The Birdathon is a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring migration and to get friends and family involved in one of America's fastest-growing pastimes: bird watching! It is also a fundraising drive, and an important source of support for NYC Audubon's conservation, research, and education programs. Now more than ever, we need your help. What better way to raise money than by getting out there and enjoying your favorite activity?

That's why this May, NYC Audubon is offering a series of special Birdathon trips. Instead of paying a set trip fee, participants are asked to gather pledges from friends and family to sponsor their day of birding. Your sponsors can make a flat donation or pledge an amount per species seen. It's easier than you might think to meet your goal!

• • $25 Beginning Birdathon = 1 friend pledging $1 per species seen, or 4 friends pledging $0.25 per species seen
• • $100 Half-day Birdathon = 4 friends pledging $0.50 per species seen, or 2 friends pledging $1 per species seen
• • $250 Full-day Birdathon = 5 friends pledging $0.50 per species seen, or 10 friends pledging $0.25 per species seen

Half-Day, Full-Day and Overnight Birdathon Trips

Requested Pledges $25 and up

Saturday, May 8, 8:30 – 10:30am
Guide: Oakes & LouiseAmes
Meet at the Central Park Boathouse. Can't tell a pigeon from a peregrine? No problem! This two-hour walk is geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

Register Now

Sunday, May 9, 8:30 — 10:30am
Guide: Steve Nanz
Meet at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Come get a taste of what Brooklyn birding has to offer in this two-hour walk geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

Register Now

Sunday, May 9, time 8am — 1pm
Guides: Don Riepe, Andrew Baksh
Meet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Join us on a spring expedition to one of the best birding sites in the city! We will see shorebirds, waders, waterfowl and dozens of migratory songbirds. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transportation to Jamaica Bay. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $100

Register Now

Saturday, May 15, 8am — 1pm
Guide: TBA
Meet at 71 W. 23rd Street. One of the best places to see birds in the Bronx, Van Cortlandt Park is home to over 30 nesting species. It's also a great spot to observe migratory songbirds. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $100

Register Now

Saturday, May 15, 8am — 5pm
Guides: Gabriel Willow, Wayne Mones
Meet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Come discover New York's "forgotten borough" as we spend a full day exploring the many parks and recreation areas along the Staten Island Greenbelt, which offer some of the best birding in the city. Staten Island teams have seen as many as 150 species in a single day. Expect to see 80-100 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $250

Register Now

Sunday, May 16, 8am — 5pm
Guides: Don Riepe, Andrew Baksh
Meet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Are you a fan of Jamaica Bay who wants to explore the surrounding environs? Join the Birdathon as we visit the refuge, Breezy Point, and other sites around the bay. Expect to see 80-100 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $250

Register Now

Saturday, May 22, 8am — 1pm
Guide: Eric Miller
Meet at 71 W. 23rd Street. Our Birdathon group will start the morning at Ridgewood Reservoir before moving on to Forest Park and, if time permits, Alley Pond Park. Expect to see 50-80 species. Includes van transportation. Limited to 8. Requested Pledge $100

Register Now

Sunday, May 23, 9 — 11am
Guides: Don Riepe, Andrew Baksh
Meet at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Come meet the shorebirds of Jamaica Bay during this two-hour walk, geared toward beginners. Expect to see 25-30 species. Limited to 20. Requested Pledge $25

Register Now