Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society—Birdathon Hall of Fame

The original SCVAS Birdathon Champions Plaque—created and updated by Bob Hirt

Every year, SCVAS recognizes teams and individuals in a variety of categories. Teams that bring in the greatest funds are awarded prizes at our annual Birdathon Awards Event. Teams that see, photograph and record audio for the most species and the best species are memorialized in plaques that hang in our Cupertino headquarters at McClellan Ranch. For those that can’t make it to the Ranch, below are two tables showing all the award winners over the years. Blanks represent years where no one competed in that category.

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Awards Part I (Also See Part II below)

Year Most Funds
Raised		 Most Species
(24-Hour)		 Most Species
(4-Hour)		 Most Species
(Distributed, 24-Hour)		 Most Species
(Distributed, 4-Hour)		 Best Bird
2024 “Rock Wrens” $9,513 “Weathered Wanderers” 148 “DeDUCKtions” HARRIS'S SPARROW
2023 “Rock Wrens” $8,954 “Almaden Eagles” CASSIN'S KINGBIRD
2022 “Piratical Flycatchers” $10,174 “Lean Green Birding Machine” AMERICAN DIPPER
2021 “Rock Wrens" $8,062 “Varied Twitchers" (Mike Rogers) 160 “The Flycatchers” 87 “Rock Wrens” 164 “Wrong Terns” 128 “Hot Spotters” COMMON TERN
2020 “Rock Wrens” $8,739 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 155 “5-Milers” (Matthew Dodder) 131 “The Sharpies” & “The Rock Wrens” 166 “Almaden Eagles” CASSIN'S KINGBIRD
2019 “Rock Wrens” $5,991 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 153 “Wandering Kestrels” (Barry Langdon-Lassagne) 101 “The Sharpies” BLUE GROSBEAK
2018 “Rock Wrens” $9,348 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 152 “The Fledglings” (The Khanzodes) 107 “Rock Wrens” COMMON LOON
2017 “Rock Wrens” $8,238 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 153 “The Fledglings” (Rob Furrow) 94 “The Fledglings” BLACK RAIL
2016 “Rock Wrens” $7,705 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 157 “Mean Green Birding Machine” (Rob Furrow) 105 “Varied Twitchers” LITTLE STINT
2015 “Rock Wrens” $6,175 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 153 “Raptors to Rails” (Caroline Lambert) 107 “Rock Wrens” SOLITARY SANDPIPER
2014 “Cheeky Chickadees” $5,921 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 166 “Cheeky Chickadees” (Debbie Thompson) 100 “Varied Twitchers” RED KNOT
2013 “Rock Wrens” $9,370 “Santa Clara Skimmers” (Rob Furrow) 181 “Mean Green Birding Machine” (Rob Furrow) 102 “Geared Grebes” CAPE MAY WARBLER
2012 “Rock Wrens” $10,525 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 170 “High-Speed-Rails” (Bob Power) 108 “Persistent Picades” HARRIS’S SPARROW
2011 “Rock Wrens” $15,088 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 160 “Death by Funyuns” (Rob Furrow) 114 “Snipe Hunters” SHORT-EARED OWL
2010 “Rock Wrens” $12,718 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 158 “Rushing Thrushes” (Bob Power) 98 “Counting Crows” PURPLE MARTIN
2009 “Rock Wrens” $12,470 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 164 “Rock Wrens” SOLITARY SANDPIPER
2008 “DeDUCKTIONS” $12,130 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 165 “DeDUCKTIONS” HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER
2007 “DeDUCKTIONS” $11,770 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 163 “Varied Twitchers” CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD
2006 “Wild Women Birders” $8,800 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 165 “Jack Sparrows” LONG-EARED OWL
2005 “Varied Twitchers” $5,800 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 157 “Varied Twitchers” DUSKY FLYCATCHER
2004 “Rock Wrens” $4,200 “Varied Twitchers” (Mike Rogers) 158 “Varied Twitchers” LAPLAND LONGSPUR
2003 “The Wry Wrentits” $3,500 “The Rock Wrens” 165 (48-hours) “Varied Twitchers” CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, “Megatiks” LEAST BITTERN (Merced County)
2002 ? ?
2001 ? “The Vagrants” 158
2000 ? “The Rock Wrens” 120
1999 “The Wry Wrentits” ~$3,000 “The Vagrants” 131
1998 “The Wry Wrentits” >$3,000 “The Vagrants” 149
1997 ? “The Vagrants” 138
1996 “The Wry Wrentits” “The Vagrants” 147
1995 Harriet Gerson for “The Wry Wrentits” >$1,300 “The Vagrants” 158
1994 ? “The Vagrants” and “Owling Babblers” 145
1993 “The Wrentits” >$2,000 “The Vagrants” 165
1992 “The Wrentits” “The Vagrants” 163
1991 “The Wrentits” $2,000 “The Vagrants” 160, “The Poorwills” 148
1990 ? ?
1989 Probably “If You’ve Seen One Bird, You’ve Seen them All” “Eagle-eyed Goatsuckers” 162
1988 “If You’ve Seen One Bird, You’ve Seen them All” >$1,500 “The Vagrants” (Grant Hoyt, Dick Stovel) 148

Awards Part II

Year Most Species Photographed
(24-Hour)		 Most Species Photographed
(4-Hour)		 Most Species Audio Best Bird
Photographed		 Most Artistic
Photograph
2022 ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
2021 “Shutterly Fabulous” (Mike Armer) 77 “Patient Listening”, (Mike Ambrose) 71
2020 “The Spider Hunters” 70
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015 “Plover Exposure” (Steve Tracey) 113 “Eagle Eyes” (Gina Zolotar) 65
2014 “Plover Exposure” (Steve Tracey) 119 “Lens Loons” (Caroline Lambert) 81 “Plover Exposure” WHITE-THROATED SPARROW Tom Grey GREAT BLUE HERON
2013 “Plover Exposure” (Steve Tracey) 121 “Jack Sparrows” (Barry Langdon-Lassagne) 64 “Oh My! Godwits” SOLITARY SANDPIPER Steve Patt RING-NECKED PHEASANT
2012 “Varied Twitchers” (Barry Langdon-Lassagne) 123 “Surf Scoters” (Julio Mulero) 49 Steve Patt WESTERN MEADOWLARK
2011 “Jack Sparrows” (Barry Langdon-Lassagne) 98 “Rushing Thrushes” (Julio Mulero) 63 “Hawk Riders” “Jack Sparrows” SOLITARY SANDPIPER Julio Mulero GREATER YELLOWLEGS

Historical data (anything earlier than Bob Hirt’s first wall plaque) was gleaned from the pages of The Avocet as found in our Avocet Archive. If you have any additional information that could fill in some of the blanks above, or any corrections, please email admin@scvas.org.