McGill Bird Observatory - Birdathon 2012

McGILL BIRD OBSERVATORY

BIRDATHON 2012

The annual Birdathon is MRF's single most important fundraiser - and is critical to continued operation of McGill Bird Observatory. Please help us meet this year's budget in one of the following ways:

1) Join us for our official MBO Birdathon Day - Saturday May 12 (rain date Sunday May 13). As has been the case since 2008, this is an entirely "green" endeavour, in that once everyone gathers at MBO, all the birding will be done on foot (or perhaps in part by bike ... details to be worked out among participants). We haven't yet been able to get to 100 species, but made it close in 2008 with an impressive total of 98 species seen by the Birdathon team over the course of the day, so this year the goal will again be to try to reach 100! We will start at MBO, move on through the Morgan Arboretum, and then possibly continue on to other nearby areas such as Bois-de-la-roche. We are certain to have some memorable sightings as always! Experts and beginners are equally welcome - May is a great opportunity to learn birds for the first time, or to brush up on the songs and plumage of species that are just arriving back after 8 or 9 months away! Click here to see some of the fun highlights from past years. If you are interested in participating, please sign up at mbo@migrationresearch.org so that we can keep you updated on the itinerary as it develops. Please also register with Bird Studies Canada using the instructions under section 3 below.

2) Do your own Birdathon any time in May. If you can't join us for our designated Birdathon Day, or would simply prefer to do the Birdathon independently, you can do it anywhere in the world, during any 24-hour period in May. Just as importantly, there are no obligations in terms of effort - if you want to go all-out and maximize the number of species you can find, that's great ... but if you would rather just relax in your backyard and count the birds you see from there, that's just as good. All you need to do is tell your sponsors about your plan, and fundraise accordingly (e.g. a pledge of 25 cents per species is quite generous if you're traveling around to accumulate a big list, but less so if you're only expecting to see a dozen species from home).

3) Register with Bird Studies Canada by following the instructions below, then begin asking friends and family for pledges in support of your Birdathon, either on a flat-rate or per-species basis (see section 3 below for important information to pass on to them). Bird Studies Canada will mail you a participant's kit with further instructions, along with an official Birdathon t-shirt (free, just select your size when registering).

     REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:
     a) Access the registration form at Bird Studies Canada
     b) Fill in your personal information in the top section
     c) IMPORTANT: To support MBO, when you get to the "Additional Information" tab, click on the drop down menu showing
         "Bird Studies Canada" and change your selection to "McGill Bird Observatory - Migration Research Foundation"

Note - Bird Studies Canada is offering some great incentives for participants, including a grand prize offering a choice among three trips offered by Eagle Eye Tours, as well as binoculars, spotting scopes, and various other prizes.

4) Sponsor the MBO Birdathon. You don't have to go out in search of birds to help with the MBO Birdathon effort - your support of it as a sponsor would also be greatly appreciated! Some past sponsors have been incredibly generous, but any amount at all is most welcome, since we know from experience that many smaller donations quickly add up to a substantial sum. Note that income tax receipts will be sent automatically for all donations of $10 or greater, and that sponsors contributing at least $35 will for the next year receive quarterly issues of Bird Studies Canada's excellent publication, BirdWatch Canada.

If you would like to pledge a flat rate amount, you can do so by credit card through Bird Studies Canada's secure website for any of those who are doing their Birdathon in support of MBO (the Red-eyed Wearios, the MBO Green Team, and MRF Executive Director Marcel Gahbauer), or by mailing a cheque (payable to Bird Studies Canada) to the Migration Research Foundation (P.O. Box 82, Succ. Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue QC, H9X 3L4). Alternatively, if you'd like to give us a bit more of a challenge by pledging on a per-species basis, you can e-mail us with the amount at mbo@migrationresearch.org and we'll get back to you with the total after the MBO Birdathon. Either way, we will provide all sponsors with a report on our Birdathon experiences.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!