Eastside Audubon’s May Birding Challenge

During the month of May, Eastside Audubon holds Birdathon, our biggest fundraiser of the year. People can get involved by joining a field trip or a class, making a one-time donation, or counting birds on one day in May as a team!

What is the May Birding Challenge?

Our May Birding Challenge is an event as part of Birdathon fundraising month.  Teams are formed by a team captain with team members of their choosing.  The team then picks one day in May during Birdathon to go out and count as many birds as they can to raise money for Eastside Audubon.

What exactly are Teams counting?

Simple!  You are counting as many bird species as you can in your count day.  Counting the number of birds is also appreciated and fun, but the most important thing is number of bird species!

How do we raise money?

This works like being involved in a marathon. You can work within your network of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, community members, etc.  You can either ask them to donate a flat donation amount (like give Team XYZ $100.00 for the day) or ask to pledge a donation amount per bird species ($1.00 per species as an example).  It’s up to you.

Note that to maintain fairness across the teams, Eastside Audubon cannot help you with your team donation solicitation.

How to collect money?

You can either collect the money yourself and send in to Eastside Audubon or we can create a donation portal for your team on our website.  Let us know what your preference is when you create your team.

What do I do after my Birding Challenge day is over?

Remember to email all of your donors and thank them for their contributions to help birds and provide them with a report on your bird count and money raised.  Don’t forget to send in your donations and report to Eastside Audubon. Data collected on your bird count day can also be submitted to eBird.

Where can my team go to count bird species?

Anywhere in the world they want! The count isn’t limited to the Eastside Audubon service area, so wherever you will or would like to be during the month of May, you can count birds.

Do I need to work with Eastside Audubon to coordinate everything?

Yes, please work with our Birdathon Coordinator to ensure your Birding Challenge goes well and follows protocol.  Please reach out to office@eastsideaudubon.org for more information.