05/11/2026
On May 8 and 9, 2026, the Bay Area Bird Club ran our 15th Big Bay Birdathon. This 24-hour event is our only fundraiser for the year, raising money for bird conservation and education. This year we raised a record-breaking $11,000 for the Green Bay Pollinator Corridor! They create microhabitats in a macro landscape to help pollinators, linking “islands” of habitat.
Pollinators are very important to maintain our food supply, yet their populations continue to struggle. Not only bees and hummingbirds, but other insects that form the base of the environmental food chain including the birds that feed on the insects!
Not only did we break a record for money raised but also had more teams and participants than we have ever before. Sixteen teams registered, representing 45 birders!
Before we get into the bird numbers and totals, it’s fair to say you cannot run an event like this without some standout volunteers.
A BIG thank you goes to Russ Schisel for sponsoring the food for all the hungry birders after the event. He also got our site reserved for the get together after and has been part of the Birdathon committee from the beginning.
Another thank you goes to Whitney Froelich for designing and getting commemorative patches and pin for totals. It added another element we haven’t had, and people are already talking about shooting for their next threshold next year.
The last person I need to thank is Nancy Nabak. My partner in birding crime, my co-chair for this event. She saw the path of success for this event even after the first year when we had three teams and six participants. She kept my head up, has been a rock of a friend, the brains and drive for the Birdathon, and no words I could type would ever be able to thank her enough. Thanks, Mama!
On to the bird stuff! The final totals will be published at the end, but as a group total, we observed 206 species which was enough to slot in at the second highest total species for one year for the event. New to “Event Checklist” were a Franklin’s Gull, Ross’s Goose, and an amazing Ruff seen by several groups in southern Door County! This raised our all-time checklist to an incredible 270 species!
As for individual teams, the top 5 all had totals at 140+. This is incredible when you look back and see that 140 would have won the first three Big Bay Birdathons, handily! This year’s winners were the “Scissor-tailed Shrikes” with 161 species. The “Injured Robots” secured second place with 156 species. “Limpkin aint Easy” eked out third place with 145 species, edging out “Good Godwits” (143 species) and “Birding Brethren” (142), respectively.
Twelve teams cracked the century mark, another incredible milestone. There is a growing number of excellent birders in the area, and it is reflected in the totals and the creative routes these groups have created!
Other rare sightings include Black-necked Stilt, both Godwits, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Red-throated Loon, and late American Tree Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. There are also so many other great sightings and I have the historical lists if anyone wants to geek out for a bit.
In closing, it was another incredible, record-breaking event! Personally, it is humbling to see what started as just an excuse to go birding all day, has transformed into an event many people look forward to, a chance to connect local birders, and became a difference-maker for the birds that bring us so much joy. We have raised over $50,000 for dozens of projects and looking to do more! If anyone has any ideas for a cause to raise money for next year, please submit a formal request to Nancy or myself!
Big Bay Birdathon 2027 will be Friday May 7 to Saturday May 8!
Thank You to all the participants and we hope to see you all next year!
Adam Sinkula
Teams and Totals
1. 161 “Scissor-tailed Shrikes” Erin L., Logan L, Jayson G.
2. 156 “The Injured Robots” Amanda M., Carrie B., Ben S.
3. 145 “Limpkin aint Easy” Adam S., Sarah E., Becca J.
4. 143 “Good Godwits” Tom P., Jay W.
5. 142 “Birding Brethren” Sue K., Mike K.
6. 135 “Tequila Mockingbird” Bob M,. Nancy N., Russ S.
7. 130 “Kara and Mom” Kara G., Cynthia G.
8. 127 “3 Amigos and Don” Wayne K., Mike G., Matthew S., Don V.
9. 125 “Nutty Nuthatches” Sue A., Linda W., Roy E., Helen M.
10. 124 “Fantastic Fwoopers” Jody S., Sophia S.
11. 108 “Birder She Wrote” Whitney F., Neil F., Weston
12. 101 “Land Savers” Jim J., John D.
13. 95 “Wing Nuts” Jeanne H., Nathan H.
14. 91 “Chasing the Thrush” Ben R., Stephanie R., Brenda R.
15. 77 “Fledgling Duo” Marvin P., Molly P.
16. --- “No Egrets” Samantha C., Amelia, Charlotte, Abbey
