The Pintler Audubon Society of southwestern Montana invites all interested volunteers to join local birders for three Christmas Bird Counts.
These counts are open to birders of all skill levels. The schedule follows. All start at 8 a.m.:
Grant-Kohrs CBC at the Grant Kohrs National Historic Site in Deer Lodge is Tuesday, Dec. 16. Meet at the Headquarters’ Office located on the northern edge of town.
Clark Canyon CBC near Dillon will be Saturday, Dec. 20. Meet at the south parking lot of the UM-Western campus in Dillon.
Warm Springs CBC will be held at Warm Springs, Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at the parking lot at Uncle Buck’s at the Warm Springs Exit off Interstate 90.
One example of a local Christmas Bird Count is the Grant Kohrs count. The 15-mile count circle is divided into six sections with a team of at least two bird counters searching each area. Less experienced bird watchers are paired with experienced birders, providing a great way for beginners to learn the skills of field identification. The task of each team is to identify, count and record every individual bird, by species, within their section of the circle. This information is later tabulated for the entire count circle and reported via National Audubon’s website, www.audubon.org.bird.cbc.
Pre-registration is not necessary, but it is helpful for count leaders to know how many volunteers will be participating.
The 115th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count takes place at thousands of locations throughout the Western Hemisphere during a time period from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5.
The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running “citizen science” survey in the world, providing critical data on bird population trends. Tens of thousands of volunteers will tally millions of birds, while discovering that finding birds in winter is a fun challenge.
If you would like to participate in either the Warm Springs or Grant-Kohrs CBCs, contact Gary Swant at 406-691-0368 or email him at birdmontana1@hughes.net.