Hello everyone! We are a family team counting birds and raising money for NVBA. The team includes Louise Edsall (Program assistant for NVBA), Sean and his wife Rachel Edsall. We are counting and raising funds in memory of my husband and Sean's father, Bart Edsall. He was a disabled American USAF Veteran who humored me in joining us for this count in previous years from his wheelchair. Without the use of arms and hands from spinal cord issues, he couldn't use binoculars but happily identified birds he could see. I was so proud of his participation and enjoyment of nature. He learned a lot about birds from our kitchen table by viewing the feeders. The wild kingdom was right before him and he enjoyed it daily. Bart passed away September 16, 2024. This will be our second memorial Birdathon team count in his memory. We all take for granted our abilities until we don't have them. What we learned from Bart was that attitude is paramount to enjoying life with a disability. He made the best of it! He was remarkable for the bird facts he read and memorized and I know took pleasure in sharing them with unsuspecting guests or visitors.  I think he especially enjoyed the first hummingbirds of the season. We found a lot of fun birding the Neabsco Creek boardwalk. I would love to see it reconstructed to make it a bit more accessible to those in wheelchairs as the railing interfered with the view at that height. In any case, we will enjoy another year counting and celebrating life, one bird at a time! May our sightings be many and our hearts full! We love you Bart and miss you! Yes, we will see eagles you now soar with above! Thank you for your service!

Birdathon helps NVBA to support outdoor education, citizen science, habitat conservation and programs to encourage people to plant native plants and protect native wildlife. Birdathon also helps ornithologists better understand spring migration by reporting sightings through eBird, an online database of bird observations run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Here's how you can help:

• Donate: Contribute whatever you can. Every dollar counts!
• Spread the Word: Share our fundraising page with your friends, family, and social networks. Let’s spread awareness so we can raise more!

Thank you so much for your support and for helping us help birds and wildlife here in northern Virginia! We couldn’t do it without you!