Birdathon is like a walkathon, only instead of counting miles, we count birds! It’s an opportunity to enjoy birds while raising or donating critical funds to the Tucson Audubon Society. Decide on your approach, reach out to friends and family to gather support or teammates, and go birding any time between April 8 and May 8!

Every dollar you raise helps to support the work of Tucson Audubon Society—protecting birds, restoring their habitats, and making sure they can be enjoyed by all for generations. Your Birdathon support inspires people to protect and enjoy birds through recreation, education, conservation, and restoration. Birdathon donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tucson Audubon Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. 

Birdathon 2022 Competition Categories

Big Day: Traditional
Count as many individual species as possible within a 24 hour period, from midnight to midnight. Please refer to the ABA Big Day Count Rules for details. High species count wins!

Big Day: Freestyle
Count as many individual species as possible within a 24 hour period, but not necessarily midnight to midnight. Make this party all your own. Show us what you’ve got and how it helps you find the birds! High species count wins!

Brand New to Birdathon
Never done a Birdathon before? Well here’s a category just for you! Take the jump out of the nestbox and fly on your own to count birds for conservation in your own unique and fun way. This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Creative “Home” Patch
How creative can you be with birding in your yard or around your neighborhood? The winner of this award will receive some awesome Habitat at Home related prizes! This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Best Bucks for Birds
All of the funds you raise go to support Tucson Audubon’s conservation, advocacy, habitat restoration, education, field trips, and scientific studies that help protect the birds of Southeast Arizona and their habitats. Set a compelling fundraising goal and double the clutch! This award goes to the team or participant—non-staff—who raises the most money.

Social Media Storytellers
Share the fun of Birdathon with, well, everyone! Post your team’s efforts on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtags #tasbirdathon2022 and #birdathon2022, send an email blast to your friends and family, mail your supporters a write up of your day in the field, even hire a plane to write your team name in the sky! Keep Tucson Audubon in the loop by tagging your posts online. This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Birdathon Beyond AZ
Not everybody who loves Tucson Audubon lives in Arizona. Why not host a Birdathon where you live? Support our fundraising and conservation efforts from afar. Previous Tucson Audubon Birdathons have been held in Mexico, Switzerland and all over the United States. Bird beyond borders with creativity! This category will be judged by our panel of honorary judges.

Grand Champions
A panel of honorary judges will evaluate all aspects of your Birdathon efforts including number of species seen, funds raised, outreach aspects, and uniqueness of effort. Give it all you’ve got and have fun with it!

Birdathon 2022 Extra Prizes

Young Birders
Any participant under 18 who raises $200 or more. Will receive special Tucson Audubon swag from our Nature Shop.

High Flyers
Any individual participant who raises over $1,000. Will receive an invitation to a special bird outing with Birdathon coordinator, Luke Safford. The outings will be scheduled after Birdathon.

Feathered Friends
Any individual participant who raises at least $100. Will receive a special Birdathon t-shirt, which will be sent in the weeks following the event.