When the word “Birdathon” is mentioned, does it bring up thoughts of 24-hour nonstop running around Orange County? Does it bring up visions of crawling into your home on all fours from exhaustion? Well, it means all of that to our organized teams. Their dedication to raising money for Sea and Sage and their competitive spirit raise the bar when it comes to having fun.

Unfortunately, my body just will not move like that. Janet and I still want to join in the fun, so what we have done is name ourselves the “Warbler Watching Starbucks Stoppers.” We bird at our pace: we stop at Starbucks, we watch birds, we stop at Starbucks, we bird, we linger over every warbler, we stop for lunch, etc. We have fun, and we bird wherever we want. How does this help raise money for Birdathon? We turn in our bird list for the day; and, invariably, there are a couple of birds that can be added to the Chapter's official Birdathon list of species for the 24-hour period. We ask people to pledge an amount based on the Chapter's total number of bird species for the day.

My suggestion is for everyone to “join in the fun.” Go birding with someone, and turn in your bird list for the day. You most likely will run into others who are joining the Birdathon fun, and that will add even more fun to your day - it can be a “party” in the field.

In summary:
1. GO BIRDING on April 26.
2. Turn in a copy of your bird list at Audubon House, Attn: Al Baumann.
3. Get pledges or outright donations based on your bird list or the Chapter's total number of species for the day. Send donations to Audubon House, Attn: Birdathon.
4. HAVE FUN!

Join us at the Summer Barbecue to recognize our official Birdathon teams; the #1 Team for total species, the #1 Team for total money raised, and the #1 Individual for total money raised will be recognized with special awards.

We will be looking for you in the field on April 26; I'll be the one with the silly mangled hat.

 —Al Baumann                                                             

Birdathon Materials: 
Birdathon Participation Form
Sponsor Sheet
Bird Checklist
California Bird Records Committee BIRD LIST (official bird list for Birdathon)

It's Sunday morning.  My legs ache from hiking, my shoulders from carrying an overweight scope.  But my spirit is in heaven.  It's the day after the Birdathon and all is well. 

Friday night and Saturday was my first attempt at a Birdathon and I didn't know what to expect.  Mike and Margaret Smith, our chairpersons for this years event, found a team that agreed to put up with me for the event, the Wandering Tattlers.  I hope they don’t tattle on my ineptitude. 

Saturday night at dusk, we assembled at Irvine Regional Park to look for owls, nighthawks and poorwills, in addition to whatever might show up. The five target species that my teammates wanted to find all showed up, so it looked like we were off to a good start. 

Sunday morning we were to rendezvous at Audubon House at 5:15 AM, an ungodly hour.  With my excitement, I couldn't sleep and got to Audubon House a half hour early.  And I wasn't the first one there!  Susan and Nancy finally showed up at the appointed time and told me we couldn't count the birds that I had already identified.  It seems like at least two members of the team needed to identify the little critters.  My first lesson.  Off we went to Newport Pier for pelagic species.  Again, we weren't the first team there.  Next, we traveled down the coast to look for cormorants and a Wandering Tattler.  Again we had success. 

Up and down the coast we traveled.  Back and forth from the coast to the foothills, always in search for something on our list or for something new, we raced against the clock.  By dusk, I was exhausted, so too were my teammates, but we had fun. 

Would I do it again?  You better believe it.  I can’t wait for next year's Birdathon to start.  Maybe then I will be able to contribute a little bit more to a team.  Some of you may wonder what the Birdathon is all about.  It’s an event sponsored by National Audubon as a fundraiser.  Local Audubon Chapters can participate in the event if they so choose.  There are specific rules and  regulations, such as the number of members in a team, the method of counting species, the species allowed to be counted, the time allowed, and the areas that can be investigated.  The  Birdathon happens to be one of our biggest and most successful fund raising events of the year. We get to compete on a national basis with other chapters of similar size for prestige and prizes... Since  this event is sponsored by National Audubon, fifty percent of all moneys collected must go to National to support their conservation and education programs. However, as a Chapter, we get to specify how our contribution is to be used.  In the past, we have elected to have National's portion be used to support Starr Ranch, which is located here in Orange County. For the many of you who have visited the Ranch, you know that our contribution is well spent. 

So (this) year, when the Birdathon rolls around, I will be there and hope to see you there (also). If you can’t participate in the challenge of identifying species, please participate by sponsoring a team.  Your donations go a long way in supporting our programs here in Orange County.