Illinois Spring Bird Count — Examples of Party Hours and Party Miles

These examples will have sunrise at 6:00 a.m. and sunset at 8:00 p.m., therefore, the OFFICIAL DAYLIGHT HOURS are from 5:30 a.m. thru 8:30 p.m. All other hours are considered OWLING HOURS.

BIRDING
GROUP
 
1 Four persons, together, began birding at 6:30 a.m. (1/2 hour after sunrise) and continued until 6:00 p.m. They walked 5 miles in 7 hours and drove 78 miles in 4 hours; they took a 1/2-hour lunch break (did not do any birding during their lunch break). Combined results: 11 party hours and 83 party miles (see compilation below).
2 Three persons, together, began birding at 7:00 a.m. and continued until 3:00 p.m. They walked 3 miles in 5 hours and drove 62 miles in 3 hours. They did not take a lunch break (they ate will still birding). Combined results: 8 party hours and 65 party miles (see compilation below).
3 One person birded alone from 5:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. (no owling hours). He walked 12 miles in 14 hours and drove 15 miles in 1 hour. Combined results: 15 party hours and 27 party miles (see compilation below).
4 Two persons, together, began birding at 8:00 a.m. and were joined by another birder (who did not bird in the morning) at 1:30 p.m. All three continued together until 4:30 p.m. (The first two took a 1 1/2 hour lunch break). They walked 4 miles in 4 hours and drove 73 miles in 3 hours. Combined results: 7 party hours and 77 party miles (see compilation below).
5 Four persons began, together, at 7:30 a.m. then split into two groups of two from 9:30-11:00, then rejoined. All continued birding together until they quit at 5:30 p.m. As a foursome, they walked 5 miles in 6 1/2 hours and drove 24 miles in 2 hours; while split up, the first two walked 1 1/2 miles in 1 1/2 hours, and the other two walked 2 miles in 1 1/2 hours. There was no driving while the groups were split. Combined results: 2 parties, 11 1/2 party hours and 32 1/2 party miles.
6 Two persons, together, began birding at 3:30 a.m. (2 hours before Official Daylight) listening for owls. They continued birding all day together and ended at 10:00 p.m. (1 1/2 hours after Official Daylight). The two walked 12 miles in 12 "daylight" hours and drove 36 miles in 3 "daylight" hours; they also spent 3 1/2 hours "owling" (2 in the morning and 1 1/2 at night). Combine results: 1 party, 15 party hours (plus 3 1/2 owling hours) and 48 party miles (plus owling miles which do not need to be recorded). (See compilation below.)
7 Three persons, together, began birding at 2:00 a.m. and continued until 11:30 p.m. At 7:00 a.m. they all went separate directions (this is now 3 parties), then rejoined at noon. They all went separately again at 1:30; two joined together at 3:30, and the third rejoined at 5:30. They remained together the rest of the time. As a group of three they walked 3 miles in 2 1/2 hours (5:30-7:00 a.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m.) and drove 46 miles in 3 1/2 "daylight" hours (noon-1:30 and 6:30-8:30). The group of two walked 2 1/2 miles in 2 hours (3:30-5:30). Individually, the first person walked 6 miles in 7 hours (7:00- noon and 1:30-3:30); the second walked 5 miles in 7 hours (same time as the first); and the third walked 8 miles in 9 hours (7:00-noon and 1:30-5:30). All driving was done when the three were together. Combined results: 3 parties, 31 party hours (plus 6 1/2 wling hours), and 71 1/2 party miles (plus owling miles which do not have to be recorded). (See compilation below.)

Compilation of Party Hours and Party Miles:

BIRDING GROUPPARTY HOURSPARTY MILES
TOTAL(On foot)(By car) TOTAL(On foot)(By car)
1 — 4 persons (1 party) 1174 83578
2 — 3 persons (1 party) 853 65362
3 — 1 person (1 party) 15151 271215
4 — 3 persons (1 party) 743 77473
5 — 4 persons (2 parties) 11 1/29 1/22 32 1/28 1/224
6 — 2 persons (1 party) 15*123 481236
7 — 3 persons (3 parties) 31**27 1/23 1/2 71 1/225 1/246
TOTALS:
20 persons (10 parties) 99 1/27919 1/2 40470334

Plus 10 "owling" hours (* = 3 1/2 hours and ** = 6 1/2 hours) to be recorded separately from regular PARTY HOURS. Note, owling miles do not need to be recorded.