Image: hooded warbler by Jesse Gordon/Audubon Photography Awards
Help Audubon Society of Central Maryland make a home for birds by supporting our Birdathon fundraiser.
Birdathon is like a walkathon or danceathon, except that instead of gathering donations for each mile walked or minute danced, we gather donations for each bird species observed by a person or team.
There are several ways to participate in Birdathon:
Check Donations
In lieu of online donations, checks may be mailed to: ASCM, P.O. Box 660, Mount Airy, MD 21771.
1. Make a general donation to our campaign. Share the campaign with family and friends and ask them to donate as well!
2. Create your own fundraising page and ask for donations from family and friends. Then, go out birding sometime between April 22 and May 21 and see how many birds you can identify in a 24-hour period. Record the species you see via the eBird app, and use the app to email your checklist to us. (If you do not wish to use eBird, you can also email us your checklist directly.)
You don't have to be an expert birder to go birdwatching, nor do you have to bird for 24 hours! Any number of species seen or heard counts, even if it's the familiar birds you see every day in your backyard or during a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood. If you need help getting started, check out these resources.
3. Pledge to support our expert birders, who will be birdwatching at our wildlife sanctuaries in May. Pledge to donate a set amount per species; for example, if you pledge $0.50 per species and the team observes 80 species, you would donate $40.
4. Show your support for wildlife conservation with a business sponsorship at one of the levels listed below. Make a donation to the campaign and check the box to indicate you are making a corporate sponsorship.
Level 1: Eastern bluebird $100 Website, social media, newsletter
recognition
Level 2: painted bunting $250 Level 1, plus thank you sign at our
sanctuaries and opportunity to share
coupons with supporters
Level 3: American Kestrel $500 Level 1, 2, plus private sanctuary tour
for your staff
Images below, from left: orchard oriole by Crystal Kunst; blackburnian warbler by Paul Hurtado; barred owl by Crystal Kunst
How Your Participation Helps
If you've visited our sanctuaries, they are likely special places of refuge and respite for you. Your donations help ASCM to ensure good stewardship of these beautiful wild lands, which were entrusted to us by the former owners, Fred Archibald and Audrey Carroll. Our sanctuaries provide important habitat at a time when bird populations are shrinking and the majority of North American species are threatened by climate change.
With no paid staff and no government funding, our organization depends entirely on the passion, time, and talents of volunteers and the generous contributions of our supporters. Your donations enable us to:
Image by Angela Moxley: Linganore Valley as seen from Audrey Carroll overlook
keep our monthly nature walks free and accessible to everyone
control invasive plants, such as autumn olive encroaching on one of the warm season grass meadows at Fred Archibald Sanctuary, to protect the integrity of the wildlife habitat there
plant native trees, shrubs, and flowering plants, supplying food for birds, the insects they depend on, and many other types of wildlife
maintain a series of bluebird trails and purple martin poles, which contribute data to community science projects
maintain our trails and parking areas so members of the public can access the properties
All donations are tax-deductible and are used 100 percent locally to support ASCM's programs.
Benjamin
David
Crystal