What Do Marsh Muckers, Kingpishers and GrossGeeks Have in Common? Maine Audubon’s Birdathon!

Public invited to support or form fund-raising teams and attend free events

Contact: Andrew Colvin, (207) 781-2330, ext. 241

FALMOUTH, Maine, May 13, 2008—This month teams of birders will cover the state to identify birds while raising money to support wildlife conservation. They’re participating in Maine Audubon’s Birdathon fund-raiser and there are several ways for the public to get involved.

Birdathon is a bird-watching event in which individuals or teams secure per-species pledges and then search for and identify as many bird species as possible to send donations as large as possible to Maine Audubon, the state’s leading wildlife conservation organization. This year’s goal is $40,000.

EDITORS/REPORTERS: For photos of Birdathon participants in action or to join or talk to teams, call (207) 781-2330, ext. 241.

Birders of all ages and abilities are invited to participate: participants can count birds in their backyard, form a competitive team of their own or pledge to support an existing team.

Team events

Several teams will be competing from 6 p.m. on Friday, May 16, to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 17, to identify as many bird species as they can in 24 hours. These include the Mighty Marsh Muckers, who are raising money for repairs at Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, the Belted Kingpishers, a team of teenage birders led by Maine Audubon staff naturalist Eric Hynes, and the GrossGeeks.

A number of other Birdathon teams are scheduled to make their runs around the state between May 14 and June 6. Teams include the Acadian Flycatchers on Mount Desert Island, the Cardinal Sins in Greater Bangor, Birds-R-Us of Lewiston, the Jonathan Kingfishers of Downeast Audubon as well as the Pledging Plovers (Maine Audubon’s board of trustees and friends).

Public events

Whether participating in Birdathon or not, the public is invited to two free events. On Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. there will be a Birdathon “swap meet” at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth where birders will be trading strategies, stories and scouting reports. Refreshments will be provided.

From 7-9 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, Maine Audubon will host a free “birders’ breakfast” of coffee, juice and bagels at Portland’s best birding hot spot, Evergreen Cemetery. Follow the signs from the cemetery entrance on Stevens Avenue to the ponds. Rain date is Sunday, May 18.

For more information on Maine Audubon’s Birdathon, go here, or e-mail birdathon@maineaudubon.org, or call (207) 781-2330, ext. 231.

MAINE AUDUBON works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation and action. For more than 160 years, Maine Audubon has been connecting people with nature and leading science-based conservation in major projects across the state. An independent affiliate of Audubon’s national organization, Maine Audubon has seven local chapters, 11 nature centers and sanctuaries, and 11,000

members and supporters.

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