Photo: Yellow Warbler, Sheen Watkins/Audubon Photography Awards
A record seven teams of birders participated in ASNV’s 2021 Birdathon, a friendly competition to see which team can raise the most funds for ASNV and see the most bird species in Northern Virginia in 24 hours. Competition for bird sightings was close. Three of the teams spotted more than 80 birds each, with the Board Birders, composed of members of the ASNV Board, coming out on top with 89 species. Together, the teams logged an impressive 111 bird species.
Four members of the local birding community established a Virginia Big Day record, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to spot the largest number of bird species in Virginia in 24 hours. They birded for 24 straight hours and drove 620 miles, tallying 208 bird species. You can read more about their exploits here.
The seven Birdathon teams and the Big Day team raised more than $11,000 for ASNV, nearly double the previous Birdathon fundraising record. Special thanks to The Chipper Birders, composed of two teenage brothers from South Arlington; The Scarlet Teenagers; and Eagles Geaux Birding from Baton Rouge Louisiana.