Birdathon Info & How-to

Big Day: Traditional
Count as many individual species as possible within a 24 hour period, from midnight to midnight. Please refer to the ABA Big Day Count Rules for details. High species count wins!

Big Day: Freestyle
Count as many individual species as possible within a 24 hour period, but not necessarily midnight to midnight. Make this party all your own. Show us what you’ve got and how it helps you find the birds! High species count wins!

Brand New to Birdathon
Never done a Birdathon before? Well here’s a category just for you! Take the jump out of the nestbox and fly on your own to count birds for conservation in your own unique and fun way. This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Creative “Home” Patch
How creative can you be with birding in your yard or around your neighborhood? The winner of this award will receive some awesome Habitat at Home related prizes! This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Best Bucks for Birds
All of the funds you raise go to support Tucson Audubon’s conservation, advocacy, habitat restoration, education, field trips, and scientific studies that help protect the birds of Southeast Arizona and their habitats. Set a compelling fundraising goal and double the clutch! This award goes to the team or participant—non-staff—who raises the most money.

Social Media Storytellers
Share the fun of Birdathon with, well, everyone! Post your team’s efforts on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtags #tasbirdathon2023 and #birdathon2023, send an email blast to your friends and family, mail your supporters a write up of your day in the field, even hire a plane to write your team name in the sky! Keep Tucson Audubon in the loop by tagging your posts online. This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Birdathon Beyond AZ
Not everybody who loves Tucson Audubon lives in Arizona. Why not host a Birdathon where you live? Support our fundraising and conservation efforts from afar. Previous Tucson Audubon Birdathons have been held in Mexico, Switzerland and all over the United States. Bird beyond borders with creativity! This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Grand Champions
A panel of honorary judges will evaluate all aspects of your Birdathon efforts including number of species seen, funds raised, outreach aspects, and uniqueness of effort. Give it all you’ve got and have fun with it!

Young Birders
Any participant under 18 who raises $200 or more. Will receive special Tucson Audubon swag from our Nature Shop.

High Flyers
Any individual participant who raises over $1,000. Will receive an invitation to a special bird outing with Director of Engagement and Education, Luke Safford. The outings will be scheduled after Birdathon.

Feathered Friends
Any individual participant who raises at least $100 will receive a special Birdathon gift, which will be sent in the weeks following the event.

What kind of Birdathon adventure will you embark upon? The options are endless, but consider these approaches to get your creative juices flowing:

• Traditional Birdathon. How many birds can you find in one 24 hour period?
  
• Nontraditional Birdathon. Go birding as much as you like throughout the month of Birdathon!
• Freebird. Choose your own style of birding. Webcams, art museums, underwater photography… Get creative about finding birds!
• Patch Birding. Choose your favorite hotspot or backyard and count all the birds on a day, or time period of your choosing.
• Photography Birdathon. How many bird species can you get pictures of during Birdathon?
• Conservation Focus. Do you have a special area you want to highlight in your Birdathon to raise conservation awareness?
• Bird from Home. Visit a feeder cam from Panama or the Paton Center and count the birds you see from your laptop.

CREATE YOUR TEAM AND DONATION PAGE

Now is the time to register your team/create your donation page. Whether you’re doing Birdathon as a team, or on your own, you’ll start with creating a unique name for your adventure. Be prepared to send an image (favorite bird you hope to see? a picture of your Birdathon team?), text (who’s on your team? what’s creative about your Birdathon? how many Birdathons have you participated in?), and fundraising goal. Create your page now.

PROMOTE YOUR BIRDATHON

Share the link to your team page with everyone you know! You can also easily promote your page by using the social media buttons below your “Donate” button. Check out some fundraising tips below!

FLAT DONATIONS VS. PER SPECIES PLEDGES

Encourage your friends and family to make a flat donation to your team, or to pledge per bird species seen during your Birdathon by using the Online Pledge Form. Tucson Audubon will let you know as pledges come in so you can reach back out to your supporters with your species count after your Birdathon is complete. Supporters can then donate to your team, online or by check, by multiplying their pledge amount by the number of species your team observed.

SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Have fun and share your experiences with everyone through social media. Post it on Tucson Audubon’s Facebook page and share it on Instagram or Twitter by tagging @tucsonaudubon and including #tasbirdathon2023 in your post.

REPORT YOUR SPECIES!

To be eligible for prizes, participants must register, collect pledges, and turn in all forms to Diana Rosenblum by Friday, May 12, 2023 at 5pm. All Birdathoners are also encouraged to submit your bird findings to ebird.org.

RECORD YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS

All participants will receive 8 hours of volunteer time, regardless of actual time spent. PLEASE fill out THE VOLUNTEER HOURS FORM to record them. 

Make “The Ask” easier by remembering some simple pointers! Asking friends and family to support your Birdathon might seem intimidating, but it can be lots of fun, and help to raise awareness for the unique biodiversity right here in Southeast Arizona.

Here are some helpful tips:

Look Far and Wide

You never know who will want to support your Birdathon efforts, so ask everyone you know! Sometimes people are just waiting to be asked to help. Whose efforts have you supported in the past? Who shares your passion for birds and their homes?

Be Bold!

You are raising money for a great cause. Be proud of what you’re doing. Most people are more than happy to donate money to worthy environmental causes like ours. Be the first name on your own pledge sheet. Remind people they can pledge either a fixed amount or on a per-species basis.

Know What We’re Doing

Many people will want to know specifically what their donation will support. Tell them about our recreation, conservation, education, and restoration programs. Tell them about the birds you love. If it helps, develop a script to follow. You can always email us if you need help.

Take Pride In What You’re Doing

You are sharing your love of birds with so many in Southeast Arizona. The funds you raise for Birdathon ensure that the vital conservation, restoration, and education efforts of Tucson Audubon Society can continue far into the future. Let others know what it is you’re making possible!

Share the Message

Use the variety of platforms you have available. All of the ways you stay connected to friends and family are also great ways to let people know about Birdathon. Your social networks can all be leveraged for support! Don’t forget to tag us and use #tasBirdathon2023 and #birdathon2023

Be Grateful

Acknowledge their contribution as soon as you receive it. Tell them you will let them know how successful your Birdathon was and that you will send pictures from your field trips. If they don’t decide on the spot to support you, thank them for thinking about it.

Per Species Pledge Form
Let us and the team know that you plan to pledge per species

Volunteer Hours Form
All participants will receive 8 hours of volunteer time