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From: dmark@acsu.buffalo.edu (David Mark)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: September "Big Day" records
Message-ID: <34603@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Date: 3 Sep 90 12:19:44 GMT
References: <1166@cluster.cs.su.oz> <34561@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <1171@cluster.cs.su.oz>
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In article <1171@cluster.cs.su.oz> andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) writes:
>
>Incidently I believe the world big day record is now for Kenya not Peru.
>
>Andrew

Back in 1985, the Kenya group claimed the "World Record" at 308, discounting 
the 331 Peru total.  The Peru total includes a large but indeterminate number
of heard-only birds.  American Birding Association "Big Day" rules place
no limit on heard birds, but require that 95% of the birds must be
'observed' (seen or heard) by ALL participants.  The "Kenya Rules"
require only 90% to be observed by all team members, but limit heard-only
birds to at most 10%.  So, the Kenya group claimed that their 308 on
25 November 1984 was the World Record.  And the Kenya 308 might not 
qualify under ABA rules, if the shared total was under 293.  And, the
Kenya group used an airplane.

(The British have different Big Day rules again.  I think they require
100% to be observed by all participants, but allow 'scouts' to help the
team during the Big Day [absolutely forbidden under American rules!])

But they may have had a Big Day with over 331 species in Kenya some time in 
the last six years.  Anyone out in net-land have information on that?

David Mark
dmark@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu