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Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon

How Many Species Will We Record?

Friday, May 21 - Saturday, May 22

From 5 PM on Friday, May 21 through 5 PM on Saturday, May 22, the Maria Mitchell Association invites birders of all ages, experienced and novice, near and far, to participate in our annual Bird-A-Thon. This year, the MMA is reimagining and expanding the effort to include birders all over the world as a Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon!


The goal of the Bird-Where-You-Are-A-Thon is to encourage participants to notice birds in their daily lives. To register as a birder for this event, please follow the link below and submit your form by Thursday, May 20 at 5 PM. Following the event, the MMA will host a live Zoom session on Tuesday, May 25 at 7 PM to share the results and official count of species seen.

MMA Members and Non-Members, Nantucket residents and non-residents can participate by birding, donating, or both!

All donations to the Nantucket Birdathon support the MMA’s conservation of its renowned Edith F. Andrews Ornithological Collection and activities related to the MMA’s work on bird conservation.

Birding Resources

Participating birders should identify the species of birds they see in this 24-hour period and keep track using a list.

  • For local Nantucket birders, you can use our downloadable bird checklist. We also encourage participants to use e-Bird to record your data.
  • For non-local birders, we recommend looking for a checklist for your region or using e-Bird to record your data.
  • If you are new to birding or planning to participate with children, check out our local Nantucket “10 Birds for Everyone To Learn” guide!
  • The MMA has birding guides, including The Sibley Guide to Birds, Golden Field Guides' Birds of North America, and The Peterson Field Guide to Birds (sixth edition), available for purchase in our gift shop. If you are interested in buying a guide from us, please email Kelly Bernatzky to arrange payment and a time for pick-up.

Submit Your List:

First, be sure to officially register as a birder by Thursday, May 20 at 5 PM by following the link in the section above.


  • If using e-Bird, please share your list to the MMA's e-Bird account at "MariaMitchellAssociation."
  • If not using e-bird, please email your list to Julia Blyth.


Please submit your list to the MMA Sunday, May 23 at 5 PM. 

Birding Guidelines

As always, this event serves as a reminder of the variety and abundance of wildlife that surrounds us and our responsibility to preserve the habitats of our beautiful and varied bird species. We ask our participants to please:


  • Follow your local COVID-19 guidelines, including wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing if required by your state.
  • Try to avoid disrupting the natural behavior of the birds you are observing. For example, keep plenty of distance between you and any active nests, and refrain from using sound playback to mimic bird calls.
  • Stay on trail paths and do not "bushwack."
  • Only record birds you can identify within the time period.
  • Check for ticks at the end of your birding expedition.
  • Have fun!
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