Winnebago, Caledonia MN
9. Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica/Peace Corps Mexico, Puebla MX
10. Leaders for the World, Inc, San Juan PR
11. Asociación Pro-Juventud y Comunidad Bo. Palmas, Inc., Cataño PR
12. The Shack Neighborhood House, Pursglove, WV
13. Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind/Birding by ear, Dearborn MI
In this issue: Mini-grants offered, Latino Youth Summit, remote internships for underserved youth, No Bird Left Behind challenge, and check out our new website!!
Evaristo helped us create a wonderful pamphlet highlighting how he became a scientist through the arts. The pamphlet also highlights 5 focal species of birds — so that you can start sending us your observations!
Please download the pamphlet to learn specific things you can do to participate in the Celebrate Urban Birds citizen science activity and other fun things you can do to get to know and help birds in your neighborhood.
