By Kristine Dobney, Membership Services and Accounting Facilitator, Bird Studies Canada
Nick and Anne Chapman Photo: Jared Clarke
Congratulations to our 2017 Great Canadian Birdathon prize winners! Sheldon McGregor of Ancaster, ON is the lucky winner of this year’s Grand Prize. Sheldon has won an Eagle-Eye Tours adventure, and will choose from a guided birding tour of either Costa Rica, Central Mexico, or the Alberta Rockies. The 2016 Grand Prize winners, Nick and Anne Chapman, recently returned from their New Brunswick birding tour. They told us they had a wonderful time – the weather was amazing, and the guide for their very small group, Jared Clarke, was great.
Eagle Optics Canada donated some fabulous prizes, too: a spotting scope and tripod that will go to Mike Burge and Kathy Felkar of Picton, ON; our Youth Prize (binoculars), won by Gavin McKinnon of Calgary, AB; and an additional pair of binoculars, won by Diane Peter of Oshawa, ON. Diane was thrilled that her new binoculars arrived on time to take with her on a trip to Europe.
Armstrong Bird Food not only participated in the Great Canadian Birdathon to raise funds for bird conservation, but also donated a one-year supply of bird seed. This bountiful prize was scooped up by Richard Tafel of Corbeil, ON. In addition to participating in the Great Canadian Birdathon, Richard is also a Project FeederWatch participant, so this seed will definitely go to good use.
Vortex Canada also generously donated a pair of binoculars that was awarded to Kelly Buehler of Toronto, ON.
Kowa donated our special Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) Station Prize – their Prominar XD 66 mm spotting scope and 20-60 zoom eyepiece. The CMMN station to claim this wonderful scope is Manitoba’s Delta Marsh Bird Observatory. Congrats! You certainly earned your prize through your superb birdathoner-recruitment and fundraising efforts.
Bird Studies Canada thanks all of our prize donors, participants, and sponsors for making the Great Canadian Birdathon such a success. 2017 is shaping up to be a great year, with more participants and more money raised than in 2016 – over $232,000 so far! All of this hard work and generosity will benefit Canada’s wild birds in many, many ways, and is deeply appreciated.
