Start with an annual Spring Bird Count, add teams of birders searching for as many birds as possible over a 24-hour period, fold in sponsors to support our efforts and you have Birdathon. This year's Birdathon is being held around the 2nd Saturday in May, and proceeds are used to support Audubon Sharon's bird related activities such as bird rehabilitation, bird research and bird habitat enhancement. Teams of birders spread out over Litchfield and eastern Dutchess Counties.. Anyone is welcome to join a team. For the name of a team leader near you, feel free to call the Center the week before the event.
Whereas Christmas Bird Counts total all individual birds, Birdathon tallies just the number of species seen or heard regardless of the number of individuals. The difference is that the migratory birds are passing through during this time so it is not unusual to see upwards of 130 different species! If you are looking forward to some exciting birding, please join us. Don't let the idea of 24 hours of birding scare you. You can join us for as long as you like.
Regardless of whether you take part in the birding, pledges are an important part of this event. As with other "thons" you can pledge in many different ways. The most challenging way for us is for you to pledge per species. For example, if you pledge $1 per species and we see 100 species, your commitment is $100. You can pledge for the total number of species seen by all of our teams or you can challenge an individual team or birder. The more you pledge, the harder we work! Please send in a pledge form or call the Center for more info about our area Birdathon.