Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Spring Birdathon 2014

Dear friends, family and colleagues,

The lack of rain and the early warmth has made this a strange spring for birds, but that isn’t going to stop us from heading out yet again in support of the Santa Clara Audubon Society. And this year I’m no longer suffering from back problems, so The Jack Sparrows (that’s Ginger and me) will be doing a full day (pre-dawn to after dark) epic Birdathon this year.

This year we are heading out on Friday, April 4th. As usual, we plan to hit as many different habitats as possible, all while keeping within the county boundaries and the 24-hour time limit. Because of the unusual winter weather (drought and warmth), we have no idea what the birding is going to be like. Winter birds may be gone, migrants may have already passed through, Summer birds might not be here yet. Who knows? Whatever the birds decide, we have goals of observing at least 120 species and photographing 100 or more species.

If you’d like to help, please consider sponsoring our team (The Jack Sparrows), or Ginger or Barry individually. All donations go to help the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society's (SCVAS's) science education programs and conservation efforts. All pledges are tax deductible, as the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, go to the Santa Clara County Audubon Society's birdathon page. If you would like to support this cause, you can send Barry email pledging an amount per species (e.g. 25¢/species seen or species photographed) or a fixed amount or any special pledges (e.g. $1 for every bird of prey, etc.). You can also donate via PayPal by clicking the "Donate Now" button.

Last year we ranked seventh in raising money to support the Audubon Society. In 2012 and 2011 Barry won awards for the most species photographed. Read about Last year's official results on the SCVAS website.

Our previous years' adventures are documented at http://www.voyageropen.org/nature/birding/. Here's a summary:

• 2013: The Jack Sparrows did a short 4-hour birdathon, identifying 92 species and photographing 64 species
• 2012: Barry birded with the Varied Twitchers, identified 170 species and photographed a record 125 species
• 2011: The Jack Sparrows again competed, saw 118 species and photographed 99 species
• 2010: The Jack Sparrows return to find 119 species
• 2009: Barry birded with the Varied Twitchers, but only got a half-day in as he was sick (120 species)
• 2008: The Jack Sparrows won the "most eco-friendly" birdathon category (129 species)
• 2007: Second birdathon for the Jack Sparrows (126 species)
• 2006: The Jack Sparrows' first birdathon (125 species)
• 2005: The Varied Twitchers birdathon (157 species)
• 2004: Barry's first birdathon was with the Varied Twitchers in 2004 (158 species)

Thank you for all your support in years past and we are excited about another fun birding adventure this year.

Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne
The Jack Sparrows!