Back by popular demand is the RAS annual Bird-a-thon. In the spring, teams of birders compete to see the most species in a single day, raising money for RAS via pledges and raising awareness of birds and birding. For 2025, we're introducing a points system that gives participants multiple ways to win.
How it works:
- Join a team or start a new one.
- Tell your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. about it. Ask if they'd be willing to make a flat donation or pledge a dollar amount per species your team observes on the big day. Donations can be submitted via PayPal or by check. Remember any and all contributions are appreciated!
- Choose a day in the spring (typically late April or early May, during the peak of migration) for your team to get together and bird. Give it your all and submit your observations to eBird. Don't forget to have a good time!
- Share your efforts with RAS. Points will be awarded for species observed, photographs, rare sightings, and other fun stuff.
- Winners will be announced in the categories of dollars raised, species observed, and total points earned. Results will be published in the Thrasher and posted to the RAS website and social media.
Rules and Procedures:
- Donations can be made at https://richmondaudubon.org/donate. Ensure your donors include your team’s name in the transaction notes (PayPal) or memo (check) so that we can give your team credit for it.
- Your team must submit observations to eBird to earn credit for species and related bonus points. Your submissions will help scientists as well as fellow birders.
- Your team must bird together as a single group. Participants should remain within earshot of each other while birding. For a bird to be recorded, it need not be observed by every member of the team.
- Your team may choose any straight 24-hour period (it need not be within one calendar day) in the spring (March 21 through June 21 or thereabouts).
- Your team may bird anywhere by any means.
- To summarize your efforts and share them with RAS, use eBird’s Trip Report feature. Include the name of your team in the name of the report. Ensure the visibility of the report is either Link-only or Public. Share the link to the report by email to info@richmondaudubon.org. Do not share individual checklists.
Earning Points:
Your team will be awarded…
- 5 points per complete checklist. Unless otherwise noted, your team can still earn other points from incidental checklists. Successive checklists from the same location must be at least one hour apart.
- 10 points per new eBird location. Your team must mention this in either the notes of a checklist for the location or the narrative of the trip report. This will not count if a nearby existing location would have been appropriate.
- 1-5 points per species. See the table at the bottom of the page. The number of individuals observed does not matter.
- +1x points per species for each of the following (must be included on eBird checklists):
- Media (photos, audio recordings, and/or videos; doesn’t matter how many)
- Age and/or sex information
- Breeding codes
Example: Your team observes a Blue-winged Warbler, which is worth 4 points. If your team also uploads photos of this species on any checklist(s), you will receive an additional 4 points. Age and sex information would add another 4. And so on and so forth.
Bonus points for 2025:
For this year’s Bird-a-thon, your team will also be awarded…
- 2x points per species with prominent red plumage. For some species, only males have red plumage. In these cases, your team must include media or sex information on your eBird checklist(s). The +1x points earned for including media or extra information as detailed above, even if it was only included for proof of a male individual, will also be multiplied. Eligible species include:
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male)
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Downy Woodpecker (male)
- Hairy Woodpecker (male)
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet (male)
- House Finch (male)
- Purple Finch (male)
- Red Crossbill (male)
- Red-winged Blackbird (male)
- Summer Tanager (male)
- Scarlet Tanager (male)
- Northern Cardinal
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)
- +1x points per species for photos or videos of the species singing. Your team will still earn the +1x points earned for the required photo.
- +5 points for every 5 warbler species.
- +5 points for each complete checklist submitted outside the City of Richmond and its immediate neighbors (Chesterfield and Henrico counties).
- +20 points for a team with either the greatest or least average age of team members.
Hint: Your team can earn up to 50 points for a male Red Crossbill in this year’s Bird-a-thon.
Species:
- To see the full list of species and their points: Click the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1swplrDiZY6lHvXMRmk1hFaHU9XdFfQEPl62BTgd4qHQ/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ym9m9klwaf6q
Male Prothontary Warbler
Photo by Julie Kacmarcik