Steps for Bird-A-Thon Birders:
1. SIGN UP AS A PARTICIPANT using the link below. Decide whether you’ll be joining a field trip or birding on your own on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Please note that we are limiting the group size for field trips and they are first-come, first-served.
2. FIND SPONSORS. Ask your friends and families to fill out the sponsor pledge sheet by contributing a certain dollar amount for every bird species you see, or by providing a single donation to the program. We have an online sponsor form - just send your sponsors the link. Use our sample language or reach out on your own. Be sure to let them know the estimated number of species you expect to see during the Bird-A-Thon.
Sample language to use for friends and family that want to sponsor you:
I’m participating in the 2024 Tracy Aviary Bird-A-Thon to help Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Science Program raise money to support their important work. On Sunday, May 5th, I’ll go birding and see how many bird species I can spot! I hope you’ll consider pledging a specific dollar amount for every species I see or hear during the Bird-A-Thon, or making a fixed gift. I expect to see approximately X species during the Bird-A-Thon.
To support me and Tracy Aviary, fill in the sponsor pledge form! Tracy Aviary will contact you after the Bird-A-Thon for payment information. All contributions are fully tax-deductible.
3. GO BIRDING ON MAY 5! Join our field trips or go birding on your own on Sunday, May 5, 2024. If you go birding on your own, you’ll need to create an eBird list and share it with our Tracy Aviary Conservation Science profile (cccscp). See below for step by step instructions on how to join eBird, create an eBird list for your birding trip, and share it with our profile. After we tally species from the field trips and receive the eBird lists, we will contact your sponsors so they can provide their donation to Tracy Aviary.
PRIZES!
Anyone participating in the Bird-A-Thon will be eligible to win a number of prizes. We’ll have prizes for the top three birders who raise the most money, and then we’ll randomly select other participants to win other prizes!
How to use eBird if you are birding on your own:
This info sheet will walk you through the steps of joining eBird, making an eBird list for the day, and sharing it with the Aviary’s profile. NOTE: these instructions are from 2021, please share with our Tracy Aviary Conservation profile: (cccscp) not the one listed in the sheet. Please email conservation@tracyaviary.org if you have any questions.