The Juniata Valley Audubon Society celebrated Earth Week with our annual Birding Classic, an exciting and inspiring event that brought together birders from across the region to support local bird conservation. Six enthusiastic teams took to the field in Blair County and surrounding areas, competing to spot as many bird species as possible within a 24-hour window.
Together, the teams tallied an impressive 111 species! The winning team, “The Wingnuts,” topped the charts with 96 species, including notable sightings of Sora, Virginia Rail, Greater Scaup, and the elusive Whip-poor-will—a true highlight of the day.
The day of birding concluded with a celebratory dinner at the U.S. Hotel Tavern in Hollidaysburg, where members gathered to share stories, tally final counts, and enjoy a delicious meal.
Half of the funds raised from this event will go directly toward local bird conservation projects supported by our chapter and the other half will go to the Penn State Altoona Sustainability Council.
To contribute, please visit our Juniata Valley Audubon Facebook page and donate via our fundraiser. https://www.facebook.com/donate/642499058546960/1134437535389211/
We will gratefully accept cash donations at our next meeting on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025, at 7:00 PM.
We wrapped up another successful Earth Week Birding Classic with a warm and lively final tally dinner. This year, we welcomed two brand new teams to the competition. Congratulations to our category winners: The Wingnuts took home the Ruffed Grouse title with 96 species, BellHollow Buteos soared to the top of the Towhee category with 90 species, The Golden Eagles claimed victory in the Coot category with 81 species, and Bird is theWord led the Phoebe category with 14 species. Fundraising efforts are still underway, with all proceeds going to support local bird conservation and education. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this year’s Classic such a joyful celebration of birds and community!