If you’ve never participated in this annual event, why not make 2017 your year? The object of Birdathon is for sponsored teams to count as many species as possible within a 24-hour period. Teams can range widely or stick close to home, so long as they stay in Jackson County.

In a nutshell, here’s how it works:

Form teams. Call your best birding buddies, or recruit a newbie. Most teams include two to five birders, although a single individual may also comprise a team.

Find sponsors. A person can sponsor your team with either a fixed donation or an amount per species your team sees.

Count species. The event officially begins on Friday, May 5 at 6:00 pm and ends 24 hours later, but you count species any time within that window.

Celebrate! Join the other teams at Jackson Creek Pizza, at 317 E. Main, Medford, Saturday evening for tale-swapping, prizes and mild bragging.

Birdathon 2016 featured eight stellar teams:
The Binosaurs, the Falcons, the Great Gray Owls, the Old World Warblers, the Outlaw Biker, the Professional Amateurs, the Wandering Tattlers, and the We Just Want to Have Fun! Collectively these teams raised over $2818 for RVAS, with the top fundraising team raising $1454! There were 185 total species seen or heard in the 24 hour period, with the Binosaurs being the winning team, coming in with 159 of those. The Great Grays were second with 152; and Falcons were third with 147 species. Other team totals were 109, 86, 81, 65, and 58.

FAQs

What if I’m not an experienced birder?
The fierce competition among the “hard-core” teams is legendary, but you need not be an elite birder to participate in Birdathon. In fact, your ability to find sponsors is just as important as your ability to identify warblers.

How do I find a team?
Give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll help match you with a team.

Can my family be a team?
Yes! We want to encourage kids and families to participate in Birdathon. And remember, you can choose any length of time, whether all day, half a day, or an hour.

I don’t want to get my boots muddy, but I’d still like to contribute.
Consider sponsoring a team or sending in a donation. Look for donation forms in the April issue of The Chat, and at upcoming Chapter meetings.

I still don’t get it.
Look for more details in upcoming issues of The Chat. If you have a burning question, feel free to contact Katy Reed at kmreed24@hotmail.com or 541-245-5095 or Linda Kreisman at 541-482-6456.