Saturday January 31st, the Superbowl of Birding will bring birding teams together to compete in a 12-hour race to find as many bird species as possible on the coldest day of the year (maybe). Centered at Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats Sanctuary, this friendly competition fosters the joys of winter birding and being outdoors while raising awareness about the importance of bird habitats along the Massachusetts North Shore and surrounding areas. All ages and levels of experience are welcome to participate in the Superbowl of Birding.
An evening pizza party at the Joppa Flats Education Center will begin at 5:00pm for all participants to enjoy good cheer together as teams talk about their day and all the great birds observed. Joppa Flats is a 50-acre natural site operated by Mass Audubon as one of their Education Centers, located in Newburyport adjacent to an expansive area of wildlife habitat that includes the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, the Great Marsh Important Bird Area, the Great Marsh North Wildlife Area, the William Forward Wildlife Area, the Ipswich Salt Marsh, Plum Island Salt Marsh, Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Area, the Merrimac River, and other prime birding locations along the north coast of Massachusetts. But the overall area available for teams to search for birds includes much of northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire, and teams are welcome from any states or provinces.
The winning teams in each category of competition will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony for all participants the evening following the contest. Winners will also be announced on Massbird, NHBird, and Mass Audubon's website. To learn more about the Superbowl of Birding, see Superbowl of Birding 2026 at Joppa Flats. You can also learn more about Mass Audubon and their 43,000 acres of bird-friendly protected lands at Mass Audubon