You could win $1,000 to L.L.Bean and exclusive outings with famous birder

Birding enthusiasts and L.L.Bean lovers, lend me your ears. A sweepstakes was recently announced, and the prize is a $1,000 shopping spree at L.L.Bean and the opportunity to go birding in Freeport this spring with David Sibley, renowned artist and author of “Sibley’s Guide to Birds.”

Wildlife Acoustics, makers of the Song Sleuth bird identifying app, launched the Song Sleuth with Sibley Sweepstakes on Dec. 1 at https://sweepstakes.songsleuth.com, and it ends on March 1. There is no purchase necessary to enter.

The sweepstakes winner will receive air travel and hotel accommodation for two to Freeport, Maine, for three nights, during the L.L.Bean Birding Festival, scheduled for May 26-28. The winner will also receive two birding outings and one meal with David Sibley, a $1,000 shopping spree with a personal shopper at L.L.Bean’s flagship store, and two copies of the Song Sleuth app.

Courtesy of L.L.Bean. The L.L.Bean Bootmobile is parked in front of the L.L.Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine.

“We are pleased to team up with David and L.L.Bean to give one lucky birder the opportunity to not only add to their life list, but also cross one off their bucket list,” said Robert Gierschick, Wildlife Acoustics Director of Marketing, in a prepared statement.  “It’s a chance to not only ‘check your Sibley,’ but to actually check with Sibley.”

(For those of you who aren’t birders, a “life list” is a list of bird species that birders keep, crossing off species when they spot them in the wild.)

“Maine is one of my favorite places, for birding or otherwise,” said Sibley in a prepared statement. “I look forward to sharing the majesty of the area and my birding knowledge with the winner during the height of spring migration in the area.”

The sweepstakes coincides with the launch of Song Sleuth 2.0 in mid-February. Along with new capabilities and the addition of more species, an Android version Song Sleuth will also be introduced. The app is made by Boston company Wildlife Acoustics, which creates innovative and affordable hardware and software tools for biologists and researchers who monitor wildlife, including but not limited to birds, bats, frogs, insects and marine life, through bioacoustics.

Sibley is a self-taught bird illustrator, and his seminal work, “The Sibley Guide to Birds,” (2000) made him a fixture in the birding world. The book includes 6,600 of his stunning, detailed watercolor illustrations. Learn more at www.sibleyguides.com.

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.