Birdathon
April 20, 2011 - 8:53am | 
staff
What is Birdathon?
Birdathon is a fun annual event during the first week of May. The goal of Birdathon is to observe and identify as many different species of birds as possible in 24 hours. Pick one 24 hour period for your Big Day. It is also a fundraiser for the Ts’ats’ee Bird Observatory.
What is a Big Day?
A Big Day is a 24 hour period to go birding – alone or with friends, anywhere in the Upper Lynn Canal- and try to find and identify as many different species of birds as you can. You can go anywhere by any means to observe birds and make a list of what species you saw.
Records:
- Team Record: 60 species by Marlena Mooring and Gary Saupe in 2005
- Junior Record: 34 species by Skye Posey in 2012
- Senior Record: 51 species by Pam Randles in 2012
- Company Record: 64 species by Alaska Nature Tours in 2005
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Total Species:
- 2005 - 78
- 2008 - 71
- 2009 - 77
- 2010 - 41
- 2011 - 59
- 2012 - 78
Can you beat that?
Why participate?
Our local Birdathon is part of an international effort. These are the goals of that effort.
Pledge For Passion: By helping to protect birds, you'll protect the natural places needed for the health of our planet, people, and wildlife.??
Conservation: Your gift makes possible on-the-ground conservation programs to protect birds such as Cerulean Warblers, Golden-winged Warblers, and other long-distance migrants.??
Research: You'll enable the best research scientists to inform conservation management and policy to help birds and protect nature.??
Motivation: Every cent you pledge motivates the top birders in the world to find every possible bird species in 24 hours to raise funds for conservation.??
Education: Your support also funds conservation through education--such as conservation workshops for Latin American biologists and training for undergraduates, giving them the skills they need to make a difference.??
Citizen Science: You'll help engage the most active corps of conservation-minded citizen scientists in collecting millions of records needed to monitor and protect birds.
Ok, How Does It Work?
- Register with the Takshanuk Watershed Council and get an observation form.
- Recruit sponsors. A sponsor can be anyone – yourself, your parents, your kids, your friends, your Great Aunt Suzie. They can pledge in two ways: a certain amount per species observed (e.g. $1 per species) or a specific amount (e.g. $10 or more)
- Choose your Big Day – one consecutive 24 hour period between April 29 and May 5.
- Go birding anywhere in the Upper Lynn Canal for as much of the 24 hours as you can. It is a great opportunity for a family outing in the spring: rafting the Chilkat, biking the highway, hiking Mt. Ripinsky or having a picnic at Chilkoot Lake. Keep a list of all the bird species you see.
- On Sunday, May 6, bring your list to the 7 Echoes Homestead on Mud Bay Road, at the head of Mud Bay for a celebration bonfire and dinner on us.
- FAQs:
- Does 24 hours mean I can go for 4 hours on three different days? No, 24 hours means 24 consecutive hours.
- What if I am not sure of the bird species I see? Birding is done on the honor system. Count only bird species you are sure of by sight or sound. Please don’t guess.
- Where do the proceeds go? The funds generated by this event go toward training, staffing and purchasing equipment for the observatory.
- What is meant by anywhere in the Upper Lynn Canal? Anywhere on land or water in the Chilkat, Chilkoot or Ferebee watersheds from the Canadian border to Seduction Point.
Sign me up!
Send an email to us: pam.randles@takshanuk.org