Nebraska Birding Bowl Rules
All participants must be familiar with and comply with the Nebraska Birding Bowl rules to participate.
I. Participation
A. You can only participate on one team (excluding Fledgling Flock category) See section IV below for more team details.
B. At least one member of the team must have an eBird account. Only checklists submitted through eBird will be accepted. See the eBird tutorial section.
C. At least one adult (18 years or older) must be on a team.
D. All adult members of a team must register to compete in the Nebraska Birding Bowl. Before registering, please read the rules, and select a team name and one category your team is competing in. Registration is open from April through May 31. Register at the bottom of this page.
E. All team members must bird together and remain within direct voice contact (i.e., shouting distance) at all times while competing. You can also bird with other teams.
F. All participants must read and follow the American Birding Association code of birding ethics.
G. Participants will be contacted by email if they won a prize. They must claim the prize by July 1, 2024.
II. eBird Checklists
For eBird step-by-step instructions see the eBird tutorial section on the Birding Bowl homepage.
A. Submit all final checklists to eBird by 11:59 pm (MST) on May 31, 2024.
B. Only one person will create an eBird checklist at any given time or location. They will share checklists with the corresponding category account (see section IV below) by using the “Share w/Others in Your Party” button on the Checklist page of eBird.
- Note: If you are birding with another team, only one person needs to submit an eBird checklist while the teams are birding together. They will share the checklist(s) with everyone they are birding with and the category account(s).
C. Include your team name in the “Comments” section of each eBird checklists. If you are birding with another team, please make sure to their team name in the comments too.
D. Only add birds you can positively identify. It is ok to leave off birds if you are unsure what species it is. If you know it is a specific type of bird, you can add just the type (e.g., shorebird sp., sparrow sp.).
- Merlin Bird ID is a helpful tool for suggesting what birds are present based on best matches for a sound it processes. However, these are only suggestions. Please only include the birds you are able to independently verify yourself preferably through visual observations on your eBird checklists.
- Note: It can be helpful to take photos or sound recordings of the bird you are observing. Then you can refer back to them as you look through field guides and other resources to accurately identify the species.
F. If you add a species to your checklist that eBird flags as rare, you will need to provide additional documentation in the form of either photos, sound recordings, or a written description by using the “Add Details” button. This additional documentation must be added to your eBird checklist before June 1.
- If a bird is flagged by eBird as rare, you will likely get an email from the dedicated eBird volunteers asking for additional information. This is part of the normal eBird review protocol for rare birds. Including your photos or sound recordings of the rare bird in your eBird checklist can greatly help the review process.
G. After your team submits their last competition checklist, one person from each team will create an eBird Trip Report. This will include all of the team’s competition checklists and additional information in the narrative (see section IV for more details). Trip reports must be emailed to ngpc.birdingbowl@nebraska.gov by June 6, 2024.
III. Birds Counted
A. Birds counted must be wild, unrestrained, and alive.
B. Only full species can be counted (e.g., Dark-eyed Junco). Subspecies are not accepted (e.g., White-winged Junco). For a comprehensive list of acceptable full species see the most current American Ornithological’s Union checklist.
C. A bird identified as a group (e.g., gull, scaup, yellowlegs sp.) may be counted as a species if no other bird in that group appears on your list. For example, yellowlegs sp. counts as one bird. Greater Yellowlegs and yellowlegs sp. still count as just one bird species.
IV. Additional Category Requirements and Scoring
Fledgling Flock
This category is for youth groups (K-12 grades), such as afterschool programs, scouts, camps, families. Teams consists of one or more youth and at least one adult (18 years or older).
If you participate in the Fledgling Flock category, you may also register to participate on one other team (can be a different category; e.g., a teacher can lead a class team and register to participate on a dabbling birder team with their family).
Teams requirements:
1) Observe ten different species.
2) An adult will record the birds observed on one bird checklist. It is strongly recommended to use eBird, but this is not a requirement for the Fledgling Flocks.
3) Have youth group create artwork (e.g., drawing) or write about the birds they observed.
4) Email a copy of your bird checklist or a link to your eBird checklists to ngpc.birdingbowl@nebraska.gov along with a photo of the youth’s bird art or story. Please put in the email subject: “Your Team Name– Fledgling Flock.”
Scoring: Each team that completes the Fledgling Flock requirements will be entered into a drawing for a youth birding kit.
Helpful Resources:
Recorded educator webinar for the Birding Bowl
Backyard Birder
A team consists of members of one household.
Throughout May teams must:
1) Observe ten different species from your home.
2) Attend one Nebraska Bird Month program1.
3) Submit a minimum of five eBird checklists from your home. Write your team name in the comments section of each checklist. Share checklists with the “NEBirdingBowl-backyard” account.
4) After your team submits their last competition checklist, one person from each team will compile an eBird Trip Report that includes:
- All of your team’s competition checklists.
- In the Trip Report Narrative, write your team name, the names of everyone on your team, the name of the bird month program you attended, and something you learned from that program.
- Email the link to the trip report to ngpc.birdingbowl@nebraska.gov with the email subject: “Your Team Name – Backyard Birder Trip Report.”
- Trip reports are due by June 6, 2024.
Scoring: Each team that completes the backyard birder requirements is entered into a drawing for a complete bird feeding setup (pole, birdfeeder, and seed) from our sponsor the Wild Bird Habitat Store and a drawing for a 2-night cabin stay at Ponca or Niobrara State Parks.
Dabbling Birder
This category is for teams of one to five individuals.
Throughout May teams must:
1) Observe at least twenty different bird species. All team members must be birding together for a bird to count.
2) Attend one Nebraska Bird Month program1.
3) Submit a minimum of five eBird checklists with at least one location listed on the Nebraska Birding Guide map. Write your team name in the comments section of each checklist. Share eBird checklists with the “NEBirdingBowl-dabbling” account.
4) After your team submits their last competition checklist, one person from each team will compile an eBird Trip Report that includes:
- All of your team’s competition checklists.
- In the Trip Report Narrative, write your team name, the names of everyone on your team, the name of the bird month program you attended, and something you learned from that program.
- Email the link to the trip report to ngpc.birdingbowl@nebraska.gov with the email subject: “Your Team Name – Dabbling Birder Trip Report.”
- Trip reports are due by June 6, 2024.
Scoring: Each team member that completes the Dabbling Birder requirements is entered into a drawing for a pair of Vortex Diamondback binoculars and a drawing for a 2-night cabin stay at Ponca or Niobrara State Parks.
Competitive Birder
This category is for teams of one to five individuals.
Throughout May teams must:
1) Observe at least fifty different species of birds. All team members must be birding together for a bird to count.
- If a species is flagged by eBird as rare, additional documentation in the form of either photos or sound recordings is required. Written descriptions will not be acceptable for this category.
2) Submit eBird checklists from any location your team birds in Nebraska including at least three different locations on the Nebraska Birding Guide map. Write your team name in the comments section of each checklist. Share eBird checklists with the “NEBirdingBowl-competitive” account.
3) After your team submits their last competition checklist, one person from each team will compile an eBird Trip Report that includes:
- All of your team’s competition checklists.
- In the Trip Report Narrative, write your team name and the names of everyone on your team.
- Email the link to the trip report to ngpc.birdingbowl@nebraska.gov with the email subject: “Your Team Name – Competitive Birder Trip Report.”
- Trip reports are due by June 6, 2024.
Scoring: Each team that observes over 150 bird species and completes the Competitive Birder requirements is entered into a drawing for the $1,000 team prize. Each team that observes 100 – 150 bird species and completes the Competitive Birder requirements is entered into a drawing for the $500 team prize. Each team that observes 50 – 99 bird species and completes the Competitive Birder requirements is entered into a drawing for a variety of bird field guides. Each team that observes 50 or more species and completes the competitive birder requirements is entered into a drawing for a 2-night cabin stay at Ponca or Niobrara State Parks. The awarded teams will be featured on Nebraska Game and Parks Commission media and beyond.
The Birding Bowl staff retains the right to evaluate the integrity of teams’ bird lists and may request more information to support observations.
1 Nebraska Bird Month programs are offered throughout the state in-person and virtually. See the Bird Month calendar for a list of events. If you are unable to attend an in-person or live virtual event, you may watch a recorded event here.
