Hello, fellow CT birders: The Ninth Annual Mega Bowl of Birding will be held on Saturday, February 1st! The Mega Bowl of Birding is a friendly competition that is a celebration of birds, birding and birders in CT. All CT birders are welcome to participate. The concept is to go birding on your own or with several of your birding friends in an area that includes your residence (or that of one of your birding companions). The area can be a circle with a 5-mile radius, a town or even an entire county. The goal is to observe as many species as you can (correctly identified), with some extra incentive to find uncommon or rare species. Teams are awarded points for each species seen, with the points awarded proportional to the rarity of the species in that area. Here's the best part: a donation will be made to the CT-based birding or environmental organization of your choice as a result of your participation. The more species that your team finds, the greater the donation. Each of the past several years, more than $1000 has been donated to a variety of organizations in our state. All participants are invited to attend the compilation dinner on Sunday, February 2nd at the Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby to enjoy a fine meal, share stories and receive prizes. If you are interested in participating in the Mega Bowl this year (either for the first time or as a returning team), please contact me at closcalz@optonline.net. Thanks! Chris Loscalzo, Mega Bowl of Birding in CT Coordinator