Hello, folks! As you may know, Natural Bridge has changed owners. We
are working on a number of new and exciting projects, with one of them
being an official birding and wildlife tour program to be conducted in
the park's more seldom-visited areas (if you birded with me here last
year, you already know which areas I'm talking about).
We plan to unravel this program within the next few weeks, as spring
migration is around the corner. So I have been commissioned to solicit
opinions from fellow birders regarding options for the program,
including meals, lodging, and logistics. The idea is we could offer
birders special discounted rates on hotel rooms, meals, and Bridge
tickets (we hope to keep the bird walks themselves free of charge).
Consider the following questions:
How early in the day do you normally begin birding?
For how long do you normally bird?
When do you normally eat breakfast on a birding day?
What would you like to eat for breakfast on a birding day?
How much would you be willing to spend on breakfast?
Under what conditions would you spend the night near a birding hotspot?
How much would you be willing to spend on lodging?
How many other people would you mind birding with?
What do you look for in a birding hotspot?
What do you look for in a birding tour?
What species are you most interested in seeing?
Besides birds, what aspects of natural history (butterflies,
wildflowers, geology, etc.) are you interested in?
How much hiking would you be willing to do?
What conditions would you be able tolerate on a hike?
Do you belong to a local/state birding organization?
If "yes" to the above, would you be interested in a club field trip to
Natural Bridge?
Do you have any interest in birding games (e.g. birdathons,
competitions, blitzes)?
Do you eBird?
Reply (preferably off the list) with your opinions. And if you have
any other ideas, let me know.
We recorded over 150 species at Natural Bridge in just the last year.
Let's add some more this year!
Thanks,
Wes
