Ithaca, NY–In a hanging flower basket…an old boot…a garage shelf…or under a bridge…birds build nests in the strangest places!
That’s the theme for the newest environmental challenge from the Celebrate Urban Birds project: Funky Nests in Funky Places! Celebrate Urban Birds is a free, year-round citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, focused on birds in neighborhood settings.
For the Funky Nests in Funky Places challenge, participants may take photos, do a painting, write a story, or shoot a video showing a bird’s nest built in some out-of-the-way or out-of-this-world place. Participants should be sure to avoid touching nests or disturbing the birds.
“This one’s going to be fun,” says project leader Karen Purcell. “We receive hundreds of entries for each of our challenges, and I can’t wait to see what people send this time and where birds have chosen to build their funky nests!”
Prizes include a Leica C-LUX 3 compact camera, bird feeders, shrubs for planting, and more. The first 50 entrants will receive a copy of the “Doves and Pigeons” poster by Julie Zickefoose and selected images and videos will be posted on the Celebrate Urban Birds website.
How to enter:
1. Email entries to urbanbirds@cornell.edu. Links are acceptable for videos.
2. Write “Funky Nests” in the subject line.
3. Include name and mailing address.
4. Explain why you submitted your entry–what’s the story behind it?
5. One entry per person, please.
Deadline for entries is July 31, 2009
Visit the Celebrate Urban Birds website for more information and to read the terms of agreement regarding all entries. A PDF flier about the contest is also available.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at www.birds.cornell.edu.
