$1,980

Raised of $4,000

Wild Birds Unlimited

Team participating in San Diego Birdathon 2025

Takes place Apr 11 - May 11, 2025

Captained by Dan Payne

Counting Birds for Conservation

We're excited to take part in the San Diego Birdathon, a birding challenge supporting San Diego Bird Alliance’s local conservation, education, and advocacy efforts that benefit birds, other wildlife, and all who enjoy them.

Here are some quick points:

  • Similar to a walkathon where you count steps and raise money, the Birdathon is an opportunity to raise funds for the Alliance as teams count bird species. And don't worry, you don't need to be experienced at all to take part in the fun!

  • Each team's counting must take place in a 24 hour period between 11 April and 11 May. All counts and funds raised must be in by 31 May.

  • We have registered Team Wild Birds Unlimited and will be doing our counts between 4PM on Saturday, April 12 and 4PM on Sunday, April 13 at four locations.

  • We are hoping to raise over $4,000 in donations and observe at least 150 bird species.

  • Our top donor/fund raiser will receive a signed copy of Amy Tan's book The Backyard Bird Chronicles.

We will be meeting at the following places and times:

12 April @ 4 PM (3 hours) : Robb Field (Click here for details)

13 April @ 7 AM (2 1/2 hours): Steele Canyon Bridge Trail (Click here for details)

13 April @ 10 AM (3 hours): Santee Lakes (Click here for details)

13 April @ 1:30 PM (2 1/2 hours): Ramona Grasslands (Click here for details)

We think these locations will provide a great mix of coastal, freshwater, and inland habitats and give us our best chance at achieving our goal of 150 species. Stop by one of the locations for as little or as much time as you like.

Sign up to join us or to make a donation here on our team page. We'll share more specific details on where exactly we'll meet as the time gets closer with those who have signed-up.

When you sign up, the form asks for your fundraising and species goals which are up to you personally, not for the team totals. You can leave the optional vanity URL and Additional Information fields blank if you wish.

When you donate, please be sure to select "Give credit to a fundraiser or team" and pick "Wild Birds Unlimited." You can leave a flat donation to our team or make a pledge per species when donating to a team member (both are tax-deductible). Every dollar counts for our feathered friends!

We're so grateful for your support and hope we can raise a lot of money for the Bird Alliance. You can find more information about the Bird Alliance, their mission, and the Birdathon here at their website.

Team Members 11

Abbey Carnell

1 day ago

Spotted some European starlings. Boooooo 👎🏼 think they’re the ones who have been pooping on my car.

Abbey Carnell

2 days ago

I’ve been birding on my own casually since then and haven’t spotted any new species. I will say I took a break and visited my cousin in New York, where I was so pleased to spot the following (I know they don’t count for the Birdathon, but where else am I going to share my exciting bird news?):

Blue Jay in Central Park: Growing up on the west coast, I hadn’t seen one before! So this was so very exciting.

Bonaparte’s Gull from the Staten Island Ferry: This one was such a surprise! My gosh what a beautiful bird. Honestly my favourite gull I’ve seen to date. Such an interesting coloring.

Woodcock in Bryant’s Park: This was my favourite sighting of the trip. I’d seen that there were woodcock in this park from reported sightings online but wasn’t sure I’d be so lucky. Lo and behold, there he was! I got to see him do his little dance and everything. I also enjoyed chatting with a lovely fellow birder in the park about this great guy.

I also spotted a juvenile rock pigeon in Washington Square and you cannot tell me this little guy isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen 😭

Abbey Carnell

2 days ago

I’m excited to share that my team spotted at least 105 birds across all locations during our 24 hour period!

More to come!

Here’s my favourite photo from the Birdathon of the red capped Amazon. So incredible to get so close!

Donations 24