Get ready for Clallam County Birdathon and World Migratory Bird Day, May 9, 2020
by Bob Boekelheide
Bob Boekelheide
The second Saturday in May is World Migratory Bird Day, when OPAS traditionally holds its Clallam County Birdathon. This is a day for everyone to get outside and count birds in Clallam County, along with helping to raise money for important OPAS projects.
Like many other events, the 2020 Birdathon must change due to COVID-19. Normally we ask that you explore your favorite Clallam birding spots and count birds over the entire county, but this year many of our favorite birding spots are closed, particularly our lovely parks. We ask that you follow the stay-home guidelines and limit your travel.
The wonderful thing about birdwatching is that we can still find birds around our homes and neighborhoods. No matter where you live in Clallam County, please count birds by yourself or with family members in habitats near where you live. You can go for long walks, or count your neighborhood for an hour or two in the morning, or simply tally birds in your yards and at your feeders during the day. If you know a birdy spot nearby that's still open, please go count the birds. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO COUNT BIRDS, NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.
On May 9, please keep track of the species and numbers of birds you see, along with where you count and the miles and hours you travel. This helps make comparisons between years, which is particularly important this year. If you have a feeder, enter the high count you see during the day, so for example, if you see 8 House Finches at 8 a.m. and 5 House Finches at 9 a.m., just list 8 House Finches on your count.
There is a tally sheet available either in the May - June Harlequin Happenings or on the OPAS website. After the count, email your lists to me at bboek@olympus.net, either by scanning them or by just typing out the species and numbers in the body of your email. Or you can be old-fashioned and mail the tally sheet to the address on the back, but I prefer email. Alternatively, you can enter your data using eBird on the day of the count and I will see your numbers online.
Most years we hold a pre-Birdathon field trip one week before the count, but OPAS has canceled all field trips this spring until the stay-home order is lifted.
Money raised during Birdathon helps support many OPAS necessities, from printing and internet costs, to insurance for field trips, to supporting conservation programs. You can sponsor the Birdathon with a pledge based on total count results, or get your own sponsors to support your individual count, or just send a generous donation with your Birdathon letter if you haven't done so already. If you prefer, you can now donate online to Birdathon on the Donate page of our website.
Please email Bob Boekelheide to sign up to count, or simply do your count and send your tallies right away when finished. Our goal remains unchanged -- to produce a one-day snapshot of the birds of Clallam County on the second Saturday in May. Thank you all very much for your help!
Spotted Sandpiper - Photo by Bob Boekelheide