2021 BIRDATHON REPORT Highlights from the
Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin ' s
annual fundraiser
Breaking Records #ForTheBirds
$107k+
Wisconsin's bird lovers have done it again! In three short months during spring migration, hundreds of Wisconsinites came
raised!
Mr . D a r ga t z' s Nat u r e K i n der ga r t en bir ds fr o m t he ir out doo r c la s s r o o m in t he ir 4t h Bir da t ho n! Ph o t o b y Pe t e r D ar gat z
together to raise a record-breaking $107,915 for the Foundation's
Bird
Protection Fund . Thank you, Birdathoners and donors for your passion and commitment to our state's birds! Enjoy these highlights from our amazing season together.
300+
65
253
Birdathoners from
incredible
bird species
across Wisconsin
teams
spotted
No E gr et s didn' t r e gr e t e xplor ing t he L a ke s ho r e Na t ur e P r e s e r ve . Ph o t o b y L in d s e y T aylo r
Fi n c h G an g s c o ur e d J e ffe r s o n Count y fo r bir ds . . . a nd Bir da t ho n donor s . Ph o t o b y Clare Carls o n
"My favorite part of the Birdathon was discovering new birds and sharing the experience and love of birding with my daughter." T he e nda nge r e d Pi pi n g Pl o ver wa s vo t e d t o be our #Bir dOfT he Y e a r . T he Bir d P r o t e c t io n F und s uppor t s t he r e c ove r y of t his im pe r ile d s pe c ie s . Ph o t o b y Ryan B r ad y
- 2021 Birdathon Participant
T his Y e llow Wa r ble r wa s s pot t e d by t he So c i a l D i s t an c i n g Sa n dpi per s , who s e t e a m s plit up t o c o ve r m o r e gr ound—a nd find m o r e bir ds ! Ph o t o b y E m ily D o n o van
A Birdathon for Everyone This year's Birdathon saw an amazing array of
65 teams :
The
Brix Cider Biking Bird
Brigade
birded through the
from classrooms and
Sugar River watershed,
nonprofits, to friends and
visiting farms that provide
family, to Bird Cities and
local food to their restaurant.
bird clubs. The
Lake Superior eBirders
Long-running teams like
birded (and eBirded) all along
Cutright's Even Older
the North Shore.
Coots
returned for their 10th
year of Birdathoning, while
Gathering Warblers
new teams started what is
gathered staff and board
sure to become an annual
members to explore some of
tradition.
their favorite land trust properties.
Classroom Teams
Each team put their unique touch on their Birdathon day
What's That?
as they set out to search for
first Birdathon, discovering
Adams-Friendship High School in Adams County
Wisconsin's birds - by foot,
new destinations (and new
Chrysalis Academy of Holway Homeschool
by bike, by boat, or by car.
birds) with friends.
The
River Raptors
birded
enjoyed their
Three Shrikes and You're
with paddles in hand along
Out
their favorite waterways.
recruiting new birders to join
returned again, this time
Adams-Friendship High School Warblers
students in Taylor County
Lincoln Middle School Lincoln Middle School in LaCrosse, WI
Mr. Dargatz's Nature Kindergarten Woodside Elementary in Sussex, WI
The Wequiock Wonderers Wequiock Elementary in Green Bay, WI
them.
Windsor Waxwings Windsor Elementary in Windsor, WI
I n di go i n g Pl ac es br o ught pa r e nt s a nd c hildr e n t oge t he r t o e nc o ur a ge a ne w ge ne r a t io n o f bir de r s . Ph o t o b y Me lis s a K e s lin g
Top Fundraisers Cutright's Even Older Coots $16,353 Lake Superior eBirders $6,858 3. Finch Gang $5,899 4. River Raptors $5,206 5. GLC Chickadees $4,058 1.
2.
Most Species Seen Lake Superior eBirders 187 species Vaccinated Vireos 177 species 3. Social Distancing Sandpipers 170 species 4. Cutright's Even Older Coots 167 species 5. MuirLand Merlins 153 species 1.
T he H o u s e Un -Bo u n d Wr en s go t o ut s ide t o ge t he r a s a fa m ily. Ph o t o b y Mat t K ru e ge r
2.
(shout-out to the Tireless Turnstones, a youth-led team, for spotting 151 species!)
Notable Rare Birds Piping Plover seen by Vaccinated Vireos, the only team to spot our #BirdOfTheYear!
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher seen by Brew City Bird Squad
T he E l m G r o ve H i gh Fl yer s got bir de nt hus ia s t s involve d in pr o gr e s s ing t he ir Bir d Cit y goa ls . Ph o t o b y K are n L lo yd
Western Kingbird seen by Lake Superior eBirders Worm-Eating Warbler seen by Double Stuffed Orioles
An AD A-a c c e s s ible dua l s c o pe s ys t e m wa s ins t a lle d a t L e wis P a r k t ha nks t o t he Mc Far l a n d Bi r d Fes t i val t e a m . U p ne xt a r e int e r pr e t ive s igns ! Ph o t o b y Sh awn Mille r
Teams Give Back to Birds Nonprofit organizations, Bird
They're building and
Cities, and bird clubs that
installing nest boxes,
participate in the Great
planting native plants,
Wisconsin Birdathon are
restoring land, funding
able to keep
50% of the
funds they raise
Organizational Teams 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Birdlanders Aldo Leopold Nature Center Double Stuffed
—
while
bird-specific citizen science programs, putting
the rest goes to support our
binoculars in the hands of
Bird Protection Fund
new birders, installing
projects.
scopes and bird-related signage at local parks,
Funds for these
and much, much
organizational teams go
more!
back into their communities, supporting local bird
Orioles
Baraboo Range Preservation Association
$16K+ go
conservation at its source.
Baraboo Rangers
Benedictine Life Foundation of Wisconsin Wrens of Wisdom Prairie
Chequamegon Chapter of the North Country Trail Association North Country Birders Chippewa County Land Conservancy Chirp Chasers
Dane County Humane Society Wildlife Center Dane County Humane Society Wildlife Center
Driftless Area Land Conservancy Prairie DALCons Elm Grove Bird City Elm Grove High Flyers Feminist Bird Club-Madison WI Chapter Yes We Pelican!
Friends of McFarland Parks McFarland Bird
This year, we had
23
organizational teams
es back local o to rgs
that
are collectively putting $16,744 back into local conservation work across our state.
Know someone who might be interested in joining the Birdathon next year? Send them to
www.WIBirdathon.org
Festival
Gathering Waters Gathering Warblers Glacial Lakes Conservancy GLC Chickadees Madison Audubon All About Aves, Reckless Wrens Madison FUN Paddling Peddling Prius Pewees, Camp Coots
MuirLand Bird Club MuirLand Merlins North Lakeland Discovery Center Up North Hammerheads
Richland Center-Santa Teresa Sister City Project Motmot Crew
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Schlitz Audubon Screech Owls
Wausau Bird Club Wausau Nutcrackers Wisconsin Pheasants Forever Funky Pheasants
Y es We Pel i c an ! r a is e d funds t o pur c ha s e bino c ula r s for ne w bir de r s in t he F e m inis t Bir d Club. Ph o t o b y Me lis s a K e s lin g
Wr en s o f Wi s do m Pr a i r i e r a is e d funds for e c ologic a l r e s t or a t io n wor k a t Ho ly Wis do m Mona s t e r y. Ph o t o b y A m y A ls t ad
"The Birdathon is a win-winwin. Raising dollars for bird conservation, raising dollars for our land trust, and hanging out with fellow birders! What could be better?!" - 2021 Birdathon Participant
Fu n k y Ph ea s a n t s of Wis c o ns in P he a s a nt s F o r e ve r us e d t he ir s t a ff' s fir s t in-pe r s o n o ut ing o f 2021 t o r a is e funds for e duc a t io n a nd out r e a c h e ve nt s . Ph o t o b y B rit t a Pe t e rs o n
2021 Bird Protection Fund Projects The Great Wisconsin Birdathon raises funds for the
Natural
Resources Foundation of Wisconsin's Bird Protection Fund,
which
supports Wisconsin's highest priority bird conservation needs. The following projects were selected by the advisory committee to receive the funds raised by our amazing 2021 Birdathon participants:
T he Neo t r o pi c al Fl yways Pr o j ec t r e c e nt ly m a de ne w dis c ove r ie s a bo ut t he m igr a t o r y pa t t e r ns o f C an a da Wa r bl er s . Ph o t o c o u rt e s y o f Gru p o Q u e t zalli, N ic aragu a
Advancing Bird Conservation within Wisconsin’s Important Bird Area (IBA) System —
Wisconsin Bird
Conservation Partnership
Kirtland’s Warbler Nest Monitoring —
Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources
Neighborhood Habitat Improvement Project
— Western
Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory
Neotropical Flyways Project
— Cornell Lab of Ornithology /
SELVA
Outreach and Optics Purchase
— BIPOC Birding Club of
Wisconsin
Piping Plover Conservation and Management in Wisconsin — Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Reintroduction of Whooping Cranes into Eastern North America A r e s e a r c he r s e t s up a t r a il c a m e r a t ha t m o nit or s Wh o o pi n g C r a n es a s pa r t o f a r e int r o duc t ion pr o gr a m . Ph o t o b y In t e r n at io n al Cran e F o u n d at io n
Visit
—
International Crane Foundation
www.WisConservation.org/Bird-Protection-Fund to learn more
about these projects and how you can provide permanent support for the Bird Protection Fund with a gift to the Birds of Wisconsin Legacy Fund.
T he BI POC Bi r di n g C l u b o f WI ho s t e d it s fir s t kic ko ff e ve nt in J uly 2021, invit ing Bla c k, Indige no us , pe o ple o f c o lor , a llie s , a nd fa m ilie s t o e xplor e t he jo y of bir ding t o ge t he r . Ph o t o b y D e x t e r Pat t e rs o n
Nei gh bo r h o o d H a bi t a t I mpr o vemen t Pr o j ec t vo lunt e e r s c ons t r uc t e d bir d ho us e s t ha t e na ble d c it ize n s c ie nt is t s t o m o nit or bir d ne s t ing s uc c e s s . Ph o t o b y W e s t e rn Gre at L ake s B ird an d B at O b s e rvat o ry
Thank you to our 2021 Birdathon sponsors!
The Great Wisconsin Birdathon is brought you to by
www.WisConservation.org
Patrick Marsden
Middleton