Local bird watchers are not just watching for Santa in December, which will be the 126th Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The Piney Wood Lakes Texas Master Naturalists (PWLTMN) bird watchers’ attention will be on the skies, trees, grass, river and lake.
The local chapter’s CBC is slated for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 29. Master Naturalists, backyard and skilled birders are invited to participate all day, morning and evening, or a portion of the day.
The local count is limited to a 15-mile CBC circle including seven areas that include multiple habitat areas to log species and total birds. Counters will play hide and seek with birds in dense pine forests, riparian zones, wetlands, broad meadows and pasturelands.
Last year, PWLTMN member James Frost created an interactive Google Earth map of the circle that lets users zoom in and out on street names, buildings and town limits by area. Go to https://bit.ly/3WsOY9f. Print maps are also available.
To join the Dec. 29 CBC, contact CBC Compiler Beth Miller at 832-282-2423 or bmiller2418@gmail.com by Dec. 1 and review the Audubon CBC and handouts; participate in an orientation meeting via Zoom from 5:30-6 p.m. on Dec. 16; drive your assigned/selected area prior to Dec. 29 and submit first report with total species and bird count by Jan 5.
Tracking the species and numbers of birds within the same window of time every year adds to the global view of how year-round and migratory birds survive within their home ranges. Counts have fluctuated because of extreme weather in recent years. Habitat loss, extreme weather and other environmental issues are impacting bird populations around the world.
Contact Beth Miller at 832-282-2423 or bmiller2418@ gmail.com if you would like to participate. Birding experience is useful but not required, and participation is open to anyone interested in learning more about bird conservation.
The CBC began on Christmas day in 1900 with 27 people in 25 locations across the North American continent. Last year, the largest count to date, had 83,000 participants across the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Audubon CBC data are used to measure how birds are responding to climate and habitat change. With two-thirds of North American bird species at increasing risk of extinction by the end of this century, Audubon’s CBC data is more important than ever for effective conservation.
The Audubon CBC is a community science project organized by the National Audubon Society. There is no fee to participate. Audubon CBC is open to birders at all skill levels and Audubon’s free eBird Guide app makes it easy to learn more.
To learn more about Audubon CBC, go to https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count. To learn more about Citizen Science, go to https://www.usa.gov/citizen-science.
