CANADIAN PEREGRINE FOUNDATION

Birdathon 2001:
Supporting bird conservation in Canada

The Baillie Birdathon is one of the most important sources of funding for bird conservation projects across Canada.  This will be the third year of participation for the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.  Please help us improve on our success from last year by sponsoring us!

The Baillie Birdathon is a long-standing tradition in Canada, and is named in honour of one of Ontario's greatest ornithologists, Jim Baillie.   The way the Birdathon works is that during a single 24-hour period in May, participants such as myself try to find as many species of birds as possible.  Funds are raised by collecting pledges from people like yourself for each species seen.

The money collected is sent to Bird Studies Canada, a registered charity which sponsors and organizes bird conservation efforts in partnership with local groups throughout the country.  Bird Studies Canada then returns a percentage of the proceeds from each participant's Birdathon directly to a local group of their choice.  I have of course designated the Canadian Peregrine Foundation as the beneficiary of my Birdathon.  The percentage of funds returned to the local group increases in proportion to the total amount raised.  Please help the Canadian Peregrine Foundation be as successful as possible by sponsoring me generously, and by encouraging your family, friends, and coworkers to do the same.  If you cannot afford to contribute yourself, please consider helping us by asking others to pledge their support.

You can either sponsor me with a flat donation, or better yet (to provide a bit of a challenge), by pledging a certain amount for each species that I see.  I plan to undertake my Birdathon on the last weekend in May, splitting my time between Presqu'ile Provincial Park and the Carden Alvar.  Last year I tallied 135 species on my Birdathon, and my goal is to match or improve upon this total this year.   Following my Birdathon, I will send all sponsors a report summarizing my day in the field, and indicating the amount owed.  (Note: if you make a pledge totalling $10 or more, you will automatically receive a charitable tax receipt from Bird Studies Canada).   Click here to access the pledge form.

The recovery of the peregrine falcon in Ontario has been quite promising in recent years, but it is too early to conclude that the species has been saved.  There are still several critical questions which remain unanswered.  By pledging your support for my Birdathon, you will be helping fund some of this ground-breaking research, as well as contributing to the conservation of other endangered birds across Canada.  On behalf of the birds, thank you for your interest and concern.

Sincerely,

Marcel Gahbauer
Canadian Peregrine Foundation Biologist