A somewhat brief explanation: Birdathon is a fundraising event run by the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance in which participants try to find as many species of birds as possible within a span of 24 hours. Sponsors (you guys!) can pledge to donate a specific amount of money per bird species seen. Alternatively, you can choose to contribute by depositing funds independent of bird species counted (any amount is welcome, even $5 or under). 

For those whose donations will relate to our birding success, know that our team is striving to beat our 2023 Birdathon record of 90 species! Our team will be birding on May 5th, but donations are accepted up until June 3rd. 

Money raised during the event 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 and bird population trends through its incorporation of eBird, an online database of bird observations run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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!