Vote for Birder of the Year today!

Have you mailed your ballot for the Birder of the Year contest? The postmark deadline is Dec. 1 -- this Thursday.

What's the Birder of the Year contest, you ask? It begins in the January/February issue each year. Readers can respond to the questions posed in two departments, The Lister's Forum and Birder's Back Yard.

Some responses appear in later issues, and one response in each department earns a Bushnell 8x42 NatureView binocular, a certificate from WildBird and a nomination for Birder of the Year.

In the November/December issue, readers see summaries about the 12 candidates and the ballot. (It appears on page 39 of the Nov/Dec 2005 issue.) They also read details about the prizes.

This year, the loot includes a Bushnell Elite 8x43 binocular, an Elite spotting scope, round-trip airfare for two to south Texas, and a rental car, courtesy of Bushnell Performance Optics. The winner also will receive two-night accommodations at Alamo Inn in Alamo and at Vieh's Bed & Breakfast in San Benito, guided outings to local birding sites, and [sarcasm]my delightful company[/sarcasm].

Previous winners visited New York City; Sanibel Island, Fla.; and Cape May, N.J. You can read about the 2004 Birder of the Year's rarity-filled trip to south Texas in the May/June 2005 issue.

The 2005 Birder of the Year will be revealed in the March/April 2006 issue. Participate in the fun by mailing your ballot (no photocopies!) today and by answering the questions posed in The Lister's Forum and Birder's Back Yard!