$621
Raised of $250
Based on 82 bird species each worth $7.58
Anthony Ciccarello
Fundraiser Profile
I'm Counting Birds for Conservation
I'm a birder who has lived in North San Diego County for the last 5 year. Originally from the east coast I grew up watching colorful songbirds come to my backyard. While spending time traveling Latin America, I got back into birding, enjoying exploring what each area had to offer. Since then I've used birding as a way to enrich my travels. I'm fascinated by the variety of birds in the world and all their unique behaviors. In San Diego, I love checking out different kinds of habitats to take full advantage of the biodiversity in the county. More recently I've been working on improving my sound ID skills, connecting with more birding community events, and tracking down a few local species that have eluded me.
After finding out about the SD Birdathon during the SD Bird Festival, I've decided to participate this year. The goal is to see as many species as you can in a 24 hour period. My current plan is to target May 9th as my birding day (also a Global Big Day) and traveling around to various spots in the county. You can donate either a fixed amount or (as extra encouragement) per species identified.
While San Diego County has over 500 species of birds recognized as being seen in the area, as of march 2026, I've identified a total of 187 birds. For one day, I'm hoping to identify 50 species and I would be thrilled if I could hit 75. For context, it took me 5 days and the help of many other skilled birders to hit 78 species during the bird festival.
Occasionally, I'll post bird pictures and stories on my website which along with my ebird profile is how I keep track of my birding stories. All my birding on May 9th can be seen on my trip report page. Feel free to check out those pages for some more bird content.
About the Event
Apr 10 - May 10, 2026
Anthony Ciccarello
2 wk. ago
3
bird species
$7.58
Per bird species
$22.74
Earned
Okay, I'm calling it there. After wandering around town in the dark for an hour, I did eventually find a Great Horned Owl hooting. After reviewing my photos I realized...I'm not cut out for reviewing photos. Well, at least I'm only adding one more species. There's a pretty clear a Brandt's Cormorant with a bright blue throat in a picture on the bait barge so I'm confident I can add that. I still need to review the terns but I got some decent sound ID down in Imperial Beach so those have already been added to the count. I've added a few photos to the lists as well as some habitat photos. When everything is complete I'll send out a final wrap up post for those who would like to review. In the meantime, feel free to check out my ebird trip report.
Edit: I got some feedback on the Western/Clark's Grebe and think there's enough for a positive ID on that too. Thanks for the help Nick!
Anthony Ciccarello
2 wk. ago
8
bird species
$7.58
Per bird species
$60.64
Earned
Species goal met! I was a little worried when I arrived at the Tijuana River Estuary because there wasn't much activity going on. I heard and saw the Savana Sparrows. I heard and eventually saw the Ridgeway Rail. But there wasn't much else for a while. I finally caught a glimpse of the Northern Harrier and found a Willet on the bank of the marsh. I was glad to finally hit the goal. Thanks to everyone who donated. It made it a fun day for me and I'm excited to help the San Diego Bird Alliance.
I was also excited for some of the photos I took, only to realize I'd forgotten to replace the SD card... Well, just know they were amazing. The osprey family looked very cute in their nest. I even got a Common Yellowthroat to pose long enough in the open for a picture. I'll have to use my mind's eye to remember.
While the sun has set, I'm not quite done. As I ate my dinner looking out over the marsh and into Mexico, I ID'd a couple more terns. From here I'll be on the lookout for owls this evening.
Anthony Ciccarello
2 wk. ago
13
bird species
$7.58
Per bird species
$98.54
Earned
Wrapping up at the San Diego River Mudflats. Got to see the Black Skimmers skimming which was really cool as well as see several other tern including Caspian and Elegant Terns. I took some photos and will check back to see if any Royal Terns were in the mix. There were a host of egrets too: Snowy Egrets, a Reddish Egret, Great Blue Herons, and Little Blue Herons. I checked the bait barge for any Brandta Cormorants but it was mostly Double Created Cormorants and Sea Lions.
I'm getting close to reaching my goal! Continuing my way south with a stop at Famosa Slough next.
Anthony Ciccarello
2 wk. ago
5
bird species
$7.58
Per bird species
$37.90
Earned
Spent two hours at Santee Lakes and saw 29 species including 5 new ones. This tile I brought the DSLR camera with me and got some great shots I'll add to the list later. Saw several wood ducks including an all-white (albino/leucistic) mother duck. While waiting for my lunch at the grill I got to watch an Osprey and Forster's Tern catch fish. Next I'll head to the coast for some shore birds.
Anthony Ciccarello
2 wk. ago
8
bird species
$7.58
Per bird species
$60.64
Earned
Just finished a hot hike in the sun at Lake Hodges and added 8 more species with a list of 24. The cutest had to be the covey of California Quail which included a bunch of babies. I also heard a few Bell's Vireos. There was also a gnatcatcher though I'm not confident enough to ID that. I'll have to look up California vs Blue-gray later.
Next up is Santee Lakes in search of some wood ducks!
