The Christmas Bird Count has been a holiday tradition for 110 years. It started in 1900 to replace the common “Side Hunt” in which teams of revelers would grab their guns and head to the fields and woods to see which team could amass the largest pile of dead birds.
The objective of the Christmas Bird Count was to count birds, not kill them. 27 people joined in the first count. Last year over 60,000 people participated.
The local area count will take place on Monday, December 26 th. Why not join in. You don’t have to be expert birder and there are multiple ways you can participate. The easiest is to simply count the birds at your feed or in your yard. Or you can join with other birders as they visit parks and nature area looking for birds. Devote as much time as you like whether it is an hour or two, half a day, or a full day.
For more info on the count go to http://www/hras.org/bwcbc.html
Or call Michael Bochnik (237-9331) He compiles all the count data in our area. Or talk to Doug Bloom at the Wild Bird Center (713-0630). Doug is responsible for the count in southeast Westchester
Why not get out in nature on the day after Christmas? And provide valueable data for science at the same time.
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