Birdathon

The Helmut Grünberg Yukon Birdathon is an annual birdwatching event that doubles as a fundraiser for the Yukon Bird Club.  It was renamed in 2015 to honour our long-time friend and pillar of the Yukon birding community, Helmut Grünberg, who passed away in February 2015. To learn more about this remarkable member of our club and our community, read about him in the spring 2015 edition of our YBC Newsletter, The Yukon Warbler.

Read below for more information about this exciting 24 hours of fun that comes around every year on the last weekend of May.

You can see a report on the 2025 Birdathon in the Fall/Winter 2025/2026 edition of the Yukon Warbler.
(You can see the report on the 2024 Birdathon in this blog post https://yukonbirds.ca/report-2024-helmut-grunberg-yukon-birdathon-may-31-june-1-2024/
(You can see the report on the 2023 Birdathon in this blog post https://yukonbirds.ca/report-2023-helmut-grunberg-yukon-birdathon-2/
and you can read the 2022 Birdathon Report in this blog post https://yukonbirds.ca/report-2022-helmut-grunberg-yukon-birdathon/. There was also a report in the fall/winter 2022 edition of the Yukon Warbler newsletter)

2026 Helmut Grünberg Yukon Birdathon

5:00 p.m., Fri. May 29 – 5:00 p.m. Sat. May 30

The Yukon Bird Club’s annual 24-hour birding fundraiser is fun and easy!

Go solo or with your friends and family.  Form a team!
Explore close to home — avoid using fossil fuels if possible.
There are prizes and all funds raised will go to the Yukon Bird Club in support of bird-related educational activities.

This year’s post-Birdathon pot luck gathering will be held at Rotary Peace Park from 6:00-8:30 pm on Saturday. Bring some food to share, and your own beverages. We are trying to make this a garbage-free event so it would also help to bring your own plates/cups/cutlery. And bring a camp chair to sit in! Oh, and don’t forget to bring your stories of adventure to share!

Here’s what you need to know to participate!

(you can download this document using the “download pdf” button at the bottom of the window)
YukonBirdathon_Basics_2026

Consider Sponsoring our 2026 Feature Birder – Kim Selbee (Profile coming soon!)

(you can download this document using the “download pdf” button at the bottom of the window)

Feature Birder Profiles from past years:
2025 John Meikle
2024 Syd Cannings
2023 Alex Oberg
2022 Lena Ware

2021 Mary Whitley
2020 Taylor Belansky
2019 Piuze Family
2018 Tracy Allard
2017 Scott Williams and Selena Boothroyd
2016 Jenny Trapnell
2015 Ted Murphy-Kelly
2014
2013 Nick Guenette
2012 Adam Perrier
2011 Jukka Janntunen
2010 Shyloh van Delft
2009 Hector Mackenzie

Results

We would love to hear from you (preferably by email) after the event.  Your results will help us award prizes and let us know who participated.  If you participate in the potluck on Saturday you can choose to provide this info then.
Here’s what we would like from you:
  • participant names, ages, and indicate who is a new participant (for youngest and oldest birder and most species by a new participant)
  • Were you envirobirding – self-propelled? (for envirobirding prize)
  • Were you using an e-bike or other electric vehicle?
  • List of all species seen or heard  during your Birdathon,
  • A list of species seen or heard at home or in a shared common space (if you wish to be considered for that prize).