This year our Birdathon consisted of two parts: a fundraising Top Birder Competition and a family-fun Community Collaborative Big Day.

Top Birder Competition

Bob Dean, Matt Orsie, and Wil Hershberger conducted Big Sits at their respective homes in a friendly competition for the title of PVAS Top Birder 2020. Community members sponsored these birders in order for them to earn ‘birding privileges’ to use during their Big Sit.  All three competitors earned full birding privileges through sponsorships and collectively raised $2,459 for PVAS! The proceeds from the Top Birder Competition go toward growing our Habitat Stewardship Programs.

While PVAS knows all three competitors are top birders and all around great fellows, there can be only one winner of this competition. With a total count of 72 species, the PVAS Top Birder of 2020 is Wil Hershberger! In second place was Matt Orsie with 59 species and in third place, Bob Dean with 45 species. Congratulations to all three competitors for exceptional species totals collected during quarantined Big Sits!

Community Collaborative Big Day

The goal of the Community Collaborative Big Day was to collectively count at least 100 bird species in the PVAS, 4-county service area. All birders, new and experienced, were encouraged to conduct Big Sits at their homes and submit their species lists for the Community Collaborative Big Day. In total, we had lists submitted from 32 quarantine teams. When the lists were combined, the final total was 119 bird species recorded, exceeding our goal! PVAS is so proud of our community for proving we can achieve goals together, even when we are kept apart. Here is the species list from the community count:

1. Acadian Flycatcher
2. American Crow
3. American Goldfinch
4. American Redstart
5. American Robin
6. American Tree Sparrow
7. American Woodcock
8. Bald Eagle
9. Baltimore Oriole
10. Barn Swallow
11. Barred Owl
12. Bay-brested Warbler
13. Belted Kingfisher
14. Black-throated Blue Warbler
15. Black-throated Green Warbler
16. Black Vulture
17. Black and White Warbler
18. Blackpoll Warbler
19. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
20. Blue-headed Vireo
21. Blue Grosbeak
22. Blue Jay
23. Blue-winged Warbler
24. Broad-winged Hawk
25. Brown-headed Cowbird
26. Brown Thrasher
27. Canada Goose
28. Canada Warbler
29. Cape May Warbler
30. Carolina Wren
31. Cedar Waxwing
32. Cerulean Warbler
33. Chickadee
34. Chimney Swift
35. Chipping Sparrow
36. Common Grackle
37. Common Nighthawk
38. Common Raven
39. Common Yellowthroat
40. Cooper’s Hawk
41. Dark eyed junco
42. Double-crested Cormorant
43. Downy Woodpecker
44. Eastern Bluebird
45. Eastern Kingbird
46. Eastern Meadowlark
47. Eastern Phoebe
48. Eastern Towhee
49. Eastern Whip-poor-will
50. Eastern Wood-Pewee
51. European Starling
52. Field Sparrow
53. Fish Crow
54. Fox Sparrow
55. Gray Catbird
56. Great Blue Heron
57. Great Crested Flycatcher
58. Great Horned Owl
59. Green Heron
60. Hairy Woodpecker
61. Hooded Warbler
62. House Finch
63. House Sparrow
64. House Wren
65. Indigo Bunting
66. Kentucky Warbler
67. Killdeer
68. Magnolia Warbler
69. Mallard
70. Mourning Dove
71. Nashville Warbler
72. Northern Cardinal
73. Northern Flicker
74. Northern Mockingbird
75. Northern Parula
76. Northern Waterthrush
77. Orchard Oriole
78. Osprey
79. Ovenbird
80. Philedelphia Vireo
81. Pileated Woodpecker
82. Pine Warbler
83. Prairie Warbler
84. Prothonotary Warbler
85. Purple Finch
86. Purple Martin
87. Red-bellied Woodpecker
88. Red-eyed Vireo
89. Red-headed Woodpecker
90. Red-shouldered Hawk
91. Red-tailed Hawk
92. Red-winged Blackbird
93. Rock Pigeon
94. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
95. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
96. Ruby Throated Hummingbird
97. Scarlet Tanager
98. Semipalmated Plover
99. Sharp-shinned Hawk
100. Song Sparrow
101. Swainson’s Thrush
102. Tennessee Warbler
103. Tree Swallow
104. Tufted Titmouse
105. Turkey Vulture
106. Warbling Vireo
107. White-breasted Nuthatch
108. White-crowned Sparrow
109. White-throated Sparrow
110. Wild Turkey
111. White-eyed Vireo
112. Wood Duck
113. Wood Thrush
114. Worm-eating Warbler
115. Yellow Warbler
116. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
117. Yellow-brested Chat
118. Yellow-rumped Warbler
119. Yellow-throated Vireo