Since its inception in 2002, the Charlotte Birdathon has undergone a number of changes.
Originally there was no limit to where the participants could bird, and some wandered as far away as Fort DeSoto in an attempt to find birds not easily found locally. There was no limit to how many could be on a team, and some teams of 6 participated. In 2005, following a challenge by Jeff Bouton, accompanied by Paul Holmes, who set out and succeeded in finding 100 birds in Charlotte County in six hours, the Charlotte Harbor 100 Birdathon was created. All teams started at 7 AM and finished at 1 PM at the same location. This drew a few out-of-county birders who sought to beat Jeff’s record. In 2007, at the request of some faithful participants, the rules were slightly modified and now teams of 2 to 4 participants begin wherever they want in Charlotte County, and at a time of their choice, as long as it is after midnight on the day of the Birdathon. The day ends at 5 PM at a park, where results are turned in and pizza is enjoyed by all. No matter what the format has been, the main purpose of the Birdathon, other than having fun birding, was to raise money for Youth Environmental Education. As of 2019 more than $20,000 has been raised.
2019
The 18th annual PRAS birdathon was held April 6, 2019 and was a great success! The birdathon rules have changed over the years but two things remain the same: The participants have a great time and quite a bit of money is raised for PRAS and its beneficiaries. This year, two teams competed: Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden, Kevin Edwards and Susan Daughtrey) and The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tony Licata, Sharon Wilcox and John Groskopf). Competition was tight, but in the end there was a tie! Each team saw 106 species. In total, the two teams saw 140 species for the day! We all saw some great birds including some snow birds which hadn’t left yet, a few neotropical migrants, and of course our wonderful resident birds. We met at the end of the day for pizza and desserts and swapped stories of missed and best birds.
In addition to being a whole lot of fun, the Birdathon raised a total of $1,334.50! Team Archaeopteryx raised the most money: $1,204.50 and The Birders raised $130. Each team chose where their funds will go. Team Archaeopteryx is focused on environmental education and has requested that $600 go to the PRAS Scholarship Fund, $500 go to the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center for youth environmental education, and the remaining $104.50 will go to the unrestricted PRAS Youth Environmental Education fund. The Birders decided to donate their $130 to the Peace River Wildlife Center. Thanks to both teams and their sponsors for helping PRAS reach funding and education goals!
The Birders saw the following birds that Team Archaeopteryx missed: chimney swift, dunlin, rig-billed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, least tern, sandwich tern, black skimmer, American white pelican, Hairy woodpecker, house wren, worm-eating warbler, black and white warbler, Tennessee warbler, prairie warbler, summer tanager, and indigo bunting.
Team Archaeopteryx saw the following birds that The Birders missed: black –bellied whistling duck, mute swan, pied-billed grebe, sandhill crane, killdeer, long-billed dowitcher, lesser yellowlegs, forster’s tern, least bittern, snail kite, eastern screech-owl, belted kingfisher, red-headed woodpecker, red-cockaded woodpecker, crested caracara, marsh wren, and cedar waxwing.
2018
A total of 146 species counted A total of $1,391 was raised.
The 17th annual PRAS birdathon was held March 31, 2018 and was a great success! The birdathon rules have changed over the years but two things remain the same: The participants have a great time and quite a bit of money is raised for PRAS and its beneficiaries. This year, two teams competed: Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden and Kevin Edwards) and The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tony Licata, Sharon Wilcox and John Groskopf). Competition was tight, but in the end The Birders (who had 113) won by one species; ousting Archaeopteryx from holding the title. Archaeopteryx came in second place and saw 112 species. In total, the two teams saw 146 species for the day! We all saw some great birds including some snow birds which hadn’t left yet, some neotropical migrants, and of course our wonderful resident birds. We met at the end of the day for pizza and desserts and swapped stories of missed and best birds.
In addition to being a whole lot of fun, the Birdathon raised a total of $1,391! Team Archaeopteryx raised the most money: $1,266 and The Birders raised $125. Each team chose where their funds will go. Team Archaeopteryx is focused on environmental education and has requested that $600 go to the PRAS Scholarship Fund, $500 go to the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center for youth environmental education, and the remaining $166 will go to the unrestricted PRAS Youth Environmental Education fund. The Birders decided to donate their $125 to the Peace River Wildlife Center. Thanks to both teams and their sponsors for helping PRAS reach funding and education goals!
The Birders saw the following birds that Team Archaeopteryx missed: wild turkey, common loon, reddish egret, swallow-tailed kite, sora, piping plover, least sandpiper, sandwich tern, belted kingfisher, American kestrel, monk parakeet, northern rough-winged swallow, tufted titmouse, barn swallow, worm-eating warbler, swamp sparrow, and brown-headed cowbird.
Team Archaeopteryx saw the following birds that The Birders missed: northern shoveler, magnificent frigate bird, American white pelican, least bittern, northern harrier, solitary sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs, black tern, ruby-throated hummingbird, crested caracara, peregrine falcon, brown headed nuthatch, cedar waxwing, hooded warbler, yellow-throated warbler and Bachman’s sparrow.
Cathy Olson
2017
A total of 118 species counted A total of $1,332.25 was raised.
The 16th annual PRAS birdathon was held April 1, 2017 and was a great success! The birdathon rules have changed over the years but two things remain the same: The participants have a great time and quite a bit of money is raised for PRAS and its beneficiaries. This year, two teams competed: Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden and Brant Julius) and The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Don Youso, Susan Daughtrey, and Suzanne Love). Competition was tight, but in the end Archaeopteryx saw the most birds: 108; keeping their title and bragging rights from last year. The Birders came in second place and saw 97 species. In total, the two teams saw 118 species for the day! We all saw some great birds including some snow birds which hadn’t left yet, some neotropical migrants, and of course our wonderful resident birds. We met at the end of the day for pizza and desserts and swapped stories of missed and best birds.
In addition to being a whole lot of fun, the Birdathon raised a total of $1,332.25! Team Archaeopteryx raised the most money: $1,108 and The Birders raised $224.25, more than doubling what they raised last year. Each team chose where their funds will go. Team Archaeopteryx is focused on environmental education and has requested that $500 go to the PRAS Scholarship Fund, $500 go to the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center for youth environmental education, and the remaining $108 will go to the unrestricted PRAS Youth Environmental Education fund. The Birders decided to donate their money to the Peace River Wildlife Center. Thanks to both teams and their sponsors for helping PRAS reach funding and education goals!
2016
A total of 115 species counted A total of $1369.00 was raised
The 15th annual PRAS birdathon was held April 2, 2016 Only two teams competed this year: Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden and Kevin Edwards) and The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tony Licata, Susan Daughtrey, and Suzanne Love). Archaeopteryx saw the most birds: 107; keeping their title and bragging rights from last year. The Birders came in second place and saw 95 species. In total, the two teams saw 115 species for the day! We had a wonderful day for birding and enjoyed. We met at the end of the day for pizza and desserts and swapped stories of missed and best birds.
The Birdathon raised a total of $1,369.00. Team Archaeopteryx raised the most money: $1254.00 and The Birders raised $115.00 Each team chose where their funds will go. Team Archaeopteryx is focused on environmental education and has requested that $500 go to the PRAS Scholarship Fund, $500 go to the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center for youth environmental education, $200 go to CHNEP and the remaining $54 will go to the unrestricted PRAS Youth Environmental Education fund. The Birders decided to donate their money to the Peace River Wildlife Center. Thanks to both teams and their sponsors for helping PRAS reach funding and education goals!
2015
A total of 134 species were counted. A total of $1400.30 was raised.
Three teams entered the Charlotte Birdathon this year. Team Archaeopterxy (Cathy Olson and Gregg Klowden were #1 in both species seen and money raised. They saw 109 species and collected $1168.31. Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Lewis, Chuck and Joan Froman, found 103 species and raised $97. Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tom Duch, Susan Love, Ellie Archer) had 96 species and raised $95. The teams gathered at Bayshore Live Oak Park at 5 PM for comparisons and pizza. Roadrunners were unable to participate this year, but contributed $39.99. Archaeopteryx allocated $400 to PRAS Scholarship Fund, $500 to Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center for their youth environmental education program, $200 to Charlotte Harbor national Estuary Program for their youth environmental education programs, and $68.31 to the unrestricted PRAS Youth Environmental Education fund. Cuckoos, Birders and Roadrunner donated a total of $231.99 to Peace River Wildlife Center for their educational programs.
2014
A total of 132 species was seen and $1415.75 was raised.
Five teams entered the 2014 competition. Team Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden, Kevin Edwards, David Edwards) was the lead fundraiser at $968.75. Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu Lewis, Joan Froman, Chuck Froman) raised $142, Birders raised $120, Roadrunners (Eleanor Marr, Bill Marr, Jim Bonk and Mike Krzyzkowski) contributed $115. and the Kinglets (Sharon Wilcox, Roberta Overland, Pat Mulligan and John Whitehead) came in with $70. Archaeopteryx found the most species, 109 seen. The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tony Licata, Don Youso, Susan Daughtrey) and the Kinglets tied with 101 species. The Mangrove Cuckoos had 97 species and the Roadrunners had 87 species. Results were shared at 5 PM over pizza at Bayshore Live Oak Park.
2013
A total of 130 species were counted and $1216 was raised.
Four teams competed in the Birdathon this year. Team Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden and Kevin Edwards) raised the most money, $893, followed by Team Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tony Licata, Roberta Overland and Sharon Wilcox) with $145, Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Louis, Chuck and Joan Froman) with $78 and Roadrunners (Eleanor and Bill Marr, Jim Bonk, Jim Comfort) with $69.25. The Mangrove Cuckoos spotted the most birds, 109 species. Other teams participating were Birders with 103 species, and Roadrunners with 93 species, and Archaeopteryx. Teams met at 5 PM at Bayshore Live Oak Park to compare results and share pizza.
2012
A total of 127 species were counted and $1516.05 was raised.
Four teams with 16 birders entered the competition. Team Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden, Kevin Edwards and Dave Edwards) had the highest contribution of $1020.05 and the highest count, 105 species. Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu Lewis, Louise Lewis, Joan Froman, Chuck Froman) raised $116 and found 102 species. Birders (Tony Licata, Dave Lancaster, Tom Zinneman and Pat Mulligan) raised $140, and had 96 species. Roadrunners (Eleanor Marr, Bill Marr, Jim Bonk and Mike Krzyzkowski) raised $240, and had 93 species. The day ended with sharing results and pizza at Bayshore Live Oak Park.
2011
A total of 120 species was counted and $1477 was raised.
Four teams with 16 birders participated in this year’s Birdathon. Team Archeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden, Kevin Edwards, Gary Edwards) raised the most money, $1092.00. The Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tom Zinneman, Pat Mulligan, Tony Licata) raised $165, and Roadrunners (Eleanor and Bill Marr, Mike Kryzyzkowski and Jim Bonk) and Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Lewis, Chuck and Joan Froman) each raised $110. Archaeopteryx found the most birds (101 species) and Mangrove Cuckoos, found 99 species. The Roadrunners and the Birders tied at 88 species. Results were shared and compared over pizza at Bayshore Linear Park.
2010
A total of 126 species was counted and $1259.75 was raised.
Four Teams, participated in this year’s Birdathon. Team Not Picky Cathy Olson’s team) contributing the most at $580. Birders (Dave Lancaster, Tom Zinneman, Kitty Rich, Kathy Kelle) raised $375, Roadrunners (Eleanor and Bill Marr, Mike Krzyzkowski and Jim Bonk) raised $204.75, and Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Louis, Chuck and Joan Froman) raised $90. Mangrove Cuckoos found the most species, 102 species, Birders had 90 species, Roadrunners had 85. The day ended at 5 PM with pizza at Bayshore Linear Park.
2009
A total of 119 species was counted and $1227 was raised.
This year four teams participated in the Birdathon. Not Picky (Cathy Olson, Missy Christy, Kevin Edwards) raised the most money, $709.60. Birders (Dave Lancaster, Kathy Kelle) raised $360, Roadrunners (Eleanor and Bill Marr, Mike Krzyzkowski and Jim Bonk) raised $153.75, and Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Louis, Chuck and Joan Froman) raised $40. Not Picky also found the most species, 96. Birders were close behind with 95 species, Mangrove Cuckoos had 93 species, and Roadrunners had 83. Results were turned in at Bayshore Linear Park
2008
A total of 117 species were counted and $1613.70 was raised.
This year the contest was renamed the Charlotte Birdathon, and the length of the contest became ? til 4 PM. Four teams participated. Team Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden) raised the most money, $1183.70. Roadrunners (Bill and Eleanor Marr, Mike Kryzyzkowski and Jim Bonk) and Bird Men (Dave Lancaster, Don Youso, Tony Licata, Tom Zinneman) tied with $190 each, and Mangrove Cuckoos (Stu and Louise Louis, Chuck and Joan Froman) raised $50.00. Team Bird Men found the most species, 92. Other teams were Mangrove Cuckoos with 89 species, and Roadrunners with 86 and Archaeopteryx. The day ended with sharing results and pizza at Bayshore Linear Park.
2007
A total of 109 species were counted and $1113.20 was raised.
Four teams participated in the Charlotte Harbor 100 challenge. Archaeopteryx (Cathy Olson, Gregg Klowden, Bob Repenning) raised the most money ($657), followed by Featherspotters (Lynn Bates, Kathy Kelle, Don Youso, Patti Maggiore) at $330, Roadrunners (Bill and Eleanor Marr, Mike Kryzyzkowski and Jim Bonk) with $152 and Mangrove Cuckoos (Chuck and Joan Froman, Stu and Louise Lewis) with $90.00 Mangrove Cuckoos found the most species, 86. Other teams were the Roadrunners with 79 species and the Feather Spotters wih 74 species, and Archaeopteryx. The day ended at 1 PM with a picnic on the grounds of the YMCA on Bayshore.
2006
A total of $357 was raised.
This year was another “speed birding” competition, under the name Charlotte Harbor 100 Challenge, with a goal of finding over 100 birds in 6 hours, beginning at 6 AM. The winners, David Simpson and Andy Bankert, from Brevard County, saw a total of 99 species. They were attempting to beat their record from the previous year, which they failed to do. The Mangrove Cuckoos came in second with 84 species. The Swallowtails placed third with 83.
2005
A total of 132 bird species were counted and $969 was raised. The winning team, Punk, led by Lynn Bates, saw 114 species and raised $176.70. Second place went to team Whatever, led by Paul Holmes, with 92 species. Third place was taken by Jaybirds, led by Tom Zinneman, with 87 Species. Fourth place went to Mangrove Cuckoos, led by Stu Lewis, had 86 species. Fifth place went to Archaeoptryx, led by Cathy Olson, with 76 Species and was #1 in fundraising with $492 raised.
2004
A total of 133 bird species were counted and $1350.45 was raised. The winning team, Mangrove Cuckoos, saw 104 species according to team leaders Joan and Chuck Froman, and members Charles Froman, Stu and Louise Lewis and Jim and Barb Homme. Second place Hawkeyes, led by Lynn and George Bates, with team members Dillys Randall and Paul Holmes saw 103 species. Third place team, Jaybirds, led by Cathy Olson, with members Gregg Klowden, Norm Epiphany, and Betty Denniss saw a total of 84 species.
2003
A total of 138 bird species were counted and $1,454.30 was raised. The winning Team, Hawkeyes, led by Tom Zinneman, saw 99 species. Second place Batty Birders, led by George Marks, saw 77 species and was #1 in fundraising with a whopping $569. Third place Jaybirds, led by Cathy Olson, saw 66 species and was #2 in fundraising with $302. Fourth place Buzzards, led by John Aspiolea, saw 56 species and was #3 in fundraising with $95. Fifth place Woodpeckers, led by George Hindmarsh saw 55 species.
2002
A total of 125 bird species were counted and $1462.75 was raised. The winning birding team, team Mathewson, saw 85 species. The #1 fundraiser was team Marks with $432 closely followed by team Olson with $431.