2026 Birdathon

We’re happy to announce the 2026 Brooklyn Bird Club Birdathon, to be held in celebration of World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on Saturday, May 9. https://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/

The annual Birdathon asks birders to form teams of up to 6 members and count bird species in Brooklyn in support of a cause that helps the birds we love. Everyone is welcome ─ hardcore birders, backyard feeder watchers, and beginners! Like a walkathon, participants collect pledges and donations from friends and family for finding and counting bird species on the day of the Birdathon. Instead of getting a pledge per mile walked, Birdathon participants ask for a pledge for each bird species seen by the team.

This year’s designated beneficiary is The American Bird Conservancy/Atlantic Coast Joint Venture: Saving the SaltMarsh Sparrow from Extinction. Funds raised from the 2026 Brooklyn Bird Birdathon will support the ACJV and their efforts to protect the Saltmarsh Sparrow, which some of you may not realize nests right here in Brooklyn! For full details, visit https://brooklynbirdclub.org/Birdathon%2026.pdf

Please register your team by sending team members, your day’s goal, and a team name to Bobbi Manian and Danielle Khalife at birdathon@brooklynbirdclub.org by Wednesday May 6th.

The Bird Collective is generously offering a prize to the top teams again this year. A $50 gift card to each team member on the team that has the most species and a $50 gift card to each team member of the team that raises the most money (Note: applicable only to teams with up to 6 participants.)

Note: for those of you birding in Prospect Park, the Purslane Café at the Boathouse is offering 10% off all drinks to Birdathon participants all day long.

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🏅 This year’s designated beneficiary is the The American Bird Conservancy/Atlantic Coast Joint Venture: Saving the SaltMarsh Sparrow from Extinction.

The American Bird Conservancy/Atlantic Coast Joint Venture: Saving the Saltmarsh Sparrow from Extinction.

Saltmarsh Sparrow by Ray Hennessy_Shutterstock

American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 1994 with a mission to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. One of ABC’s priority areas is the protection of migratory birds – species that can travel thousands of miles seasonally between breeding and nonbreeding grounds. For more than 25 years, ABC has worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a wide range of partners to support several Migratory Bird Joint Ventures – multi-organizational partnerships working at the regional level to deliver conservation results for birds, other wildlife, and people.

One of the Joint Ventures with whom we closely partner is the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture (ACJV), a regional partnership that is comprised of 16 state wildlife agencies from Maine to Florida and the territory of Puerto Rico; federal and regional habitat conservation agencies; and other organizations that share a unified conservation vision. The partnership is currently focused on one of the most imperiled habitats in the ACJV region – coastal marshes and the suite of vulnerable birds that depend on them, such as the Saltmarsh Sparrow. The Saltmarsh Sparrow is a tidal marsh songbird and the only bird species endemic to the ACJV; it is found nowhere else on earth.

Saltmarsh Sparrow population declines are severe; more than four out of every five Saltmarsh Sparrows have disappeared since 1998 – an estimated population decline of 87%. This decline is due to historic losses and degradation of salt marsh habitat, as well as accelerated sea level rise across Atlantic Coast salt marshes. High tides and storm surges are increasingly flooding saltmarsh sparrow nests and their high marsh habitat. When nests flood, chicks may drown or eggs may float away. Low reproductive success is the primary reason the saltmarsh sparrow population continues to drop.

The ACJV is coordinating a multi-agency effort to successfully restore the population of Saltmarsh Sparrows. Their approach is to restore and enhance at least 84,000 acres of existing salt marshes to provide high-quality nesting habitat and to protect adjacent, inland areas to allow marshes to migrate as sea levels rise. If successful, the full suite of tidal marsh specialist birds will benefit as well. The ACJV and our partners have identified priority salt marshes within each state that are good candidates for restoration, enhancement, and/or management. See Image below.

Priority marshes for the Saltmarsh Sparrow in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Image: Priority marshes for the Saltmarsh Sparrow in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

Funds raised from the 2026 Brooklyn Bird Birdathon could support the ACJV and their efforts to protect the Saltmarsh Sparrow in one of the following ways:

Conceptual design and implementation for coastal marsh restoration: Support to conceptualize, design, and implement restoration work to support sparrows
Monitoring of restoration sites: Better document sparrow populations at sites before and after restoration occurs to learn from efforts and adapt approaches in the future to best support the sparrow.
Improving infrastructure and signage at high-priority locations: Create public opportunities to learn about Saltmarsh Sparrows is integral to increasing awareness and knowledge of this species' needs.

Birdathon Teams

Intro to Birdwatching

The Intro to Birdwatching walk will be participating in Brooklyn Bird Club's Spring Birdathon and World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 9th. Come join us (and donate too!) as we take our usual routes around Prospect Park: the Boathouse and back in two hours. We'll be collecting donations at the beginning of the walk via QR code!

Many thanks to all the leaders who make this possible: Tina, Linda, Forrest, Radka, Angie, Taylor, Megan, Zach, Danielle, Angie, Ryan, Scott, Amy and Mike.

Timberdoodlers

Join the Timberdoodlers as the BBC Migration walk becomes a bird-finding machine for the Birdathon. Our goal is to set a new record of 100 species for the day, just in the park! Meet 7:30 am at the “Pergola” entrance on Ocean and Parkside Avenues.

Team members: Dennis, Bobbi, et al.

Wandering Warblers

The Wandering Warblers will meander over hill and dale, wandering far and wide in Prospect Park and Green-wood Cemetery, zealously counting our feathered friends.

Team members: Janet, Alan, Steve, Heidi, and Kathy.

2026 Spring Birdathon - Brooklyn Bird Club

Saturday, May 9

Team Leaderboard

Team Members