Registration has opened for the third annual Virginia Birding Classic, in which teams search Virginia’s public lands for as many bird species as possible in a 24-hour period. The statewide competition is coordination through the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Details on signing up are at dwr.virginia.gov. Search for Virginia Birding Classic on the home page. Dates for the classic are April 15-May 15. Birding teams pick a date to make their counts. Registration continues through May 14. The team that identifies the most species has its name etched on the Cardinal Cup. In 2025, a team called The Birdbrains won the cup by counting 124 species. The Twitchers identified 131 species for the 2024 cup....