WELCOME TO PASADENA AUDUBON SOCIETY


Founded in 1904

Affiliated with the National Audubon Society


Our Mission: To bring the excitement of birds to our community through birding, education and the conservation of bird habitats

Spring is here, Time for Birdathon!

posted by jscheel on Wed, 2018-03-28 19:15

Birdathon is a fund­raiser where teams collect "per bird species" pledges from their friends, family or anyone who wants to sponsor them. Pledges can be as little as 5 cents a species. Of course, the sky's the limit. Then teams go birding on either April 27, 28, or 29 and try to find as many bird species as possible. Sponsors then make donations to PAS based on the number of species found by the team they sponsored.

The team raising the most funds is honored at the June dinner with a hearty round of applause and a very birdy prize!

On a more serious note, we have timed this event at the end of April for maximum avian diversity: some wintering birds haven't left, some summer residents have arrived, and migrants abound.

How can I participate?

  • Join an existing team or event; see the list below. Email Kym, kym.buzdygon@pasadenaaudubon.org, for a pledge sheet or click here to download the donation form and collect pledges. Then hit the trails with your team.


  • Form your own team. Register with Kym by email and she'll send you the pledge sheet. Or click here to download the donation form Collect pledges and make a birding plan. You might want to bird at a single park, or stay within Pasadena city limits; some travel only by foot or bicycle, some count only birds that they photograph. A team can spend as little or as much time as they want, from watching backyard feeders for an hour to embarking on a 24­-hour­-long manic quest on a finely­-tuned precision birding route. You're the boss.


    • I don't want to bird. How can I pledge?

    Pick a team, and email your "per bird species pledge" and contact information to the leader. They'll be happy to hear from you!! After the event, they'll be in touch with their results, and you can make your donation:

  • You can donate online:

    Name of Team/Birder



  • Or click here to download the donation form


    • Tips from Mark Scheel of Irritable Owl Syndrome

    Sponsors can be anyone: friends, family, co­workers, even your boss. In addition to supporting PAS, sponsors learn about birds and bird habitat. Sponsors who are not birders are often amazed at the number of bird species that can be found here. But if you are a team member, don't surprise your sponsors too much ­­­ give them an estimate of how many birds you expect to find before they pledge! After Birdathon, I send my sponsors a thank-­you note, a species list, and a description of how the day went, including any surprises or amusing
    anecdotes.

    Birdathon is a lot of fun, supports PAS, and educates non­-birders about birds and the importance of habitat. So join a team or sponsor one!

    Current Birdathon Teams

    Team Verdin: Dessi Sieburth, pictured below, 2015 ABA Young Birder of the Year and member of the Pasadena Audubon Society Young Birder's Club, takes up the challenge of photographing as many species as he can in a day. Contact Susan Gilliland to pledge, gillilandsusan@gmail.com.

    Irritable Owl Syndrome: Team Irritable Owl Syndrome starts just after midnight and sets a relentless pace across most of Los Angeles County, covering about 400 miles before finishing after dark. Last year, Team Irritable Owl Syndrome found 199 species. Contact Mark Scheel, scheel@tapir.caltech.edu, to pledge.

    The Ladybirders: New this year, the Ladybirders are taking to the trails on Friday April 27th. Time and location TBD, but plan on meeting early and finishing mid­afternoon, for happy hour! Contact Lois Brunet, pas.wrentit@gmail.com, to pledge or join. Sorry guys, this is a ladies only team.

    The Big Sit at Whittier Narrows: Bring your lawn chair and do your birding with a like minded crowd. Contact Mark Hunter, mark.hunter@pasadenaaudubon.org, to pledge. No need to sign­-up, just bring your binoculars. See page 4 for details.

    Lerpy Eucs Long Beach: New this year, on Saturday April 28 join Merryl Edelstein, Jeff Moore and other Long Beach area birders for some "group safety" and "insider tips". We will include the LA River, some urban parks, and shoreline habitat. Expect several refreshment and potty breaks and permission to leave early. Show up at Deforest Park between 7 to 8 AM and look for us. Sign-ups are optional but suggested if you wish to carpool or meet us along the way. Contact Merryl Edelstein (merryledel@yahoo.com).

    Super Posh Extremely Exclusive Fancy Schmancy Birdathon Team: This team is led by our esteemed President, Laura Garrett. The first ten participants to contact her (purplecow@jps.net) will get to spend Saturday morning on her patio watching the garden for hummingbirds and migrants. Complimentary coffee and tea provided.

    Team Audu-Bonn: Team Audu-Bonn will be covering new habitat this year as they head into their third year of Birdathon. Calvin, age 12, and his dad, Dan, (age undisclosed) will be birding from the beach to the woodlands this year! In case you didn't already know, at 12 years of age, Calvin worked very hard an earned a Bronze medal in the Conservation and Community module of the ABA Young Birder of the Year 2018! He also leads his own bird walk and conducts biological surveys on Snowy Plovers and Least Terns. Please consider supporting Calvin and his dad as they seek to see and identify as many birds as they can!

    Team Tejon Ranchers: “ There’s no other place like Tejon Ranch in California…and perhaps in the world.” Our field trip to Tejon Ranch just happens to overlap with the PAS Birdathon; and thus Tejon Ranchers Team was born! We will look for as many bird species as we can on April 29, 2018, including California Condors, Golden Eagles, Burrowing Owls and spring migrants such as Mountain Bluebirds and Scott’s Orioles. Please consider supporting the Tejon Ranchers (or any or all other PAS teams). Thank you!