Page 13 - Llano Happenings March 2018

Llano Grande Birders “Big Sit”

The Llano Grande Birders were at it again. There was no skulking around this time as
they were taking part in a recognized Birding experience called, “The Big Sit”.
On Friday, February 16, groups of our members spread out to 4 designated areas in
Llano Grande Park and Country Club. Each one of the 4 groups created a circle 17 feet
in diameter and members were required to stay inside their circle for 2 hours, recording

all the bird species seen during that time period. Our “Big Sit” circles were located in the
following areas of our park: on the bridge behind the golf course clubhouse, on the east
levee just past the woodwork shop, on the west levee at the gate leading into Estero
Park and behind Orchard House in the north end.

The 2 hours passed by fairly quickly with lots of birds being seen and recorded as well as
lots of friendly antics happening in those circles. Despite it being a very windy morning; it

was a “dry wind” for a change, the two hours passed by quickly and 61 different bird
species were recorded. That’s a lot of different
birds in a short time span and illustrates how
fortunate we are to live in a Park that offers
such diversity in bird s we can enjoy right here
outside our doors. We had lots of fun and

gathered together after “The Big Sit” for snacks
and drinks and camaraderie! A lot can happen
in a group of people confined to a 17 foot circle
for 2 hours straight, believe me! We had an
“academy awards of birding” at the regular
Monday meeting following the event with some
of the awards being presented as follows:

Most Species seen…East and West levee
groups tied for 1st place at 30 species each
Funniest incident….Golf Course Bridge Group got asked the question “How many fish
are you catching down there?”
Best Group Name…North End Group, ”Gone with the Wind Birders”
Golden Bird….Tri-colored Heron spotted by the east levee. By spotting the Tri-colored

Heron, The East Levee Group won $30.00 to be donated to their favorite not-for-profit
Birding Centre here in the Rio Grande Valley. Prizes were also awarded for some “crazy
categories” to add to the fun of the competition.

The official North American Big Sit is held in October during the fall bird migration in
order to collect data for science. The fall event is typically staged over a 24 hour period.
But, hey, we are seniors and 2 hours is enough for our attention spans! Besides, we had

to get back to the food and drinks and sharing stories with our whole group! Such fun!

Submitted by: Anna Staples, President-Llano Grande Birding Club