In support of the October 14, 2011 release of the competitive bird-watching comedy film The Big Year, Audubon has released a ‘Birding the Net’ campaign which involves birds showing up on different websites unexpectedly and surprising visitors.
President & CEO of Audubon David Yarnold explains the campaign: “Birds are the best possible ambassadors for the environment, and this will help people see them in a whole new way. This is about fun – but it’s also about getting more people involved in taking action to protect birds and the planet we share with them. And with this unprecedented use of social media and the web, we’re also making it clear that this is not your grandmother’s Audubon.”
In order to play the Birding the Net game, you have to visit Audubon’s Facebook site – facebook.com/NationalAudubonSociety. The contest runs through November 7, 2011 with the grand prize winner receiving a voyage for two to the Galapagos. Additional prizes include Canon cameras, Nikon binoculars, gift cards to Woolrich, and downloads of the Audubon Birds – A Field Guide to North American Birds mobile app from Green Mountain Digital. Per Audubon, all 200 winners also receive a one-year membership to Audubon.
For hints on playing, follow @AudubonSociety< or "spokesbirds" @FloridaScrubJay and @RufHummingbird.
How the Birding the Net Contest Works:
“In The Big Year, characters compete to see the most North American birds in one year. Birding the Net brings to the Internet the thrill of the chase found in real-world birding, challenging players to spot dozens of species released Oct. 10 through Nov. 7. Web surfers can observe virtual birds doing the same things that birds do outdoors: animations of birds fly across homepages, perch on mastheads, and flock to birdhouses that anyone can install on personal websites and blogs.
Clicking on the animated birds takes players to an Audubon Facebook page to collect and trade “bird cards” which feature recordings of birdsongs, bird facts, and video. The first players to collect all the birds will win prizes, including a Lindblad Expeditions cruise among the Galapagos Islands.”
Watch Audubon’s David Yarnold interview the cast of The Big Year:
