UPDATE: 

Happy Monday, May 11, everyone! My 2020 Birdathon effort, Contrast Birding, concluded at sunset on May 7. In total, I saw 83 species of birds between my yard/neighborhood in Tucson and a little slice of Arizona's high country. Thank you all for your support! Here is some additional information about the birds I saw, which I hope you enjoy!

• Species list
• 3-minute video summary

Greetings, famly and friends! 

Tucson Audubon's annual Birdathon, which looks a little different this year due to SARS-Cov-2 (a.k.a. COVID-19), is now in the home stretch. We've altered our approach and registered a record number of teams, many of whom have already completed their Birdathon efforts. Please take a moment to read through the team pages and appreciate the diversity of approaches being applied to Birdathon in 2020. I'm genuinely proud to lead this organization!

Like nearly all of our dedicated employees, I've been working from home for the past 6 weeks. A silver lining of this experience has been getting closer to the birds in my own yard and noticing the subtle changes in species composition as spring migration passes through Southeast Arizona. At the beginning of the stay-at-home period, we had White-crowned Sparrows visiting, but they've since departed for northern latitudes. Jen and I enjoyed the arrival of Lucy's Warblers and look forward to a pair of Hooded Orioles visiting our hummingbird feeders in the evenings. Both species winter in Mexico. In total we've observed 43 species in our yard and during walks around the neighborhood. I'll be using this total as a starting point for my Birdathon effort this year. 

The "Contrast" in my team name, Contrast Birding, refers to the suite of birds I expect to see next week, while traveling through some higher elevation areas of Arizona. I expect to add a few additional species to my yard/neighborhood list, but I'm anticipating adding 30+ species while exploring (and, yes, hopefully doing a little fly fishing) in the eastern part of the state. I anticipate my Constrast Birding Birdathon effort will generate a total of 75+ species. 

Every dollar you contribute to my effort will benefit Tucson Audubon's Mission to inspire people to enjoy and protect birds. More than at any other point in my 12-year career leading Audubon organizations, I can say this with confidence: our organization is making a difference. We restore and maintain the places and habitats people will need as we begin to heal from this global health crisis. We fight for birds at every level--local, state, and national. And our team is dedicated to finding innovative ways to protect birds and share their life histories with a broad and diverse audience.

Thank you for your support! 

- Jonathan 

Pledges

• Marcia Grand: $10/species and $1,000 bonus for spotting more than your expected 75 species

..DONATE (PAY NOW)..          ..PLEDGE (PAY LATER)..

Birds have a unique, special, and different meaning to each of us. So, too, is each of our connection with Tucson Audubon Society personal and distinct. During Birdathon, we combine the love of bird watching during spring migration with support for bird conservation.

Birdathoners are birders and social fundraisers, joining together to make a difference for the birds and habitats of Southeast Arizona. Birdathoners continue a tradition that has held strong for over 30 years! 

Each Birdathoner's personal network of supporters is what helps makes Birdathon possible. 

Supporting a team by writing a check?

• Make checks payable to: Tucson Audubon Society
• Write the team name on memo line
• Mail to: 
  Tucson Audubon Society
  300 E University Blvd #120
  Tucson, AZ 85705

REGISTER YOUR OWN TEAM HERE
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