• The American Birding Association’s Code of Ethics will be strictly followed.
• Each county must have an organization(s) that sponsors their Quest. We will have an actual County Quest Cup at the end of the year, and that will reside proudly with the winning county’s sponsoring group during the following year.
• All birds counted must be identified while the observer(s) is physically within the county limits.
• Vermont eBird is the official tool by which species are tallied on the master list for each county. Species not entered on Vermont eBird cannot be counted. Birders who lack access to Vermont eBird will need to find some means of having their records entered (local library computer, friend, etc.).
• The Vermont Bird Records Committee is the official review of all rare and out-of-season bird records. The ruling is final. A ruling of ‘Hypothetical’ is acceptable.
• There is an equitiable “par” system developed to compensate less diverse counties for a more fair birding competition, similar to one for the NJ World Series of Birding. Par list for each county is available as a PDF. Each time a county wins, 5 species are added to its par.