Whether you are on a team or just watching from home, there are many ways you can join the fun. Check out Birdathon Stories, a special place to post your Birdathon adventures and read about other teams. You can also share your stories through Instagram (#scvas and #scvasbirdathon), Facebook, Twitter and the south-bay-birds mailing list. If you’re looking for past Birdathon champions, check out our Birdathon “Hall of Fame” page.

Please consider sponsoring one or more of the teams below. Your donations support SCVAS’s work, especially our education programs.

To create a team of your own, please read the event Rules and Guidelines then simply click “Form a Birdathon Team,” fill in the required fields and we’ll get back to you with more information. See all the great trip types below for inspiration. We will follow all restrictions issued by Santa Clara County to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If you are a team leader or participant and wish to add a photo or fundraising goal you can do so by signing into your account here with the email we communicate to you with.

You can sponsor a team or any individual on a team by clicking on one of the “Sponsor” buttons below. You can join a team by clicking one of the “Request to Join the…” buttons below. The list is in alphabetical order; see the bottom of the page for a list of teams in date order.

Terminology:
Distributed—team members split up into small groups and bird different areas simultaneously
Distanced—team members bird together, but follow County Guidelines including social distancing
Stationary—like a Big Sit (see Birdathon Rules & Guidelines), but team members are distributed

Have you donated to SCVAS before? Sign into your account here for easy donating, to check your membership, and interact with your own Birdathon fundraising page.

List of teams by date

You can click on each team name to see a full description and join or sponsor your favorites.

• SUBSPECIES: WEDNESDAY, 3/30

• SPIDERHUNTERS: SUNDAY, 4/4

• BIRDCASSOS: WEDNESDAY, 4/6

• THE SAINT ANTHONY RANCHERS: WEDNESDAY, 4/6

• THE FLEDGLINGS: SATURDAY, 4/9

• KINGFISHER KHANZODES: SATURDAY, 4/9

• THE CALIFORNIA TOWHEES: SUNDAY, 4/10

• DEDUCKTIONS: WEDNESDAY, 4/13

• PATIENT LISTENING: FRIDAY, 4/15

• VARIED TWITCHERS: SATURDAY, 4/16

• CURIOUS CLICKADEES: SUNDAY, 4/17

• THE PIRATICAL FLYCATCHERS: MONDAY, 4/18

• ALMADEN EAGLES: MONDAY, 4/25

• HOT SPOTTERS: WEDNESDAY, 4/20

• PERSISTENT PICIDAES: SATURDAY, 4/23

• WRONG TERNS: SATURDAY, 4/23

• ROCK WRENS: SUNDAY, 4/24

• LEAN GREEN BIRDING MACHINE: WEDNESDAY, 4/27

• The 5-MILERS: WEDNESDAY, 4/27

• CEDAR WAXWINGZ: SUNDAY, 5/1

• LAX RETURNS: WEDNESDAY, 5/4

• LAST CHANCE AT PURGATORY: SATURDAY, 5/7

Alphabetical List of Teams

DISTANCED: 4-HOUR
Last year’s winners of our Best Bird category (with a recording of a Cassin’s Kingbird!) is splitting up into a distributed team this year, with Ann Verdi, Kirsten Holmquist, Marion Farber, Roberta Baker, and Janna Pauser each birding a section of the traditional Eagles route in Almaden and the surrounding area.

Team: Ann Verdi, Kirsten Holmquist, Janna Pauser, Marion Farber, Roberta Baker
Date: MONDAY, April 25

DISTRIBUTED: 4-HOUR
ACCESSIBLE
Join our “sketch-a-thon”! Inspired by the teachings of legendary artist John Muir Laws, and the timid voice we hear whispering, “draw, paint… you can do it.” We will spend our 4-hour time frame drawing the birds around us. As a “distributed team” we will not meet in one location as previously planned, but draw our avian subjects wherever we happen to be—your back yard, your neighborhood, a nearby park, or wherever… So sharpen your pencils and dampen your paintbrushes and get to work. Don’t worry about your technique or whatever the world believes to be talent, just look for birds you want to record and set your pencils and brushes to paper. The goal will be to draw or paint as many birds as possible in the 4-hour window… no experience is necessary and any style portrait will be celebrated. The only caveat is that our portraits must be of subjects we see during the 4-hour window, rendered within that time, and be properly identified. Send Matthew a snapshot of each portrait you create and afterward, all the portraits will be collected and assembled in a pdf booklet for your enjoyment.

Note: Participants are expected to donate or fundraise $50 or more in contributions to participate in this team.

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: ALL
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, April 6; 9:00AM-1:00P

DISTRIBUTED: 4 HOURS
ACCESSIBLE
Discover the joys of birding close to home (within 1 mile) while supporting Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society’s education programs!  Join us on April 10th by birding while in your yard, looking out your window, walking around the block, or hanging out at your neighborhood park.  Bird solo or with others following current county guidelines. Keep track of all the bird species you see, then email us your list/s along with your favorite birding moment of the day (optional) and maybe a couple photos too, by April 17th. We’ll compile the results and then share photos / stories as a team via Zoom on April 27th at 7:00p.m.

After joining our team, we will email you a short list of birding resources to help you identify your local birds. And if you’d like, take part in our group text or email thread on the big day! We’ll share fun finds and help each other identify the birds that we’re seeing and hearing.

Note: You may live anywhere to participate in this team. This team is not eligible for prizes. Each team member should donate or raise $50 for this team.  If you are 18 years or younger, you only need to raise $15 per person per team. 

Team Leaders: Jennifer Oliver, Eve Meier

Birding Level: Beginner Friendly

Date: SUNDAY, April 10; any time

PHOTOGRAPHY: 4-HOUR
We’re the waxwingz! All bird enthusiasts and bird geeks and fr33ks are welcome to join us :)

Team Leaders: Beau Tindle

Birding Level: All welcome

Date: SUNDAY, May 1

SOLO PHOTOGRAPHY: 24 HOUR
Vinayak and Shweta have been avid wildlife enthusiasts for several years but started seriously birding at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Birding has taken us to various parts of the state and country but has also made us better aware of the birds in Santa Clara county. It has also fostered a sense of curiosity in us, which has led us to learn a lot from SCVAS and other sources. This is our first time as a Birdathon team so we are hoping to stay curious and learn from the experience.
Our aim is to see and photograph a diverse set of bird species, catch some of the spring migrants arriving in the county and hopefully, capture any interesting behavior. We may head to some of our favorite places like Joseph Grant, Vasona Lake, and Stevens Creek county park among others.

Team Leader: Vinayak Hebbagil
Date and Time: SUNDAY, April 17; all day

DISTANCED: 24-HOUR
What’s better than birding on Tax Day, especially when all your contributions are deDUCKtable? All the birds you record on the event day will count toward the team’s total. Your exact birding destination(s) are up to you, but as part of the the team’s collective effort, we will want participants to be distributed among the east and west hills, the bay front, urban areas and south county. Birding in key habitats and searching for target birds, we expect the group to retrieve at least 120 species.

Note: Participants are expected to donate or fundraise $50 or more in contributions to participate in this team. TEAM LIMIT OF 15.

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: Advanced
Date: WEDNESDAY, April 13

DISTRIBUTED: 24-Hour
Are you a young birder? This is the team for you! Our mission with this team is to foster an appreciation of nature in youth via the birding community. This team is open to all youth 21 and under interested in birding, regardless of skill level. If you're a young birder looking to join the Fledglings, you can bird anywhere you want on April 9th, even your own backyard! If you're looking to go somewhere more adventurous and possibly see some more unusual birds, contact Massimo for suggested locations. Our goal as a distributed team is to see 100 species total between all of our team members, all while having fun and raising money for SCVAS's outreach programs.

Team Leaders: Massimo Bafetti and Carter Gasiorowski
Birding Level: All welcome
Date: SATURDAY, April 9

DISTRIBUTED: 24-HOUR
Matthew’s county-wide, 24-hour effort is one of the newly formed “distributed teams”. All the birds you record on the event day will count toward the team’s total. Your exact birding destination(s) are up to you, but as part of the the team’s collective effort, we will want participants to be distributed among the east and west hills, the bay front, urban areas and south county. Birding in key habitats and searching for target birds, we expect the group to retrieve at least 100 species. Coordinate with Matthew before the event day for suggested destinations.

Note: Participants are expected to donate or fundraise $50 or more in contributions to participate in this team.

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: Advanced
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, April 20; ALL DAY

SELF-GUIDED: 4-HOUR
We are the Khanzodes, an enthusiastic family of avid birders! We have been birding for as long as we can remember, and our youngest member, Anaya, has been participating in Birdathons since she was six years old. From the Ecuadorian cloud forest to the African savannah; you name it, and we have traveled there to bird. This year, we're continuing our birdathon spirit as Anaya approaches her last years at home See you all out there!

Happy birding,
Anaya, Leena, and Vivek

Team Leader: Vivek Khanzode
Birding Level: Advanced
Date and Time: SATURDAY, April 9; 8:00AM-12:00PM

DISTRIBUTED: 4 HOUR
Late to the Birdathon party? Here's your chance to join a team, or maybe one last team -- only this one comes with a magical twist.

Bird anywhere in the county in the morning and then journey to Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm to share your sightings and enjoy a lunch* outdoors taking in the views of the entire valley. Plus you can observe many of our 40 or so resident bird species.

We are located in the East Foothills and have ample space for parking, walking, sitting, etc which make social distancing easy. (Of course when up close or using the loo, masking is requested.). Additional afternoon actives could even include selfie photo ops with our various large outdoor sculptures, learning how race cars are built, and basic instruction on the operation of excavators and other heavy equipment.

*Depending on numbers lunch will either be catered or pot luck or both. Details and directions will be sent out prior to team event.

Team Leader: LC Boros
Birding Level: All Welcome
Date and Time: SATURDAY, May 7; 8:00AM-12:00PM

STATIONARY: 4-HOUR
ACCESSIBLE
Well, if you haven’t had a had a chance to join a Birdathon team yet, you might also be one of those people who show up fashionably late to parties... or file your tax returns late. Either way, this is the most casual team you’ll find! Join Matthew Dodder on a relaxed, and very last-minute weekday distributed stationary team effort. Where you relax and count birds is entirely up to you. You could count the birds in your backyard, at your feeder, on your favorite park bench… it’s up to you. Our final count of species will be a total surprise based on where participants choose to kick back and watch. It’s like a big sit, but the chalk circle is wherever you decide! 

Note: Participants are expected to donate or fundraise $50 or more in contributions to participate in this team. TEAM LIMIT OF 15

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: ALL
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, May 4; 8:00AM-12:00PM

DISTANCED: 4 HOUR
Continuing a long tradition, the Lean Green Birding Machine will attempt to see 75+ species in four hours of biking. Upending that tradition, we will start this year at Rancho San Antonio, bike through Rancho, the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, McClellan Ranch, and Blackberry Farm, before heading across the valley along the Stevens Creek Trail to the Bay, taking in Shoreline Lake and, time allowing, the Palo Alto Baylands as well (an approximately 22M route, with another 11M back to the start after lunch at the Shoreline Cafe).

This is a public team, open to anyone.

Team Leader: Steve Patt
Birding Level: Open to all
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, April 27; 6:30-10:30AM

SELF-GUIDEDED: 24 HOURS
For the second year, Mike will lug around comically oversized recording equipment to attempt to capture audio recordings for as many species as possible. From pre-dawn owls to sunset poorwills, no bird will go unheard!

Team: Mike Ambrose
Date and Time: FRIDAY, April 15; All Day

DISTANCED: 4-HOUR
It’s been a few years since the Persistent Picidaes officially participated in the Spring Birdathon and we are ready to get back out there for SCVAS. Led by Lisa Myers, this team invites birders of all levels from beginners to advanced. To save on gas and time we will spend our morning birding together at Joseph Grant County Park. This gem of a park located in the Mount Hamilton Range offers beautiful Spring landscapes with a variety of habitats and species. We’ll also take time to observe the various species we find and learn something new about their behaviors and how to identify each. Lisa is the owner of the Los Gatos Birdwatcher & Let’s Go Birding, and offers a relaxed environment where new and experienced birders can come together and learn from each other. Limit 20 participants. Details on where to meet will be provided.

Team Leader: Lisa Myers
Birding Level: All welcome
Date and Time: SATURDAY, April 23; 8:00AM-12:00PM

24-HOUR

Barry & Ginger Langdon-Lassagne will spend an intense day birding the foothills, baylands and open spaces of Santa Clara County in an attempt to see the most species in a single 24-hour period. Their starting point will be Joseph D. Grant County Park, where they’ll camp out the night before the Big Day. This will be their 18th year participating in one form or another: you can read about all of their previous outings at Barry’s Natural History Stories. This team was formerly known as “The Jack Sparrows.”

Team Leader: Barry Langdon-Lassagne
Date and Time: Monday, April 18; All day and some of the night

DISTRIBUTED: 24-HOUR
We’ll start early in the morning on the 24th and cover as much of the county as possible in this all-day birding event. We hope for 140 species for the day and to retain our spot as the top fundraising teams for this event. The Rock Wrens are currently at capacity.

Team Leader: Bob Hirt
Birding Level: Advanced
Date and Time: SUNDAY, April 24; All day

The Rock Wrens are currently closed for sign-ups

DISTRIBUTED: 4-HOUR
This four hour private team has a great track record with birding by ear and snapping photos of their list birds! Led by Jim Liskovec, the Saint Anthony Ranchers typically range through Rancho San Antonio before ending their day at McClellan Ranch, but this year are venturing out into their local neighborhoods and parks as a distributed team.
Team Leader: Jim Liskovec
Date: WEDNESDAY, April 6

SOLO: 4-HOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Team Spiderhunters (Vivek and Vayun Tiwari) venture out again on the same itinerary as before - Shoreline and PA Baylands and then rounding off with inland birding at Ed Levin.

Team: Vivek and Vayun Tiwari
Date: SUNDAY, April 4

DISTRIBUTED: 4-HOUR
ACCESSIBLE
All the birds you record on the event day will count toward the team’s total. Your exact birding destination(s) are up to you, but as part of the the team’s collective effort, we will want participants to be distributed among the east and west hills, the bay front, urban areas, and south county. Birding in key habitats and searching for target birds, we expect the group to retrieve at least 100 species. Coordinate with Matthew before the event day for suggested destinations.

Note: Suggested donation to join the team is $25. Additional contributions from your sponsors are welcome.

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: Intermediate
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, March 30; 8:00AM-12:00PM

SELF-GUIDED: 24-HOUR
The 20th annual effort by the Varied Twitchers! Will Mike Rogers keep his place at the top of the species count this year? Probably!

Team Leader: Mike Rogers
Birding Level: Advanced
Date and Time: SATURDAY, April 16; 3:00AM-10:00PM

DISTANCED: 4-HOUR
ACCESSIBLE
This birdathon team has a history of getting a little lost on our way, but we’ll start with Charleston Slough in the morning and wrap up our birding with some feeder-watching at McClellan Ranch. This team is primarily made up of Education Docents and Education Committee members, but everyone is welcome to join us for some easy birding and good company.

Team Leader: Carolyn Knight
Birding Level: All Welcome
Date and Time: SATURDAY, April 23; 8:00AM-12:00PM

DISTRIBUTED: 4-HOUR
ACCESSIBLE
Join Matthew Dodder on a 4-hour distributed effort with the 5-mile radius surrounding McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino. This local-is-best concept reduces our carbon footprint considerably and allows for more prolonged enjoyment of the birds we find. Participants will select our destinations from a good list that includes Rancho San Antonio, Heaven’s Gate, Stevens Creek Park, and Picchetti Ranch OSP. We will not attempt to find each other or meet up after the tour as originally planned. Participants are merely assigned to one or two locations within the 5-mile radius so we can get the best coverage. Coordinate with Matthew before the event day for suggested destinations to ensure best coverage of the circle.

Note: Participants are expected to donate or fundraise $50 or more in contributions to participate in this team.

Team Leader: Matthew Dodder
Birding Level: ALL
Date and Time: WEDNESDAY, April 27; 8:00AM-12:00PM

Birdathon Team Calendar

View on our Calendar. You can also view completed Birdathon outings.