-
About Us
-
Events
-
How to Find Us
-
Enjoy the MWC
Friends of The Montezuma
Wetlands Complex:
c/o Montezuma NWR
3395 US Route 20
Seneca Falls, New York 13148
Montezuma Audubon
Center:
PO Box 187
2295 State Route 89
Savannah, New York 13146
315 365 3580
Refuge Headquarters:
Montezuma National
Wildlife Refuge
3395 US Route 20
Seneca Falls, New York 13148
315 568 5987
Contact us!
(Click here for a pdf of the 2007 Muckrace Musings, a full report on the 2007 event.)
If you seek adventure and friendly competition, join us in supporting bird conservation at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. Organized by Audubon New York and Friends of the Montezuma Wetland Complex, the Muckrace is a 24-hour birding competition that raises money for bird conservation projects within Montezuma. The event will be taking place September 12th and 13th at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, one of New York's most exciting birding destinations.
When is it?
The Muckrace starts at 8:00pm on September 12 and ends 24 hours later with a closing ceremony at the new Montezuma Audubon Center. Birds are counted for any or all of the period within the borders of the Complex. There are three levels of participation: competitive teams consist of three or more individuals who must count together and recreational or youth teams that can have any number of birders. In 2007, 19 teams from throughout New York and neighboring states tallied 177 species, with the winning team finding 140 species.
How do I sign up?
When registration forms are available, a link will be posted here.
Where is it?
The Muckrace takes place within the Montezuma Muckrace Complex in Cayuga, Wayne, and Seneca Counties in Central New York. The Montezuma Wetlands Complex is a 34,000-acre region at the northern end of Cayuga Lake that is one of the most important places for birds in North America. Montezuma is a major migration stopover for waterfowl, shorebirds, and landbirds and provides breeding habitat for several species of conservation concern, including Bald Eagles and Cerulean Warblers. Designated as an Audubon Important Bird Area of global significance, the Complex is a hub of bird conservation activity and research.
Check-in and snacks and beverages are at the Montezuma Audubon Center.
Who can participate?
Anyone can participate! Any age, any skill level. Teams consist of three or more individuals who bird together throughout the day. You can bird for as many or as few hours as you wish.
Registration
For more information about participating, becoming a team sponsor, or to be added to the mailing list, email Jillian Liner.
2007 Results:
72 birders participated in the eleventh annual Montezuma Muckrace, held Friday and Saturday, September 7-8, in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, Seneca Falls, NY. The 19 teams from New York Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, tallied a 177 species during the 24-hour event. 2007 was a particularly challenging Muckrace for everyone, given the extended drought that has plagued the area this summer, as well as the hot and humid air mass that sat over the area throughout the event, essentially shutting down the hoped-for migration.
Wings over Ithaca, sponsored by the Cayuga Bird Club, was the winning team with 140 species. Second place went to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Kingbirds with 130 species. Tied for third place with 122 species were The Gallinagos (in honor of Brenda Carter) and the Scissor-tailed Prairie-Robins, composed of Cornell students.
The Cayuga Bird Club-sponsored Downy Chicks won the Youth Team category with 77 species, followed
closely by The Hummers, sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, with 74 species.
Click here for a pdf of the 2007 Muckrace Musings, a full report on the event.
So, round up a team and join us in 2008 for this premier fall birding event to raise money for bird conservation efforts at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in central New York.