By Jody Allair, Director of Citizen Science and Community Engagement, Birds Canada
On the weekend of October 3-4, members of Team Canucks went out into their local patches to go birding for conservation. For the first time in the history of the Great Canadian Birdathon – one of the most important fundraisers of the year for Birds Canada – we extended the Birdathon season beyond the traditional May event to encompass the entire year. For many people (including me) this was a welcome opportunity to take part in a Big Day fundraiser during fall migration.
One of the ways we will get through these challenging times is to collaborate and help one another. With that goal in mind, 16 people, which included staff and friends of the organization, rallied around the banner of Team Canucks to go birding for conservation and raise much needed funds to help support the work of Birds Canada from coast to coast.
And the response from friends and family has been overwhelming. Thanks to the generosity of donors across Canada and beyond, we’ve managed to raise over $12,000 so far!
Doug Tozer & fam (the “Tozer Twitchers”) found 73 species near Birds Canada HQ in Port Rowan, ON – all by bike and on foot! Photo: Doug Tozer
Not all Canadians were in Canada on Birdathon. Pete Davidson checked in from Tanzania with an impressive 140 species! Photo: Pete Davidson
The impact of this Birdathon has extended beyond the funds raised. Many of the team members also diligently recorded observations into eBird Canada, adding to a huge global database that researchers rely on to study bird populations. A total of 329 species recorded over 41 eBird checklists were documented from across Canada, and in Tanzania from Team Canucks member Pete Davidson. If you are a registered eBird user, you can visit this link to view the species breakdown, checklists, and locations of our birding efforts.
Below are some photo highlights of our Birdathon. Thanks again to all who supported Team Canucks in 2020. It’s not too late to donate – please visit our fundraising page at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bird-studies-canada/p2p/birdathon20/team/the-canucks/
If you’d like to go birding for conservation yourself, you can do your Birdathon anytime from now through the end of 2020. Get started by signing up at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/bird-studies-canada/p2p/birdathon20/