Illinois Spring Bird Count — Owling and Other Party Hours

Owling Hours

Many birders spend considerable time prior to or after the official daylight hours listening for birds that can be heard and identified at night. The hours spent listening at night are referred to as "owling" hours. These hours should be recorded as part of the count day's report, but they need to be identified and listed separately since, with minor exceptions, they do not reflect a reasonable count of daylight species. Therefore, the bird count forms will include a designated area for recording morning and evening owling hours which should not be included as part of the regular party hours.

For most birders, owling hours are usually continuous with daylight hours. Examples demonstrate this. When recording owling hours, please record the earliest time that owling began and the latest time that it continued in the spaces provided for both the morning and evening hours.

Other Party Hours

On the DATA SHEET there are two spaces under party miles and party hours for "OTHER" types of birding. So, the question is, what type of birding might be considered as "other". The most regularly reported "other" type of birding is done by boat or canoe; however, those are not necessarily the only types. Some people may be able to bird while bicycling or gardening, perhaps even while at a softball (or soccer) game. So, how, then, should these birding "hours" and "miles" be recorded?

Boating and Canoeing Party Hours/Miles:

1. If the purpose of the boat or canoe trip is for intensive birding (and detailed counts of all species present are kept during the entire trip), or, to get to a particular spot that is not readily reachable by other means, count all hours and miles as "Other" party hours and miles for the trip (and designate as "by boat" or "by canoe").
2. If the primary purpose of the boat or canoe trip is not for intensive birding, and you only casually note some of the birds of the many that may be present (such as an Osprey, kingfisher, Green Heron, etc.), record 1/2 hour and 1/2 mile for each 2 hours and 2 miles, respectively, as "Other" party hours and miles for the trip (and designate as "by boat" or "by canoe"). (Information for any trips less than 2 hours in duration should not be recorded).
3. If boaters/canoeists stop and get out of the boat/canoe for birding (even while eating lunch), the out-of-boat time counts as hours "walked" as long as birding continues. (Under these circumstances, there may not be any actual distance walking, but if there were, those miles would be recorded as miles walked rather than as "other" boat/canoe miles).

Bicycling Party Hours/Miles:

1. If the primary purpose of the bicycling trip is for intensive birding (and detailed counts of all species present are kept during the entire trip), or, to get from one good birding location to another, count all hours and miles for the trip as regular walking and driving hours and miles.
2. If the primary purpose of the bicycling trip is not for intensive birding, and you casually note some of the birds that are conspicuous along the trail (but not taking time to record all species), record 1/2 hour and 1/2 mile for each 2 hours and 2 miles, respectively, as "Other" party hours and miles for the trip (and designate as "by bike"). (Information for any trips less than 2 hours in duration should not be recorded.)

Sitting/Working (and Feeder Watching) Party Hours/Miles:

(Record as walking hours/miles rather than "other" hours/miles)

1. If an observer is sitting patiently somewhere without moving (such as in a photographic blind, in a tree stand, while fishing, etc.), and is intensively observing and actively recording the birds present at that location for 2 or more hours, count that total effort as 1 hour walking and 1 mile walking (regardless of the number of hours spent at that site).
2. If an observer is sitting at a site, not intensively birding nor keeping detailed records of observations, but casually observes and reports birds, count that effort as 1/2 hour and 1/2 mile walking for the first 2-hour period and 1/2 hour and 1/2 mile walking (for a maximum of 1 hour and 1 mile walking) when there are 4 or more hours of sitting at a site. (Information for any effort less than 2 hours in duration should not be recorded.)
3. If an observer is actively working outside or involved in other outdoor activities and only incidentally observes birds, count that effort as 1/2 hour walking and 1/2 mile walking for the first 2-hour period of activity and a second 1/2 hour and 1/2 mile of walking (for a maximum of 1 hour and 1 mile walking) when there are 4 or more hours of continuous activity. (If very little effort is made to specifically observe birds, nothing at all should be recorded.)
4. Feeder observers and observers waiting "inside" (a car, shelter, etc.) for rain to subside, may count 1/2 hour walking and 1/2 mile walking for each 2 hours of waiting/observing if birding continued throughout that period.