How would you like to go on an exciting bird walk or trip while also supporting your local Audubon chapter? Consider joining Audubon for the annual birdathon. Over the next few months, many of the Audubon chapters in California are hosting various birdathons to raise money and educate the public about their local bird species.

Find a local birdathon near you:

Golden Gate Audubon Birdathon

Throughout the month of April 2016

San Francisco and the East Bay

Registration is now open for Birdathon 2016, our most exciting Birdathon ever! Choose from 22 amazing trips during the month of April, including a Wine & Birds in Sonoma County trip; behind-the-scenes tours of International Bird Rescue and California Academy of Sciences; an expert-led tour of the South Bay Salt Pond restoration and what it means for birds; and trips for California Condors, birding by ear, nesting shorebirds, a bird photo safari, and more. Then raise money from your friends, like a walkathon! Our goal is to raise $60,000 to support our conservation and environmental education programs. Working together, we can make it happen… and have a lot of fun along the way. Every participant who raises or donates $100 or more will receive a Birdathon 2016 T-shirt with our Spotted Towhee logo. The top first-time Birdathon fundraiser will win a $1,000 pair of Pentax binoculars! Other top fundraisers will win overnight stays in great birding destinations like Mendocino and the Sierra. Visit the GGAS website for more info.

Laguna Hills Audubon Birdathon

April 2016

Orange County

In April we will be conducting FOUR bird walks. This is to take advantage of spring migration time. In conjunction with our walks we are holding our first-ever Birdathon. In the tradition of birdathons everywhere, we are asking our members to pledge a certain amount for every species seen. But the difference is that rather than have a team of highly skilled birders scour the area for birds, our birdathon will count only those species seen on our regular bird walks. So, please consider a pledge using a pledge form – all donations will go to the Audubon Sanctuary at Starr Ranch. We accept any amount from 10 cents a species on up. As a guideline, last year we saw 79 species on our four April bird walks. This year we hope to beat that. And also consider coming out on the April bird walks. You will have a good time, see wonderful birds, and help with our totals. Results will be available at our May meeting. Visit the LHAS website for more info.  

Madrone Audubon Birdathon

March 2016

Sonoma

24 Hours for Fun and Profit! March is Bird-A-Thon month, and teams have a fun day just counting birds to support our Chapter. In 2015, we collected over $10,000 - all of which was used for educational and conservation programs, such as the popular Junior Audubon. The funds also provide Audubon Adventures, a FREE resource kit for teachers to use in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes. Lincoln School's half-day Bird Festival for all students benefits from money earned. Sponsors (you) are the backbone of a successful Bird-A-Thon. Teams will contact you and ask for your support. Please be generous by sponsoring a team with a pledge of 10 cents to whatever amount per bird species, or even a set amount. The Team will contact you after their day of birding to accept your donation with thanks. Visit the MAS website for more info.

Napa-Solano Birdathon

April 1-24, 2016

Napa-Solano

Napa-Solano Audubon presents Chirp 2016! A Festival for the Birds. Join us in April for a month of fun activities to celebrate Spring and raise money for Napa-Solano Audubon! All proceeds go toward Napa-Solano Audubon Society’s education and conservation efforts, including Junior Audubon, in-classroom teaching, habitat and nest monitoring, and more! Visit the NSAS website for more info.

Ohlone Audubon Birdathon

April 15, 2016

Ohlone

Outstanding birder/photographers Jerry Ting and Davor Desancic will pair up on April 15 for a sunrise to sunset birding and photography blitz in the Fremont area, identifying and photographing as many species as possible. Cheer them on and contribute to Ohlone Audubon with a supporting donation! Pledge an amount per bird or donate a set amount. Every person who donates $50 or more will have the opportunity to select one 8x10 print from images chosen by Jerry and Davor from their extensive, magnificent photography collections. The top five donors will have a special opportunity to attend a workshop at Coyote Hills Regional Park where Jerry and Davor will share photography and birding tips as well as take some photos in the field. All donations are greatly appreciated! Visit the OAS webpage for more info.

Pasadena Audubon Birdathon

April 29, 30 & May 1, 2016

Los Angeles County

Birdathon is Pasadena Audubon’s major annual fundraiser. Dozens of members surge forth to find as many bird species as they can in Los Angeles County in a 24-hour period. They get pledges from the public – either fixed amount or a certain amount per species. When pledging, keep in mind that the most fanatical teams can find around 200 species and even the laid back teams find 40 or 50 species. But please pledge! The proceeds this year will go to the Mike San Miguel Memorial Scholarship Fund, which assists young birders in attending the conferences of the Western Field Ornithologists, and to the Debs Park Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. Visit the PAS website for more info.

San Fernando Valley Audubon Birdathon

April and May, 2016

Van Nuys

Join the annual SFVAS Birdathon as we put “fun” in fundraiser! April and May birding events are scheduled for Birdathon leaders trying to improve their last year’s count and competing with each other to see who identifies the most species. Practice your birding skills by joining one or more Birdathon events to help maximize the species count. Everyone is a winner when SFVAS has the funding to continue its important functions.  Anyone can participate in SFVAS’s only fundraising event by pledging sponsorship to one or more of the team leaders listed on the Pledge/Contribution form. Visit the SFVAS website for more info.

Santa Barbara Audubon Birdathon

October 1-12, 2016

Santa Barbara

Results will be reported at SBAS’s Eyes in the Sky Open House on October 16 at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Bird for your best 24 hour period in this time frame. Start soliciting friends and family now to sponsor you! Don’t let distance deter you–they (and you) can be any place in the world. Have fun while helping your Audubon chapter! Registration is $25. More details will be forthcoming. Visit the SBAS website for more info.

Santa Clara Valley Audubon Birdathon

March 26 to May 1, 2016

Cupertino

Join our Counter's or Photographer's Spring Birdathon, here's the gist: Similar to a "walk-a-thon", it is one of our most important fundraisers. To participate, form your own Self-Guided Private team or join one of our prearranged Guided Public Teams, register online, gather pledges, and then count or photograph bird species anytime within the Spring Birdathon Window listed in the calendar for either four hours (count up to 4 hours) or 24 hours (count between 4 and 24 hours). Join our Big-sit competition to count from one circle for up to four hours. Photograph birds to compete in our Photographer's Birdathon. Count anywhere in the world to compete for Most Money prizes but within Santa Clara County to compete for Most Species and Best Bird recognitions. People who raise the most money win valuable prizes that are given away at the free awards dinner. Visit the SCVAS website for more info.

Sequoia Audubon Birdathon

October 2016

Pescadero State Beach

The Big Sit is an all-day birding event, in which bird-watchers try to see as many species as possible from one designated spot. Each year Sequoia Audubon Society fields an open-ended team of birders — dubbed the SASsy Seawatchers — for this international event. Our chosen spot is typically the observation area at the top of the hill overlooking the North Pond at Pescadero State Beach. This hill can be accessed using the new bridge that SAS helped purchase and install. The SASsy Seawatchers — a team of friendly, skilled, and fun-loving birders, including (we hope) YOU — will be on the hillside all day, spotting bird species and having a grand rollicking time doing so. There will be a table with food and drink, and radios to listen to football and baseball playoff games, lots of people with cameras to take pictures of the birds and the birders. Be there! You can show up at any hour, and you can stay for as long or as short as you like. Anyone, of any skill level, can participate. You can be a part of the bird-watching team, helping to accumulate a high team species total for the day. You can also pledge an amount per species seen; e.g., if you pledge $1.00 per species, and the team sees sixty species over the course of the day, your pledge would equal $60.00. Third, you can help collect pledges towards the event's total. You can do any combination of these three activities, too, even all three of them! Enthusiastic participation is encouraged: let's help the birds we love! Visit the SAS website for more info.

Tulare County Audubon Birdathon

The birder chooses a day before May 2016

Visalia

Join Tulare County Audubon Society for our Twenty-Fourth Annual BIRDATHON!! Spend a day exploring the wild lands and roadsides of Tulare County searching for different bird species. Or relax in your armchair and sponsor a birder below!! The birder chooses a day before May 1st, 2016 to bird, and then tries to see as many species as possible in 24 hours. To participate, you can count species wherever you happen to be and get pledges from friends and family. Or if you wish to sponsor a birder, simply circle the name, fill out the pledge form and mail the donation or the pledge. Visit the TCAS website for more info.

Yolo Audubon Birdathon

April 2016

Yolo County

Yolo Audubon society Birdathon will be held the last weekend of April. It is one of our largest and most enjoyable fundraisers of the year. The idea is to enlist sponsors to support your effort to see as many bird species as possible in a given time period (a few hours, half a day, a day, 24 hours, etc.). Alternatively, you can be a sponsor and pledge a specific amount per species or simply pledge a flat amount. There really are no rules. You can do your Birdathon before or after the last weekend of April and you can do it in whatever time span works best for you. You are not even restricted to Yolo County -- many Birdathons have been conducted on birding vacations in other states and even in other countries! After your Birdathon is completed, collect your pledges and send them by May 31 to: Yolo Audubon Society, PO Box 886, Davis, CA 95617. Sign-up sheets, sponsor sheets and donor pledge forms are posted on our website. If you are going to conduct a Birdathon and for further information, please contact the Birdathon Coordinator, Kevin Guse, by phone at 916-514-0685 (home) or 916-616-8835 (cell). You can also reach Kevin at harpy12@comcast.net. Good luck and good birding! Visit the YAS website for more info.