PRBO Conservation Science
2009 BIRD-A-THON

September 1 - October 15, 2009
Join the longest running Bird-A-Thon in the US!

If you've never heard of a Bird-A-Thon before, think of it as a spell-a-thon where you count birds instead of words!

"Counters" choose any 24-hour time period during the event and go birding--anywhere in the world! You ask friends and family to pledge a certain amount for each species you identify, or simply to make a flat donation.

It may seem like a quirky way to raise money, but during the past 31 years, Bird-A-Thon has raised more than $1.5 million to protect birds and the environment!

Become a counter or start a team. Make your own Bird-A-Thon page today--it only takes 10 minutes! 

Birdwatchers photo by Muffet under Creative Commons license; Cassin's Auklet Chick - our 2009 Bird-A-Thon Mascot - photo by Duncan Wright; Cassin's Auklet photo by Blake Matheson under Creative Commons license.

The Dramatic Ups and Downs of Cassin's Auklet
(and other bird species)

Cassin's Auklet, pictured here, is one of the species of special concern that PRBO studies on the Farallon Islands and elsewhere. As PRBO President and CEO Ellie Cohen recounts in PRBO's Spring 2009 Observer:

"In 2005 the Cassin's Auklets on the Farallones experienced complete breeding failure. Wind patterns and ocean currents changed in such unusual ways that krill, the shrimp-like food that auklets (as well as salmon and other marine wildlife) depend upon, became completely unavailable.

"The auklet failure recurred in 2006, paralleled by two years of songbird breeding failure in the desert Southwest due to extreme drought. At the same time, our budding analyses of songbird spring and fall arrival dates in Central California showed significant changes due to climate factors.

"Thus, PRBO took on a new mantle...assessing and addressing climate change impacts on birds and the natural world....

"[PRBO's course for the near future will be] to address rapid climate change, sea-level rise, altered land uses, expanding development, and other human impacts, on land and at sea. Bringing our expertise to bear on accelerating and unpredictable changes in the natural world requires a significantly greater focus and coordination than ever before in PRBO's accomplished 44-year history. Our actions will help:

• Enhance the ability of bird populations and ecosystems to respond to environmental change;
• Sustain nature's benefits to wildlife and human communities; and,
• Ensure that public and private investments yield the greatest conservation benefits during rapid environmental change."