The annual fund-raising Twitchathon takes place on the last weekend of October each year. It's a bird watching competition which you can take as seriously (the Main race) or as lightly (the Champagne Race) as you please. The aim is to have fun, see as many birds as you can in 24 hours and raise money by sponsorship for a bird conservation project. You can start anywhere in NSW or the ACT or a place of your own choice.Prizes go to individuals and teams (what crazy team name can you come up with?) for the most funds raised, the rarest bird and most species seen. Children receive a special children's kit and prizes too.

The 2009 Twitchathon, organised by BASNA, will be held as usual on the last weekend in October 2009 - commencing at 4 pm on Saturday 31 October and finishing 4 pm Sunday 1 November.

This year the proceeds of the Twitchathon will be used to provide funds to assist in monitoring the more remote Important Bird Areas that are located in Western NSW. The money will be used partly to set up permanent monitoring sites at the more remote IBAs and partly to provide funds for birdwatchers and birding groups who are prepared to spend time at these locations assisting with quarterly surveys. Funds will be available to meet transport costs and other costs associated with going to these remote locations.

During early August, Registration packages will be forwarded to all teams that have previously taken part in the Twitch as well as other people who have expressed an interest in fielding a team. Any two people or group, team sizes 2-5 people (but we prefer a minimum of 3 people), who wish to take part should contact Pixie at the BASNA office and request a registration package which includes registration forms, team rules, forms, species lists and other information. You can choose between the Main Race or the Champagne Race.

In the past few years Birding NSW members have fielded three teams in the competition, one in Sydney and another two on the Central Coast, but this year we would like to have more BNSW teams in the field! Get organised and get registered! 

2008 Twitchathon

The NSW & ACT Twitchathon 2008 would appear to have been the most successful twitch organised since BASNA began organising them in 1994. This year 42 teams and 124 participants in 13 Main Race Teams, 19 Champagne Teams and 10 Children's Teams (Dollarbirds and Little Curlews) took part. It is estimated that over $19,300 has been raised in sponsorship.

Main Race

First Prize: 237 Hunter Home Brewers -- Mick & Steve Roderick, Craig Anderson and Lucas Grenadier, Hunter BOC

Second Prize: 236 Menacing Monarchs -- Robert McDonald and Michael Kearns, Hunter BOC

226 Rampaging Raptors (Birds Australia)
225 Whacked-out Woodswallows (Dubbo/Blue Mountains)
223 Dodgy Drongos (HBOC)
202 Central Coast Champion Choughs (BNSW Central Coast Group)
200 Cheerful Drongos (Coffs Harbour-Sawtell Birders)
200 Complete & Utter Bustards (Coffs Harbour-Sawtell Birders)
197 Black-necked Stalkers (Clarence Valley BOC)
193 Hunter Thickheads -- Ann Lindsay, Liz Crawford, Chris Herbert, Mike Newman, Hunter BOC*
162 Grey Toilet Thrushes (Cumberland BOC) 145 Eastern Whiplashes (Laurieton)
N/A Dubbo Double Dippers (Dubbo) - withdrew

Champagne Race

Second Prize: 146 Out for a Lark -- Bill Moller, Neil Palframan and Johanna Botman, Murrumbidgee Field Naturalists

Enviro Prize: 146 Happy Wanderers -- Nella Smith, Max O'Sullivan and Neville James, Murrumbidgee Field Nats

146 Happy Wanderers (Nella Smith, Max O'Sullivan & Neville James) Murrumbidgee Field Nats*
137 Wobbly Boot Western Warblers (Dubbo Birders)
132 Spineless Spinebills (Far South Coast Birders)
132 Spitsorswallows (Central Coast BNSW)
127 Champagne Shrike-tits (Birding NSW)
125 Babbling Grey Crowns (Murrumbidgee Field Nats)
121 Peerless Peregrines (Far South Coast Birdwatchers)
110 Grumpy Frogmouth (Hunter BOC)
114 Liar Birders (Sydney)
105 Wooden Spoonbills (Birds Australia - Sydney)
100 Red-faced Parrots (Birds Australia - Sydney)
95 One Point Five Warblers (Cumberland BOC)
86 Counting Crows (Coffs Harbour/Sawtell)
84 Laidback Lapwings (Blue Mtns BOC)
78 Steamed Chats (Canberra Birders)
73 Matheson Mopokes (Glen Innes)
48 Lucky Bustards (Canberra Birders)

* Winners of the Prize for the team with the highest score for the least distance travelled who saw over 130 species

Children's Teams - Little Curlews (Under 10 years)

* Person who raised the most money: Chloe Seccombe (Rainbow Lorikeets) $127.50

Childrens Teams - Dollarbirds (10-16 years)

107 Sawtell Sea-Eagles (Liam Trice and Brad Bolt)
68 Eastern Spinebills*
58 Falcons
43 Flamingoes
42 Sawtell Seagulls
38 Cocoflys
31 Hawkeyes
23 The Big Bird

* Person who raised the most money: Oliver Fuard (Eastern Spinebills) $70

Lucky Twitchers Prize: Sue Romane (Peerless Peregrines)

Rare Bird Prize: Janis Hosking who saw the Painted Snipe (Wobbly Boot Warblers)

Rare Bird Prize

Adjudicator Dion Hobcroft reports: A particularly difficult competition to judge this year as every team came in with something quite notable and several came in with some great records. The big dry continued to push desert nomads to the periphery of their range with the standout record for me with this being the Pied Honeyeaters at the Macquarie Marshes. Other contenders in this category included Black-tailed Native-hen at Breeza, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater at Denman, Australian Pratincole at Monkeygar Creek and Black Honeyeater at Binya SF. Also two lucky teams came in with sightings of especially elusive threatened species namely the Ground Parrot at Red Rock and the Malleefowl at Round Hill.

Still the standout rarity for me was the Painted Snipe at a farm dam at Mogriguy. Not only is this a threatened species, it is typically very cryptic and nomadic. Any day you find a Painted Snipe is a great day so congratulations to the Wobbly Boot Spoonbills for finding the rarest bird in the NSW 2008 Twitchathon

Farewell to long time Twitcher

After competing in the Twitchathons since they first began the Lucky Bustard Team leader, Simon Bennett, is putting away his binoculars and will not be competing again. Simon and his team have provided great competition and raised much money for the many Twitchathon projects and will be sorely missed in future events. Great effort Simon and thank you for your support

Thank You

Congratulations to the two Dubbo Teams who entered the competition for the first time and have started the long climb to overturn the dominance of the Hunter BOC in the competition. There were new teams from the Far South Coast and Sydney as well. It was great to see the increased number of bird groups who supported the Twitchathon in 2008. One participant, Keith Brandwood, expects to raise over $5000 in sponsorship on this, the occasion of his last Twitchathon. Good on you Keith!

Congratulations to all the people who took part and to all those people who sponsored them. Preliminary advice to the coordinator would appear to be that our target of $16000 as proceeds towards the Gosford Friends of Bush Stone Curlew Group & the Hunter BOC Milham Pond Mangrove Removal Project will be exceeded. Great News!!

During the Twitch the Cumberland Bird Observers Club organised an unofficial event on their coach outing to Mt. Keira and raised $290, while Follow That Bird had a day tour and raised $239. Thank you John Duranti and Janene Luff for organising those events.