April 2008

Spring is for birding: Birdathon is for you

Tucson Audubon is an association. Legally that means we are a group of people who have joined together for a common purpose. In our case that purpose includes creating opportunities for people to learn about wildlife and how all aspects of our natural world are interconnected, undertaking research that will underpin sound conservation policies; and conserving and protecting our natural environment.

Many members form a social contract with Tucson Audubon, whereby their membership dues and donations support the work of the association. Others who have the time, skills, and inclination volunteer many hours to helpus achieve our shared goals. Our volunteers include biologists, lawyers, skilled birders and many more who bring a wealth of life experience and a wonderful attitude. It’s trulyexciting to be surrounded by members with such diverse backgrounds and skills. We could not achieve many of our goals without our significant volunteer base (for example, those who write to their representatives to support their actions, see page 14).

One of our challenges is getting more of us engaged in the Birdathon—an important and exciting annual fundraising activity. This year, that’s April 15 to May 15 (see page 7 for details). What is the Tucson Audubon Birdathon? Essentially it involves going birding with friends (having first registered your team on our website so others can pledge to support you); keeping track of the birds you see; and getting your friends and colleagues to sponsor you. Team members solicit pledges and donations from individuals or organizations either on a perspecies basis or for a fixed dollar amount. The teams set out with the intention of recording as many different species they can see (or hear) in a limited time period. We’ll use the funds raised from donations and pledges to sustain and expand Tucson Audubon’s Important Bird Areas and education programs.

This year we’ll be seeking to have even more fun. The emphasis will be on low carbon emissions. Many teams will be doing their Birdathon on foot, several others by bicycle, and some will be using the buses in our region. While some members will be doing the traditional 24-hour-Big-Day-Challenge, we’re hearing about lots of new plans this year, including adults taking grandchildren (and young people taking their grandparents) around the block with binoculars in hand. It all counts! Personally, I’ll be taking “Shanks’ Pony” around Arthur Pack Park to see how many birds I can find with my team. I won’t break any records but I’ll see some good birds and interesting plants, and we’ll have a good time. Part of the fun is naming your team. You’ll see some creative naming on the Tucson Audubon website. The tentative name for my team is the Green Day Packers, and we welcome your sponsorship.

The Birdathon, like other public birding activities (such as the Tucson Bird Count) also provides great opportunities to be ambassadors for birding and for our natural environment, especially in urban areas. Striking up conversations with curious passers-by is an inescapable and often very enjoyable part of urban birding. So be sure to have some Tucson Audubon materials with you.

In these days of technology, there’s also the opportunity of sending your observations to eBird www.eBird.org. That way you’ll also be supporting broader conservation initiatives by making your bird sightings available to those who use the eBird and associated databases to research changing bird distributions.

If you really cannot go birding between April and May, please consider supporting one of the many teams that will be dashing about chasing birds and sponsorships. Just go to www.tucsonaudubon.org, and pledge to support one of the many featured teams. Whichever way you choose to participate, you could help make the Birdathon a major success in our fundraising efforts for the programs we are focusing on this year: Important Bird Areas and grassroots education activities.

We look forward to crossing paths with you in the field during the Birdathon season (but watch out for Captain Sparrow and his wenches!).