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David Cup rules
Date: Fri, 22 Dec 1995 17:14:13 -0500
Reply-To: CAYUGABIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Sender: owner-CAYUGABIRDS-L@cornell.edu
From: jw32@cornell.edu (Jeff Wells)
To: Upstate NY Birding
Subject: David Cup & McIlroy Award Regulations

Regulations for the First Annual David Cup and McIlroy Award

--The David Cup will be a friendly competition in which birders compete for 
  the highest total of different species seen throughout the Cayuga Lake  
  Basin as designated by a map which every participant will receive.


--The McIroy Award will be a friendly competition in which birders compete 
  for the highest total of different species seen throughout the town of 
  Ithaca as designated by a map which every participant will receive.


--The competition shall begin 12:01 am on 1 January and conclude midnight, 
  31 December of the same year.

 
--A birder shall not be considered a participant until s/he has signed up 
  with the designated registrar (this year, Steve Kelling). S/he may sign 
  up at any time throughout the year; however, s/he shall not count any 
  species seen before officially signing up. This includes species s/he 
  worked his/her butt off to find the year before in an attempt to conquer 
  previous Basin records. There will be an exception to this rule in 1996. 
  Participants who sign up by February 1 can count species seen from 
  January 1 to January 31.


--There will be a 98% rule: 98% of the species on a participating birder's 
  list must have been seen by three or more participating birders at some 
  point in the duration of the competition (infants, pets, and imaginary 
  friends shall not be considered participating birders.) For example, 
  a year-end total of 200 species would mean that 196 of these must have 
  been seen by two or more other participating birders, though not 
  necessarily at the same time (i.e., if you see a Snowy Owl on the buoy 
  at Myer's Point,  as long as two or more participating birders see a 
  Snowy Owl at some point during the competition, it will meet the 98% 
  rule requirement.) Otherwise, the species shall be counted as one of 
  the "freebies" or, should a birder's total allotment of "freebies" 
  already be accounted for, shall be eliminated  from his/her final total.


--Reports of Horned Screamers, Russet-throated Puffbirds, and other rare 
  birds as determined by A Checklist of the Birds of the Cayuga Lake Basin 
  (McIlroy & Smith) must be documented with a detailed written description, 
  preferably accompanied by a photograph of said individual showing 
  distinguishable fieldmarks which should be submitted to NYSARC. Shooting  
  the bird to use as proof will eliminate the marksperson from the competition. 
  Likewise, roadkills shall not be counted, and neither shall captive birds 
  nor those purchased in the frozen food section at Wegman's. Injured birds, 
  bird banding, and other complicated scenarios shall be subject to the same 
  rules as those followed by the American Birding Association. All 
  participants will receive a copy of said rules.


--Bird tip sharing is not only encouraged but considered a moral 
  responsibility. Anyone who sees species that are noteworthy for whatever 
  reason should post such information on CAYUGABIRDS, report to the Cayuga 
  Lake Basin Bird Alert, and otherwise make a legitimate effort to notify  
  the general public. Birders will be encouraged to treat uncooperative  
  "tickers" as outcasts by purposefully neglecting to invite them to teas, 
  blues concerts, garden parties and other social functions. 


--No "tick trading" will be tolerated (i.e., "I'll trade you one of my 
 Peregrine Falcons for one of your Northern Goshawks"), and neither will 
 "tick buying" (i.e., "I'll buy that Sedge Wren off you for fifty bucks!") 
 Such behaviors are unbecoming of birders and endanger our reputations as 
 morally incorruptible and superior members of the community at large.

 
--Remember to have fun, and to rejoice at the sight of all feathered things!


Respectfully submitted,


The David Cup & McIlroy Award Committee
Registrar: Steve Kelling
Secretaries: Allison & Jeff Wells
Members-at-large: Karl David, Bill Evans,
Kevin McGowan, Tom Nix


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