Big Sit! an Easy Fun Way to Compete in Great Texas Birding Classic

Media Contact: Shelly Plante, TPWD (512) 389-4500, icle__media__contact">Media Contact: Shelly Plante, TPWD (512) 389-4500, shelly.plante@tpwd.texas.gov

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Monthlong, Statewide Birding Competition Starts Wednesday

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AUSTIN – The 19th annual Great Texas Birding Classic is kicking off this Wednesday, April 15, with a bang! With 100 teams and more than 550 participants registered to participate from April 15 to May 15, this year’s event has 40% more people going out birding throughout the state than last year. Eleven state parks are joining the fun by hosting Big Sit!s in their park, and they are inviting the public to come join them.

Called a “tailgate party for birders,” the Big Sit! is one of nine tournament categories in which teams watch and listen over a 24-hour period for various bird species while remaining within a 17-foot diameter circle. “All of the state parks hosting Big Sit! teams have invited the public to join them, giving them extra eyes and ears in the field looking for birds to list,” said Shelly Plante, nature tourism manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, tournament sponsor. If you would like to join a team for the day, or part of a day, visit one of the following state parks to help their Big Sit!:

Colorado Bend – May 5

Eisenhower – May 2

Estero Llano Grande – April 19

Galveston, Goose Island – April 25

Lake Colorado City – TBD

Martin Dies Jr. – May 2

McKinney Falls – TBD

Resaca de la Palma – April 18

South Llano – May 9

Tyler – May 9

Check the online calendar (http://tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/birding) or contact the parks directly for more details.

All registration fees and sponsorship dollars go toward conservation grants benefiting birding, nature tourism, and habitat restoration and enhancement projects throughout Texas. Some winning teams even help select which projects will be funded. Last year’s birding tournament raised $18,000 and since its inception in 1997, the Great Texas Birding Classic has awarded conservation grants totaling $819,500.

To find out more about tournament rules and details, call (512) 389-4500 or visit: www.BirdingClassic.org.

For a quick overview video of the Birding Classic, visit: http://youtu.be/AQFHm5zum4o?list=UUwdtpZyZGJoHXnT4Rm2xEgQ

To see a video of the Big Sit! Tournament (VNR): http://youtu.be/x6bSYNzP1wQ