Annual Birdathon/Bloomathon 2020

Dear Birding Friends,

Live weather radar at https://birdcast.info/live-migration-maps shows that even as I sit down to write my annual birdathon request letter, birds are on the move right now, heading north to hatch their nestlings, brighten our spring days, and present themselves to be counted by our “Big Day” field team, for science and to raise funds for the Loon Preservation Committee and our Lakes Region Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon. Birding on the internet, with live migration maps and live nest cams is fascinating, but there’s still no substitute for the real thing, right here in the fields and forests of New Hampshire.

Despite the pandemic uproar, the birds are still out there, needing our help. We hope that you are able to get outside to enjoy our spring flowers and birds, practicing correct social distancing, of course. It’s good to know that spring will happen, and we are lucky to live in a place where we can all spread out and enjoy it.

As we have for more than 25 years, the local chapter of NH Audubon will field a team of expert birders and “bloomers” (those who seek the early spring wildflowers) on a day at the height of spring migration, to view and list as many species as possible in 24 hours, and each team member will bird or bloom separately, if necessary due to the virus.

Our data will be reported to eBird as part of a massive citizen science project to increase our knowledge of North America’s birds. With the help of your pledges, it will also serve as a fundraiser for LPC to help pay for research and protection of the loons on our lakes and ponds, and for the nature programs hosted by the chapter during the fall, winter and spring. LPC has generously offered to increase the chapter’s portion of the Birdathon donations to 20 percent, and we hope that you, our chapter members, will also donate at the same level as in prior years, increase your donation, or even help us to gain new members and donors by sharing our request with your birding friends.

We have enjoyed five programs since last September which have attracted a total of 129 viewers, on topics including Alaska brown bears, the MOTUS bird tracking system, wildlife of Australia, and birds of Panama. Due to the pandemic, the excellent programs we had scheduled for March, April, and May, have been postponed, and we hope to reschedule over the fall and winter months. Please check our website at www.nhaudubonlakes.com or follow us on twitter @birdladymwv for announcements of future programs.

To donate please visit https://loon.org/donate/ and type in Birdathon/Bloomathon on the donation page.

We hope to see you soon at a chapter program.