Ready to participate in Bird-a-thon? Here’s some more information to keep in mind and get you started!

Greenburgh Nature Center Goals for 2021 Bird-a-thon

  • Inspire a new generation of birders to get outside and explore the beautiful wildlife we share our ecosystem with in a covid-safe way.
  • Work collectively as a community to count the different species of birds in our area.
  • Raise funds to support the Nature Center’s bird collection, nature education programs, and wild bird conservation efforts. 

 

Birding Rules

  • Participants will have from 9am on April 26th until 10pm on May 2nd to identify as many birds as they can.
  • Birding can be done from anywhere outside—your home, school, local park, etc. 
    • We invite you to use the Nature Center grounds as your birding location as much as you’d like. We will have feeders set up everyday. 
  • Participants will keep track of the species they see on their official species checklist and submit ONE sheet per team to Danielle at birdathon@greenburghnaturecenter.org on the last day. 
    • The sheet will be a compiled list of all the birds team members saw.
  • Each species will count only once. For example, if each team member sees a flock of 10 Canada Geese, it only counts as one bird on the list. 
  • You may bird solo or with other members of your team.
  • If you are unsure of a species, try using the Merlin or eBird apps to help you identify the bird. If you are still unsure, snap a photo and send it to Danielle at birdathon@greenburghnaturecenter.org 
  • We encourage participants to take photos during their birding journey and share them with us! 

 

Fundraising Guidelines 

  • Each registered team must contribute a minimum of $50 at the end of the bird-a-thon. 
  • Ask your friends, family, neighbors, and more to contribute to your fundraising page online or by using a pledge card. No gift is too small! 
    • We suggest birders ask sponsors to donate per bird species. A recommended donation range would be $1-$5 per species. One time donations are appreciated as well.
  • The team that raises the most money will receive a prize! 

 

Birding Code of Ethics

  1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.
    1. Keep a safe distance between yourself and birds or their nests. 
    2. Make sure flash is disabled when photographing birds. 
    3. Stay on roads, paths and trails to keep habitat disturbance to a minimum. 
    4. Do not promote the presence of a rare bird if it could be harmful or disturbing  to the animal. 
  2. Respect the law and rights of others. 
    1. Do not bird on private property without permission. 
    2. Follow CDC guidelines for covid-19 safety. 
  3. Ensure that feeders and artificial bird environments are safe. 
    1. Keep dispensers, water, and food clean and free of disease.