Spring World Migratory Bird Day Birdathon 2023

We’re happy to announce the 2023 Brooklyn Bird Club Birdathon, to be held in celebration of World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on Saturday, May 13.  https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/

The annual Birdathon asks birders to form teams of up to 6 members and count bird species in Brooklyn in support of a cause that helps the birds we love. Everyone is welcome ─ hardcore birders, backyard feeder watchers, and beginners! Like a walkathon, participants collect pledges and donations from friends and family for finding and counting bird species on the day of the Birdathon. Instead of getting a pledge per mile walked, Birdathon participants ask for a pledge for each bird species seen by the team.

This year’s designated beneficiary is the NYC Plover Project.  https://nycploverproject.org/  (see below for more information.)

The NYC Plover Project began in March 2021 with one goal – to help protect an endangered shorebird in our city that was otherwise left to fend for itself. In less than two years, they have personally connected with thousands of beachgoers in person and thousands more people on social media. What became immediately clear was that most New Yorkers didn’t know about Piping Plovers or the challenges they face, that their very existence was at risk of extinction. Most didn’t know that fewer than 8,000 remain in the world and just less than 100 come to Queens, NYC each year.

The mission of the NYC Plover Project (www.nycploverproject.org) is to bring together New Yorkers, from the Rockaway Peninsula and beyond, to protect the endangered Piping Plovers, tiny shorebirds that nest on our beaches. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Rockaways, Queens that works with a number of partners, including the National Park Service and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, along with a dedicated volunteer corps of nearly 200 volunteers to help protect nesting Piping Plovers. Their conservation activities include in-person engagement and education of beachgoers, and helping partners with nest monitoring, increased signage near nesting habitat, and data collection of nesting outcomes. In 2022, they were named national volunteer group of the year for the entire National Park Service.

For this exciting opportunity with the Brooklyn Bird Club, they would look to launch an educational program for primary school children in the Rockaways, in concert with Birds Caribbean and local civic and primary education partners in Andros, Bahamas where many Atlantic population Piping Plovers spend their winters. Specifically, funds raised would go towards a seasonal coordinator in the Bahamas to work with 1-3 pilot schools in the Fall 2023 (off) season. This program would be multimedia and offer educational tools for the instructors to engage with students about the wintering and summering locations of the birds, further engaging school kids from both countries about endangered Piping Plovers.