The Slippery Slope of Ice Cream

According to the rules of the "Big Year" page 12 part 1-b...and I quote "The said birder may have a scoop of ice cream the day of any sighting and identification of a new bird that has not been seen and reported to Cindy the official Big Year keeper of the records. Type and size of scoop is at the discretion of said birder."

Cindy and I have been following this rule...mostly. But it is getting harder and harder. January 1st...Cardinal!  Woohoo ice cream! Robin-black bird-house sparrow-YES-ice cream. We are up to approximately 140 different species as a family. The ice cream is getting a little harder to get.

Now I know that half of you have read only half of the rules and less than half of you follow the rules half as much as you should. Since the "Big Year" is all inclusive and suppose to be enjoyable (try 1 scoop moose tracks with 1 scoop Eddy's coffee ice cream) there will now be a sliding scale on the ice cream rule.

1: If you identify  a new bird you may certainly have ice cream that day.

2: If you see a new bird but can't identify it (even after calling Mom and Sherry) you may have ice cream.

3: If this is a new bird to anyone in the party you are with...all members may have ice cream. (I especially like this rule since I'm taking James out birding in 2 weeks.)

4: If you live in a state where the birding season lasts only 3 months and 1 of those months includes 50,000 motorcycles...you may have ice cream if you "thought" about birding.

5: And if you remember seeing a bird either on purpose or by accident...please...by all means...have some ice cream.

American Goldfinch



Downy Woodpecker

Woohoo...you may now have some ice cream.