Nebraska Birding Bowl

May 1 – 31, 2024

The Nebraska Birding Bowl is a free, month-long, statewide birding competition during May (Nebraska Bird Month) for all skill levels.
Gather teammates or go solo, register and record bird sightings.
Participants will be entered for a chance to win prizes, such as binoculars and a $1,000 cash prize!

How to Participate

1. Read the Nebraska Birding Bowl rules and choose a category that fits your interest.

Fledgling Flock
Backyard Birder
Dabbling Birder
Competitive Birder

2. Decide if you will compete by yourself or with a team. You can only participate on one team, and at least one adult (18 years or older) must be on a team. See the rules for more details.

3. Create an eBird account (if you don’t have one yet). See the eBird section below for tutorials.

4. Register for this FREE competition. All adult members of a team must register.

5. Go Birding! Submit checklists through eBird anytime during the month of May.

6. Share your Birding Bowl adventures with us on Facebook and Instagram! #NEBirdingBowl

Prize-winning teams will be announced via email and posted on the website and social media.

Register

Before registering, please read the rules, select a team name and one category your team is competing in. You can register anytime now through May 31. All adult members of a team must register to compete in the Nebraska Birding Bowl.

Registration is closed for the 2024 Birding Bowl

Birding Bowl Categories & Prizes

There is a category for everyone! All categories take place during the entire month of May.

Category	Minimum species to observe in May	Other requirements	Scoring and prizes²
Fledgling Flock	10	Youth group (K-12 grades) or family submit 1 bird checklist and youth drawings or descriptions of the birds observed.	Entered into a drawing for a youth birding kit.
Backyard Birder	10	Submit a minimum of 5 eBird checklists from your home. Register and attend one bird month program¹.	Entered into a drawing for a complete bird feeding setup.
Dabbling Birder	20	Submit a minimum of 5 eBird checklists with at least one location listed on the Nebraska Birding Guide map. Register and attend one bird month program¹.	Entered into drawing for a pair of Vortex Diamondback binoculars.
Competitive Birder	50	Submit eBird checklist from three or more different locations listed on the Nebraska Birding Guide map.	Teams that observe over 150 species by the end of May are entered into a drawing for the $1,000 prize. Teams that observe 100-150 species by the end of May are entered into a drawing for the $500 prize. Teams that observe 50-99 species by the end of May are entered into a drawing for bird field guides.
Any Category		Meet the minimum requirements for your selected category.	Entered into a drawing for a 2-night cabin stay at Ponca or Niobrara State Park.

1) Nebraska Bird Month programs are offered throughout the state and virtually. See the Bird Month calendar for a list of events or recorded programs here. 2) The Wild Bird Habitat Store generously donated the prizes. Audubon Great Plains donated the Fledgling Flock birding kits. 3) Parks Division has donated the 2-night cabin stay.

T-shirts

Online donations of $30 or more to the Nebraska Wildlife Conservation Fund (WCF) from April through May of 2024, will receive a limited edition Nebraska Birding Bowl t-shirt while supplies last.

Donations support projects like the conservation of important bird habitats, and a variety of at-risk and nongame bird research and monitoring projects. The following projects were supported by the WCF:

Harris’s Sparrow research Download

Northern Saw-whet Owl migration projectDownload

T-shirt design by Brady Karg, Audubon