39th-annual Birdathon Exceeds Expectations

By Olivia Bautch with Team Reports

It’s time again to unveil the winners of the annual Bird Alliance of Central Indiana (formerly Amos Butler Audubon Society) Birdathon! Each team of two to seven birders (plus a cat) spent 24 consecutive hours in May observing birds near and far to end their day with a higher count than their competitors. From single-location (Team Ecolab) or single-county (Bud and Carl’s Legacy Team) to carbon-neutral travel (Team Carbon Neutral) or no travel (Brownsburg Railsitters), the teams had a range of different strategies, but all had a lot of fun!

Each team raised donations from sponsors to fund our nine Birdathon grantees of 2026, including avian education and conservation projects from the American Birding Conservancy, Indiana Audubon, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Marion University, Conner Prairie, the Center for Earth and Environmental Studies at IU Indianapolis, Franklin College, and more. Together, our teams raised a total of $40,959 for grantees—a whole $199 more than required to fund this year’s grants!

Teams compete in two challenges: highest species count and greatest amount of raised funds. Did 2025 fundraising champs, Community Hospital keep their spot, but with the new name of Munshower’s Merlins? And did Second Cycle Birders break their personal best of 183 species and keep their place as species count champs? Read all the teams’ reports as we count down by species count

#15: Doug, Dudley, or Drew? – 45 species

Michelle Morton, Doug Gray, Nicole O’Neal, Alex Richards, Joubert Richards

Our Birdathon day was May 30, 2026, as we were all planning to be together for a Black Birders Week event. We started our day at Betley Woods at Glacier’s End, for an Outdoor Afro-CILTI collaboration birding event. Along with a group of newbie and experienced birders (and everyone in between), we started our day with 29 species. One highlight was viewing a Kentucky Warbler who was singing loudly and decided to pop out to greet us. We heard Scarlet Tanagers but never managed to get a good look at them. We continued to Camp Atterbury, where we did some stationary birding and car birding. While stopping to listen to a Killdeer, we saw a Red-headed Woodpecker flash by, even popping down [to] the ground for a moment to give us a stunning view. Once we needed a break from the heat and started craving more than snacks, we traveled to Doug’s house in Franklin where we spent the remainder of the day enjoying some stationary birding, dinner, and delightful conversation! Our highlight was observing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting on her nest. Our day concluded with [45 species and] a FaceTime with Doug’s friend and fellow birder Christian, and we continued to share our love of birds with friends afar!

#14: Mud Creek Creepers – 64 species

Wes Homoya, Ben Miller, family, and neighbors

Team Mud Creek Creepers must first print a retraction! Last year we thought we’d seen a rare mud turtle along Mud Creek. Well, turns out it was just a lousy melanistic slider. Bah humbug! Trusting in our bird identification skills more than our herp ID, we again conducted our Birdathon entirely too early for peak migration—our calendars seem to always get the best of us… Nevertheless, we enjoyed our annual tradition of combining birds, friendship, philanthropy, and hot, bubbling water. We ended with 64 species this year, with highlights including nesting Osprey, Barred Owl, Blue-headed Vireo, and Purple Finch. We are grateful to our supporters for joining us in this amazing Birdathon experience.

#13: Las Aguilas Arpias – 65 species

Jeanette Frazier, Elcira Villareal, Shawn Fauver, Jodi Jensen, Jan Strohl

We spent Saturday, May 2 at Eagle Creek Park counting species utilizing a combination of sit[ting] and watch[ing] as well as standing [and] walking. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at Rick’s Boatyard Cafe. We ended the day with 65 species on a cool but mostly sunny day looking for our avian friends! Best bird: Willet.

#12: Wild Birds Unlimited – 80 species

Brian Cunningham, Dwayne Wolf, Courtney Meyer

There was a moment two weeks before our planned day that influenced our scheduled birding event. That moment occurred when the temperature was warmer than normal, and we foolishly remarked that at least this year it would be warmer than our Big Day last year. We spoke too soon, because the weather quickly turned cooler again. For the second year in a row, we started out our Friday morning donning winter hats, gloves, and more layers than we wanted. On the positive side, the temperature wasn’t keeping the birds away, as we were spotting species after species from the moment we started. This trend continued through the morning and into the early afternoon. This year we had a shorter day than we wanted due to scheduling conflicts, but we were still able to reach 80 species.

We entered a prairie area that has a pond near the entrance, and right away the Tree Swallows were posing for us, allowing us to observe their behaviors. They sat on branches, nest boxes, and posts long enough to capture stunning images. A Wood Duck casually landed right in front of us. We walked a little farther and heard a Yellow-breasted Chat. To our surprise, he perched at the end of a long branch, so once again we could see him perfectly. He stayed there for quite some time, allowing us the opportunity to capture him on camera. This was quickly followed by an Eastern Towhee and then a male Orchard Oriole, both giving us amazing views. We kept saying it was time to move on, but then another bird would grab our attention and make us stop. Just before we left the area, a female Blue Grosbeak stopped by. Then, as we reached our cars to move on to the next spot, a Swainson’s Thrush was just walking along the side of the road.

Our second location of the day did not disappoint, as the birds were equally cooperative. We had seen Palm Warblers earlier in the morning as they scurried from tree to tree to capture their breakfast. During the early afternoon, they too slowed down, sitting still for long stretches. We also had the opportunity to see a King Rail walk along the bank of another pond. There were many other birds that also made our day memorable, the day the birds sat still, for Brian Cunningham (our Leader), Courtney Meyer (our Photographer), and Dwayne Wolff (our Scribe).

#10: Team EcoLab – 84 species

David Benson, Chandler Roberts, Deb Patrick, Randy Patrick

Weather was tough this year for Team EcoLab. Starting May 8 as planned meant starting in a deluge, so starting May 9, we did in 12 hours what we normally would have done in 24. Seems like we should [be] allowed to double our species total, right? We birded the EcoLab in the morning, scoring 15 warbler species, both orioles, a Marsh Wren, and a stray Fish Crow. We then searched the Riverside and Lake Sullivan Indy Parks properties across the street, adding swallows including Cliff and Barn, two sandpipers and White-crowned Sparrow. With a total of 84, we nearly reached our record-best year in half the time! Thanks to all our donors for their continued support of our team!

#10: Brownsburg Railsitters – 84 species

Mike Homoya, Barb Homoya, Wes Homoya

The Brownsburg Railsitters’ 8th annual “bridge big sit” Birdathon was held this year on May 9th, once again overlooking White Lick Creek in Hendricks County. We started the day out well with a pair of Barred Owls calling, followed by a pair of Great Horned Owls doing the same! As always, we had a great time sharing the love of birds and nature with each other and with many dozens of B&O Trail users and Birdathon fans that came to hang out with us throughout the morning (a couple of which joined us for our team pic!). Highlights of our 84-species day included Hooded Merganser, nesting Belted Kingfisher, and a whopping 19 warblers (not bad for a big sit!); killer eye-level looks, enabled by this elevated site, made experiences with Cape May, Cerulean, and Blackburnian warbs pretty rad, indeed! This was yet another memorable opportunity to raise support for some truly important causes. Thank you to all our friends and sponsors for joining us!

#9: Passerine Party – 108 species

Neil Brookhouse, Corinne Greenberg, Chloe Greenberg, Paige Bicking, Sonya Ogden, Emma Herald, Haley Boone, Parula the Cat

Passerine Party’s Big Day began on a stormy afternoon at Goose Pond, where soggy grass and clouds of gnats did little to dissuade the team from traipsing along levies, scope in tow, for glances at stilts and sandpipers and a rumored Glossy Ibis that ultimately never showed up. After finding some consolation in a Henslow’s Sparrow’s staccato song, the team continued to Monroe County’s hidden gem, Beanblossom Bottoms, where a chatty Prothonotary Warbler welcomed them to the swamp. As the sun drew nearer to the horizon, Passerine Party was forced to abandon the boardwalk and their lemony lector’s sonorous spiel for a twilight hunt for nightjars and a late-night owling expedition. Though the first was a sweeping success, the second yielded only one lonely Barred Owl, and the team set up camp, ready for a brief sleep and an early morning. The dawn chorus cracked delicate dreams wide open as the rising sun did the same to the sky, and Passerine Party started their day with a hike at Yellowwood State Forest, which rewarded them with a hearty boon of late-spring warblers, including the coveted Cerulean. Passerine Party then zipped along to Muscatatuck NWR, where they met up with two expected team members and one unexpected stray cat, the latter of whom shepherded them along on the entirety of their next hike and ended up with a new home. From Muscatatuck, Passerine Party rushed down through the Hoosier National Forest, narrowly securing a vagrant Swainson’s Warbler as their last bird of the day and ending their run at 108 species. Passerine Party would like to thank all their sponsors for their generous donations and humbly request that next year, someone remind them to take a photo during their Birdathon when all their teammates are present. Third time’s the charm?

#8: Counting Crows – 109 species

Mindy Shetter, Janet Tuten, Ellen Fleig, Ann Johnston

For the second year of Counting Crows, we had a few team member changes. Last year we went north so naturally, this year we headed south. One of the big benefits in going south [is] the locals don’t care that you have pulled over to look at a bird, just give them enough room to get by.

Major stops included Morgan Monroe State Forest, a lane that is called “magical warbler road,” Stillwater Marsh, Greene-Sullivan State Forest and Goose Pond. Overall, we did well with warblers but “magical warbler road” didn’t provide many; however, we did get a Broad-winged Hawk there. Lots of puddling Tiger Swallowtails there as well, so that was quite nice.

The Airbnb that we stayed at produced a couple of birds that we only saw on that property. Why are Hairy Woodpeckers so hard to get on Birdathon days? In addition, the Airbnb gave us our only White-crowned Sparrow. It also had a pair of calling Barred Owls, several Yellow-breasted Chats, a skunk that was hanging out under the front porch (yikes!!), a groundhog at the barn, and enough bedrooms that no one had to share.

We didn’t get any rarities that we were hoping for at Goose Pond but it still gave us a lot of tally marks on our list. It is such awe-inspiring habitat that it’s a pleasure to visit every time. It also provided the backdrop for our most dramatic Birdathon moment: in those last few hours when you are picking up the pace trying to get a few more birds to tally, sometimes you get a little distracted and maybe you forget that a phone got placed on the roof of the car. And maybe nobody noticed as everyone jumped in to get to the next location. And maybe you wondered, “What was that thing that came flying over the windshield?” Good news! We didn’t run over Ann’s phone.

Our final count was 109 birds and because we are Counting Crows (and only count the crows that we see) there were 15 American Crows.

Thank you to our generous donors and families and to the [BACI, formerly] ABAS Birdathon Committee. Your support makes this event both enjoyable and worthwhile.

#7: Noddy Little Gulls Tern Up Some Treasures – 122 species

Laurie Voss, Kathy Broshous, Lou Ann Barriger, Kathryn Racke

The Noddy Little Gulls gathered in the pre-dawn darkness on May 4, beginning the Big Day with our friendly local American Robin and Northern Cardinal, singing away loudly in the darkness.

A drive through Eagle Creek Park as the sun rose revealed an auditory feast of birds waking up for the day, from the familiar year-round Carolina Chickadee and Eastern Towhee to some recently-arrived migrants such as Swainson’s Thrush, Ovenbird, and House Wren. Other highlights at Eagle Creek included a couple of fluffy Barred Owl babies peeking from their hollow tree, an American Bittern located with the help of several other local birders, and a late Common Loon in full breeding plumage. While some desirable warblers proved uncooperative, others were more obliging, like Blackburnian, Kentucky, and Pine.

After noon, the Gulls hit Eagle’s Crest Prairie where a Black Vulture swooped conveniently over their heads, but a Blue Grosbeak unfortunately left seconds after only one birder saw it and must remain off the list for this year.

The tireless group then headed to Goose Pond where some dabbling American Coots made 100 species so far. Various stops around Goose Pond revealed treasures like White-faced Ibises and stunningly beautiful Black Terns diving and frolicking over the ponds. A Wild Turkey galumphed into view at one point before high-tailing it back into the shrubbery.

The birding day ended on a hilltop with the sun sunk below the horizon and a Chuck-will’s Widow calling up the night as species number 122.

The Noddy Little Gulls had a grand time, and would like to thank everyone who sponsored them. All this planning and running around after birds is great fun, but the ultimate goal is to help raise funds so we can learn about and protect these amazing, diverse, startlingly wonderful creatures. Thank you!

#6 Bud & Carl’s Legacy Team – 123 species

Ryan Barone, Keith Starling, Patty Steffen, Brandon Roberts

The Bud and Carl’s Legacy Team decided to keep things simple this year by focusing entirely on birds within Hamilton County, Indiana. This is the 15th year we have had a team.

Over the course of a wonderful day, we visited nine parks and a total of 18 locations throughout the county. The strategy proved successful, as our team recorded an impressive 123 species while enjoying some of the best spring birding Hamilton County has to offer. More importantly, we had a great time sharing our love of birds, nature, and friendship.

Among the highlights were excellent looks at several sought-after warblers, including Mourning Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Black-throated Blue Warbler. Thrushes were especially well-represented, with both Gray-cheeked Thrushes and Veery observed during the day. Other memorable sightings included Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, and many additional species that made the day both exciting and rewarding. It was a wonderful Birdathon filled with great birds, great company, and a renewed appreciation for the remarkable birdlife of Hamilton County.

#5: Team Bishop – 127 species

Linda Bishop, Michael Bishop

Early on May 9th, we kicked off our 2026 Birdathon effort attempting to load up the car when we discovered that our yard was the place to be. By the time we left home for Eagle Creek Park, our list had 38 species, including Veery and 11 species of warbler. At the park, we started at the Marina picking up several birds, including Northern Waterthrush, then headed to the Ice Skating Pond, where the highlight was a Broad-winged Hawk. We noted an Osprey as we continued birding around the reservoir, then headed west on I-70, exiting south through the country. We scared up three Black Vultures from a roadside perch and added Wild Turkey and American Kestrel along the way. We eventually arrived at Goose Pond FWA, where we quickly checked off several species, including Black-necked Stilt, Prairie Warbler, Bell’s Vireo, Dickcissel, and Blue Grosbeak. Driving the roads around Beehunter Marsh, we encountered a mixed ﬂock of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs very close to the road and were able to sit for several minutes observing them at close proximity. A drive south to Greene-Sullivan State Forest yielded Red-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-throated Vireo. Late in the day, we arrived back at Goose Pond and added American and Least Bitterns, Marsh and Sedge Wrens, and Common Nighthawk to the list. We ended a beautiful day with a total of 127 species. Many thanks to our generous sponsors and Amos Butler Audubon Society [BACI] for their efforts toward bird conservation.

#4: Munshower’s Merlins – 130 species

Paul Brandenburg, Barb Jablonski, Greg Steffen

Munshower’s Merlins (formerly Community Hospital) started their Birdathon with a donut salute to our missing friends and mentors, Dr. John T. Munshower and Doug Sherow. That sweet beginning along with beautiful weather and timing made for a most excellent Birdathon for our team. We registered 130 species in almost ten hours of birding and around eight hours of traveling, with a lot of storytelling along the way.

We focused on Central Indiana birding hotspots, such as Celery Bog, Eagle Creek Park, and a few personal favorite spots and flooded fields in Johnson and Morgan Counties. More birds were added to our list at Goose Pond. Both Celery Bog & Eagle Creek were alive with warblers during our time there (26 warbler species). A detour to a farm pond outside of Worthington rewarded us with Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. One of our finds at Goose Pond was a Least Bittern.

There were a couple of boondoggle searches that didn’t pan out. Plus, we never heard or found a single owl, not even the normally reliable Barred Owls in our own neighborhoods.

We finished our Birdathon filled with gratitude for our collaborative team, for fabulous weather and spring migration, and especially for all the great donor support from family and friends.

#3: Carbon Neutral – 139 species

Wes Homoya, David Benson, Nick Dwenger

On May 9 and 10, Team Carbon Neutral got the record for their Carbon Neutral big day–139 species in a 24-hour period! If there is one thing we learned during this year’s Birdathon, it’s not to do a Birdathon on Mother’s Day. That date is reserved; it is set aside for mothers to celebrate the life-changing work they have done in our lives. And, on a completely unimportant and unrelated note: It’s also the busiest day of the year at Eagle Creek Park. Luckily, it was also the best migrant birding day of our lives. More warblers, in species and number, than we’ve witnessed before! Finding Canada Warbler late in the day, we ended with 31 species of warbler. And, even though we struck out on shorebirds, the great migration, plus an Eastern Screech-Owl in Zionsville made up for it, ending with 139 species. Thanks to all our supporters!

#2: Cool Creek Cuckoos: Bitterns, Brewer’s, and Bumper-to-Bumper Traffic – 154 species

Matthew Krohn, Brandon Roberts, Scott Johnson, Jared Skinner

Strategizing from inside of the Cool Creek Park nature center only hours before our 24 hours was to begin, the Cool Creek Cuckoos made a last-second pivot this year: because of thunderstorms in the south, the team decided it was best to go north and skip Goose Pond entirely. Our decision was quickly rewarded when we recorded Lark Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Blue Grosbeak, and several other challenging birds near Lafayette in only a few hours. Spirits remained high as Willow Slough yielded both bitterns, Black-billed Cuckoo (justifying our name), and Barred Owl. In typical Birdathon fashion, we came across our first large obstacle, which was not a train this year, but a 90-minute, standstill traffic jam that shut down I-65…at 1 am. The following morning yielded highlights including Pine Siskin, Peregrine Falcon, and Brewer’s Blackbird, though perhaps more impressive is what we didn’t find: a Downy Woodpecker. Despite this shocking miss, we finished with 154 species, our highest count yet. One team member, Scott Johnson, drove all the way from South Carolina just for the Birdathon. Thanks Scott!

#1: Second-Cycle Birders – 174 species

Jonathan Bontrager, Rhiannon Thunell, Kyle Wiktor, Natheniel Wise, Jacob Strudthoff

Our 2026 Big Day marked the third year of participation for our Birdathon team. We started strong the afternoon of May 11th in Owen-Putnam State Forest, where we successfully located all of Indiana’s southern-breeding warblers, including Worm-Eating, along with a plethora of other songbirds.

After our success there, we headed to Goose Pond in search of wetland and grassland birds until nightfall. Unperturbed by our delighted gawking, an adorable Sora foraged in plain view. As dusk descended, flock after flock of Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks winged passed overhead, adding up to a new Indiana high count of 69 [individuals]!

While listening for nocturnal birds in Greene-Sullivan State Forest, we were astounded to hear an unexpected Common Loon tremolo in the distance. Later, a Black-billed Cuckoo’s call drifted down from the stars as it journeyed invisibly northwards. Steadfastly birding into the wee hours, we too migrated north to Kankakee Sands. Some nighttime targets proved more elusive than last year, but we slowly and steadily added Virginia Rail, American Woodcock, and others to our list.

After dawn, it was a race against the clock as we headed north to hit up our dunal destinations in rapid succession, from Grant Street Marsh for a couple shorebirds to the Indiana Dunes State Park for a few more songbirds and everywhere in between. Along the way, we picked up Eurasian Collared-Dove, Trumpeter Swan, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Orange-crowned Warbler, among a few others.

When the clock’s cruel countdown concluded, we had encountered 174 species—certainly no small feat! Still, the sting of ending this year’s attempt 16 species away from the standing state record and a mere 10 species away from our 2025 Birdathon-record total has made us all the more eager to try again. While the third time was not the charm, we’ll be back next year; a date for 2027 is already saved on our calendars!

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Congratulations to Second Cycle Birders! Even at ten less than last year’s total (next year, guys), their species count was enough to take first place a second year in a row! And congratulations to Munshower’s Merlins who took first place as our 2026 fundraising champs with $9,156—that’s almost a quarter of this year’s total Birdathon donations!

It’s never too early to start gathering your 2027 team together! Find rules for teams and sponsors at https://www.birdallianceofcentralindiana.org/birdathon/.