Audubon Society counts feathered friends in fundraiser
As the weather warms, flocks of birds begin their arduous journeys spanning continents, and birdwatchers get out their binoculars to track the migration.
“We hold our Birdathon in the spring because we live in a migratory corridor,” says Carolyn Knight of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, headquartered at Mcclellan Ranch in Cupertino.
Birdathon is the Audubon Society's annual bird counting fundraiser, when community members visit as many habitats and observe as many species as possible. This year's Birdathon runs through May 8.
Knight says tracking bird populations is a must for a healthy ecosystem. The Birdathon also keeps the budget for the Audubon Society's educational outreach programs healthy; funds raised go toward the nonprofit's 33-yearold Wetlands Discovery Program, which introduces elementary school children to nature and habitat around the edge of San Francisco Bay. The fundraiser also supports the new Oak Savanna Community Science Project, through which high school students take field trips and conduct bird and wildlife studies in the North Coyote Valley Conservation Area.
In its first four days, the 34th annual Birdathon raised $5,431. The goal of this year's fundraiser is to beat last year's $66,000 total. Birdathon teams compete to see the highest number of bird species and to raise the largest amount of money. Community members support these teams — and the Audubon Society — with donations.
The bird counts are done over 24 hours in a designated area of Santa Clara Valley. Teams can also sign up for a “big sit,” a four-hour stationary bird count that can be done from participants' back yards or a neighborhood park.
This year's teams include the Almaden Eagles, whose members are splitting up to perform a fourhour bird count in San Jose's Almaden Valley on April 25. The Eagles
earned Best Bird honors last year for spotting a Cassin's Kingbird, a lemon-yellow flycatcher native to western North America.
One of the Birdathon's themes this year is accessible birding, and to that end, some teams are staging bird counts for participants of all abilities. Accessible teams include Lax Returns, which Audubon Society executive director Matt Dodder says is “the most casual team you'll find.” The team will perform a four-hour stationary count on May 4.
Members of Last Chance at Purgatory can do a four-hour count anywhere in the Santa Clara Valley — where about 40 bird species reside — the morning of May 7, then travel to Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm in the East Foothills to share their sightings and enjoy lunch outdoors.
The Birdathon is open to all ages, and at least one team is led
Anne Gelhaus: agelhaus@bayareanewsgroup.com Sports: sports@bayareanewsgroup.com
GENERAL MANAGER
Michael Turpin: mturpin@bayareanewsgroup.com
CIRCULATION
Richard Raker: rraker@bayareanewsgroup.com by and targeted at young birders. The Fledglings are a team for youth 21 and younger interested in birding, regardless of skill level. The team is holding a 24-hour bird count on Saturday. Young team leaders Massimo Bafetti and Carter Gasiorowski say their goal is “to see 100 species total between all of our team members.”
For more information or to join or donate to a Birdathon team, visit https://bit.ly/birdathon2022.