Nature Conservancy Photo Contest Celebrates Duck Stamp

UPDATE: Just an FYI. I started to enter this contest and then I noticed that you have to submit your images high resolution on Flickr. That makes it kind of easy for someone to take your high resolution image, print it out and do whatever.

Calling all photographers and digiscopers:

In honor of the federal Duck Stamp contest being held in Minnesota this year, The Nature Conservancy is conducting a digital photography competition to highlight the beauty of our native prairies.

They're looking for inspiring, spectacular nature photography that represents the prairie wildlife and landscape native to Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota 2008 Prairie Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is open to ALL photographers at least 18 years of age, except employees of The Nature Conservancy and the immediate families of such employees.

Cash prizes will be awarded, with a top prize of $250. The top ten photographs will be put on display.

Contest Deadline

Submit your photos by Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Photos must be uploaded and submitted by this time; no late entries will be eligible.

Get the details here.

Blog Contest

Okay, Other Sharon, you are not allowed to answer this contest for 24 hours ;). Everyone else, here is the photo, can you identify the actor sitting next to me (I'm willing to bet that about 90% of blog readers have seen one of his films):

Put your answer in the comments section of the blog. You don't have to create a blogger identity to answer, but if you want to win the prize, you do need to leave your name. First correct answer with a name, wins the prize.

What is the prize you ask? An official ABA Convention Bag (made of black canvas with black rosy-finches on it) and a copy of Tim Gallagher's Falcon Fever.

Holy Crap We Won! And Contest!

I'm blogging from the World Series of Birding Awards Breakfast. When I arrived with Amy and found Pete Dunne and my other teammate Clay, they said our digiscoping team (The Swarovski Digiscoping Hawks) won--our goal was to digiscope as many bird species as possible in one day. We won? In complete and utter shock I said "Get the heck out!" (Athough, substitute a more colorful metaphor in there).

The photos didn't have to be pretty but identifiable. So above is one of our photos that helped us win. What species of bird is this? First winning answer with a name attached in the comments section of this blog entry wins a Woodlink Hummingbird Feeder.

Don't worry, cool photos will be uploaded soon.

Meanwhile, our team is sharing a table with WildBird Zen Zugunruhe team (who won the Cape Island Division) and they would like me to tell you that their teammate Tait Johansson is dipping his bacon in catsup and teammate Matt Garvey is my favorite because he is keeping my coffee cup filled.

Also, I just learned that New Jersey is putting a moratorium on the harvesting of horseshoe crab eggs until the populations of both the crabs and shorebirds recover...go New Jersey birders!

Name That Bird

What bird species is flying away in this photo? The first winning answer wins a Woodlink Hummingbird Feeder.

Leave your answer in the comments section. The first winning answer that includes a name gets the feeder. You don't have to have a blogger id, but you must leave a name with your answer to win.

Good luck.

Frank Taylor Photo Contest

Let's face it, most of us are at home the day before Thanksgiving or if we are at a job we are barely functioning because so many people are out on vacation. Who can concentrate? For readers of the blog who are not living in the United States, Thursday is Thanksgiving where many of us gather with family and eat crazy amounts of food and prep for an insane amount of shopping the following day. Non Birding Bill and I take a low key approach and celebrate Naked Thanksgiving.

Anyway, Frank Taylor sent over is final banding report for the 2006 Season and he included some great raptor head shots. So, can you identify all the raptor head shots in order? The prize is a Zeiss Lens Cloths and a Leupold Tote Bag (with a cool meadowlark graphic).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Feel free to try and age and sex the birds, but really to win, all you need is the species id in the order they are shown. First correct answer in the comments section with a name attached wins the prize.

Even if you can't identify all the birds in this contest, it's fun just to take in Frank's photos.