Chesapeake Chickadees (DC, Maryland, Virginia)

We are so excited to be a part of the Female Bird Day Birdathon! Our chapter is joining the larger Feminist Bird Club, partners, and birding communities to celebrate and highlight female birds as part of Female Bird Day, while simultaneously fundraising for another often overlooked and vulnerable population in our community—those seeking asylum.

Please help us reach our goals by leaving a flat donation or making a pledge to support our birding efforts in this inclusive campaign. Your support will help provide funding for critical life expenses for asylum seekers in the United States. Thank you for considering!

Questions that you may be wondering:

1. What's Female Bird Day?

Female Bird Day started back in 2020. Historically female birds have been less studied than male birds and unfairly written off as duller, quieter and less interesting. A group of co-workers at the National Audubon Society came together, called themselves the Galbatrosses, and since that year have lead events centered on identifying female birds. During this birdathon, the Galbatrosses challenge us to use behavior, vocalizations, and other sex-specific clues to identify species and tell them about the techniques we used with a simple Google form. Learn more about the Galbatrosses and Female Bird Day on their website.

2. What is a birdathon?

Traditionally a birdathon is a fundraiser like a walk-a-thon, but instead of counting miles walked, participants form teams to count bird species that they observe, typically in a 24 hour period. Our Female Bird Day Birdathon brings an inclusive angle to the typical birdathon experience to account for different interests and abilities (and to maximize bird joy!). You have several options for how you can participate and challenge yourself, including:

• finding as many female birds as you can

• tracking your lifers (a.k.a "new for you" birds!)

• counting the number of bird species found while birding-in-place

• counting the bird species you find while virtual birding via livestreams

• tracking the number of birding checklists you submit (via eBird or iNaturalist)

• tracking your total bird species found

• recording your hours spent in nature

You can do this individually or as part of our chapter. If you do so individually, be sure to tag us on instagram or share an update on this site. If you'd like to join us on an outing during the Birdathon, we will be sharing date, time, and locaiton info soon on our Instagram or Email. Be sure to follow us (@fbc.dmv) or join the email list.

3. What are we fundraising for?

The proceeds will go to the Western Mass Asylum Support Network, a volunteer-led community that provides asylum seekers with a broad base of accompaniment and support so they can navigate their asylum processes from a place of increased safety and well-being. More specifically, these funds will be used to meet critical expenses for asylum seekers—including housing, food, transportation, healthcare and immigration-related costs.

Asylum seekers come to the U.S. seeking safety but often have zero support when they arrive. Navigating a complex and difficult immigration system is exceedingly overwhelming and expensive, and it can take years for asylum seekers to receive paperwork that allows them to work and achieve financial independence.

Still have a question?

Learn more here or reach out to us via email (fbc.dmv@gmail.com).