Birdathon Tallies 71 Species

Seventy-one species were spotted at this year’s Birdathon, an above-average count. The event started as a fun outing for Deb Brocke and Jeff Robinson in 1991 and grew from there. 

Brocke says they initially did a 12-hour survey on bikes and skis. This weekend’s 24-hour count brought in about 25 volunteers, some in cars, some on foot, and one on a packraft and bike. 

The Birdathon covers roughly the same 15-mile radius as the Christmas Bird Count over Trapper Creek and Talkeetna. The event is always the first weekend in May.

Brocke says the number of birds counted varies a lot from year to year. Part of that is due to weather and part of it is how many people are out there looking for birds. There aren’t really any trends over the years. Brocke says the number of birds recorded has increased over the years because more people are counting and they are becoming better birders. 

Chris Mannix took home the crown for spotting 44 bird species, the most of any birder at the event. Of the interesting birds counted this year, the Eurasian wigeon was one that hadn’t been seen since 2011. Snow geese weren’t spotted until 2021 and there were flocks of them this year. Birders also saw a golden eagle chasing ducks, a northern flicker, northern shrike, and a short-billed dowitcher. 

Brocke says if the Birdathon is one week earlier or later, there would be different species. She says the Birdathon is a celebration of spring and finding out how much diversity there is.