!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !!!!!
Thank you for visiting my Bird-a-thon fundraising page. I am participating in my 9th Bird-a-thon and raising money to support Drumlin Farm's birding programs.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a photo explains exactly why I am so personally committed to Bird-a-thon. I recently lead a Chickadee Club Eagle and Owl field trip to Plum Island that drew 30 participants, including parents! Before we left, I passed out all of our good quality loaner optics -- 12 child sized & 4 adult, all funded by Bird-a-thon. I even handed out my 2 personal spare pairs. We embarked in 4 mini-vans, filling each one to capacity. (Thank you, Bird-a-thon '05, '06, '08 & '09.) After a thrilling adult Bald Eagle swooping past us at Deer Island, we went looking for Snowy Owl on Plum Island. We lucked into a beautiful, almost completely white individual, perched at a distance. Even better, every excited child and adult got long, crisp, stunning looks in our scopes, including Drumlin's brand new (Bird-a-thon 2009) Swarovski! We returned to Drumlin Farm a very happy group. As I packed up after everyone left, it occurred to me that this trip would not have been possible without Bird-a-thon. Without the transportation, binoculars, scope, and even the Chickadee Club itself, what would you have? Just a solitary birder awed by a beautiful Snowy Owl, wishing she could share it with people who are as excited as she is.
What does Bird-a-thon support mean to Drumlin Farm?
Over the past five years Bird-a-thon donations totaling $165,000 have helped fund a major expansion of Drumlin Farm’s bird education, conservation and research programs. Thank you!! We are pleased to offer classes and field trips for all ages while providing a top-notch participant experience with digital projection equipment, a new state-of-the-art, wide-angle Swarovski scope, quality loaner binoculars, and our fleet of comfortable Toyota Sienna minivans.
Your donation supports new and ongoing birding activities and conservation projects including:
- Completion of the bird feeding area near the pond at the sanctuary entrance, and continued invasive management, native plantings and restoration of the area
- Kiosk improvements and additional interpretive materials in the bird feeding area
- Expansion of our program offerings featuring non-releasable wild animals, including new housing, food and vet care for additional birds and mammals, as well as repairs and renovations to existing facilities
- A fifth birder-friendly minivan to handle additional program needs, to be purchased this spring
- Citizen science projects: new Kestrel nest boxes and monitoring program, Breeding Bird Surveys, Bluebird Nest Monitoring, Bird Banding, etc.
- Field equipment: Swarovski scope, new loaner binoculars for adults and youth, BirdJam players, radios, field guides, etc.
- Digital projection equipment for new classroom space
- Ongoing restoration of grassland breeding bird habitat on the drumlin
- Support for the Young Birder’s Club and Chickadee Birding Club
- Development of birding tours to exciting new destinations such as Point Pelee, South Florida and Alaska
!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT !!!!!