It is almost here. The time of year when birds poise themselves on the brink of migration. The time of year when we birders poise ourselves on the brink of madness. That’s right, it’s Bird-A-Thon time!
The birds are getting restless and are already beginning to move, setting in motion that awesome event, the fall migration. It has been happening almost exactly the same way for millions of years, and it is still a feat that boggles the human imagination. Here are birds, far smaller than you or I. They have no machines to aid them, only muscle and sinew. They have no maps to guide them, only the stars. They go. Many of them will travel vast distances in the next few weeks, leaving their nesting grounds in the north and heading to warmer, food abundant climates to the south. And we will be there as witnesses.
Each year teams of birders ready themselves for the fall. These teams pick a day and go out in search of the avian wanderers as they pass by; keeping tallies of who stops to visit. On September 27th 2014, we will be doing just that. We are the Drake’s Beach Sanderlings, the youth Bird-A-Thon team of Point Blue Conservation Science (PBCS). This year will be the fourteenth year that the Sanderlings have taken to the field, and in the past they have been wild successes. This year the team will include Ellen Blustein, Aaron Haiman, Pierre Beaurang, Alexandra Beaurang, and Lyell Nesbitt.
As in past years, this is not only an opportunity to see beautiful birds, learn as much about migration patterns and identification as possible, and spend time in great company. It is also a time to give. The Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly PRBO) is a recognized leader in conservation of avian biodiversity and the ecosystems that they, and we, depend upon. To do this requires money. It takes money to keep the banding stations running as they monitor population trends. It takes money to assess the loss of habitat that urban development causes. It takes money to set aside critical habitat and so insure that future fall migrations will continue this millions-of-years tradition. Funding is often hard to come by, and so we ask you, birders, environmentalists, friends, to become sponsors of our team and PBCS. Now, don’t think we won’t work for those donations. You can pledge a fixed sum, or you can tell us that you will give a small amount for every species we see. That way we will have a large incentive indeed to try our hardest to find every last species we can. In the past we have seen around 150 species, so a pledge of $0.20 per species will mean a total donation of around $30. Any amount that you can give will be valuable and tremendously appreciated, and donating is easy. Just go to: https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1118295&lis=1&kntae1118295=89648BD5B2F64505AD1AABAC044E8624&supId=411570464&team=6077664 and click on the ‘Donate Now’ button on the right side of the page. Your donation will aid the cause of bird conservation throughout the western hemisphere, and you will help to inspire the birding leaders of tomorrow!
Thank you for your support,
Aaron Haiman and the members of the Drake’s Beach Sanderlings
abirdingnaturalist 
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