There Is Still Time to Join the Christmas Bird Count
Do you like birds? Don’t you hate being outside in the cold either? Every year at this time, there is an annual bird census, and in many places there is still time to sign up for help.
This is the Audubon Society’s Christmas bird counting, and despite its name, it can take place in your area anytime between December 14th and January 5th. The results tell us how many birds are there, where they are, and what changes over time. For example, this trend viewer, powered by CBC data, shows where bird populations have increased and decreased over the years.
This is more than just counting birds, although you can of course count and rate the birds you see on any day of the year. For this particular project, you need to select the circle that you want to join. Circles are found throughout the United States, Mexico and much of Canada, as well as a few other places.
These circles are 15 miles wide and you can see them on the map here . The green and yellow circles are still accepting volunteers; the reds are closed. In each circle there is a person called the compiler who coordinates how and when the birds are counted. If you’re interested, check with your local compiler. You can join more than one circle if you like.
From there, you just follow the instructions. Volunteers will go out and count the birds – not just how many different species they see, but literally all the birds. If you are a beginner, you can participate if you are in a group with more experienced birds. And if you can’t join one of the picnics, you can stay at home and count the birds at the feeder. Anyway, check with your local compiler to see how you can help.
If you can’t get involved or want a smaller project for your first foray into civilian poultry, take your time to participate in another popular Audubon bird-counting project, The Great Backyard Bird Counting in February.