URWA's Birdathon

Saturday, May 22nd is the date of URWA's 19th annual Bird-a-thon. Once each year, URWA sends a group of dedicated and enthusiastic birders on a statewide tour to discover what bird species are active in the varied habitats across New Jersey. As a team, they note every species they see and hear on their junket, and their records provide an interesting snapshot into the health and viability of our state's ecosystems.

Here's how it works: Send an e-mail to Kate Deans at kate@urwa.org and tell her how much you wish to pledge. If you prefer, you may download the pledge form linked here, print it, complete it and mail it to Kate at the URWA office. When the event is over, she'll send you a copy of the results and the calculated amount of your donation. To make a flat donation, rather than pledging a specific amount per species, you may simply send a check to URWA or click the donation box to the right and make a contribution via credit card. Please feel free to enlist your friends, relatives and co-workers.

This is an important effort because it focuses attention on the habitat needs of migrating birds. In each of our watershed communities, you can't help but notice the changes in the countryside. Buildings and pavement have replaced many of the meadows and forests that make this region so unique. Can you imagine what effect the fragmented and degraded landscape has had on birds and other wildlife?

Modeled after NJ Audubon Society's World Series of Birding that raises millions of dollars for conservation each year, our Birdathon birders do more than simply provide us with a list of birds they find across our state. They raise funds for our efforts to protect the critical habitat that is so important to the survival of our fine-feathered friends. They accept pledges from people who then make a donation to URWA based upon the number of species they document during the Birdathon.

To demonstrate your interest and support for URWA's efforts to preserve birding habitats, we invite you to make a pledge using the form below. Pledges typically range from 25 cents to $5.00 per bird species identified, although you may contribute any amount you choose. The team's goal is to tally 145 species at this year's event. Your support will motivate our birders throughout the long day and will raise funds for URWA's efforts to protect the critical habitat that is so important to the survival of our fine-feathered friends.

All donations to the Birdathon are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Thank you for your support!

2010 Report

May 22, 2010

Dear Friends,
As in past years, our Birdathon team arrived at the Great Swamp about 2:15 a.m. last Saturday, only to find the access road we had used for years was gated closed. As it would have been about a one mile walk to the bridge at Pleasant Plains Road, we decided to try other edges of the swamp. Our first stop yielded nothing except a lot of frogs calling, but on our way to another area, an Eastern Screech Owl flew low, right across our windshield- bird number one! But the swamp was much quieter than usual and we finally left for the north with only three birds for our count. At Stokes State Forest however, the action started with the “dawn chorus” of Warblers, Tanagers, Vireos, Flycatchers and even a Bobwhite. We had a very successful hour or so in that habitat.

We went to Sawmill Road and found a number of additional species, including a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker and some swallows, then proceeded to the farm and grasslands at the top of Sussex County. There we found Meadowlarks, Indigo Buntings, Bobolinks, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers and even a Bald Eagle soaring over a large farm. We saw two more Bald Eagles on the coast, three being more than we had ever seen before. We had such good luck in the farm country that we were able to skip a couple of stops we normally make on route 515, on our way south to Garrett Mountain Park. There we picked up three new species, including a Swainson’s Thrush, so when we left Garrett after a brief lunch, we had 105 species on our list.

Then came the boring drive down the Garden State Parkway to Tuckerton Marshes where we saw Seaside and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed sparrows and several species of Herons. The tide was high which limited the shore birds we saw. We went on to Brigantine, the Edwin Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and were rewarded with a number of good birds such as Purple Martins, a Ruby Throated Hummingbird, an American Bittern (our first ever), Caspian Tern, Peregrine Falcon, Glossy Ibis and dozens of Short Billed Dowitchers. In addition, there were several species of Sandpipers, but no ducks other than Mallard and Black. Most ducks were long gone to northern breeding grounds.

At dusk we picked up an Orchard Oriole, Blue Grosbeak and a couple of noisy Common Nighthawks flying overhead, and just at dark we heard the Chuck-Will’s-Widow we had been waiting for. That was our signal that it was time to head back north and we were quite pleased to have identified 148 species for the day. As we unloaded our car at my house, there was a Great Horned Owl calling from pine trees by our barn – 149!

As Bob Lewis and I retire from the URWA Birding Team and turn over its leadership to the younger eyes and ears of Thom Almendinger, we want to thank all of you who have supported us this year and over many years. You have been great encouragement for us and have been terrific supporters of the Upper Raritan Watershed Association. The Birdathon will continue, as will the good conservation and educational work of URWA- and we hope you will continue to support this wonderful organization!


Sincerely,
Alan Willemsen
URWA Trustee, Birdathon Leader

View Bird-a-thon species list

Birdathon Pledge Sheet

The State of the Birds: 2010 Report on Climate Change was released in late March by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. It is a sobering, yet hopeful report from the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative. It shows that climate changes will have an increasingly disruptive effect on bird species in all habitats and offers solutions that illustrate how, by working together, organizations and individuals can have a demonstrable positive impact on birds in the U.S. Specifically, the report indicates that the way lands are managed can mitigate climate change and help birds adapt to changing conditions. For example, conserving carbon-rich forests and wetlands and creating incentives to avoid deforestation can reduce emissions and provide invaluable wildlife habitat. Here within the Upper Raritan watershed, we are working to protect and preserve important grasslands, forests and wetlands -- these efforts will have great payoffs for our feathered friends, and we hope you'll join us in our upcoming fund raiser to support our conservation programs.

Expert Birder

This year will be the 'swan song' for expert birder and Trustee Alan Willemsen, as he is stepping down as Team Leader. We will miss Alan's guidance and expertise and are grateful for his years of dedication to this wonderful event! Rounding out the team are returning members and birders Bob Lewis, Gordon Cameron and Thom Almendinger, who will be assuming the role as leader in next year's Bird-a-thon. As in the past, this event will take place from dawn till dusk throughout the state.