125 Years of Audubon Christmas Bird Counts – and Counting!
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Brian Kluepfel
Birding can take on many aspects: observing birds outdoors, marveling at photographs of birds and reading accounts of avian-obsessed adventurers of days gone by. It all depends upon your fancy.
This month, you’ve got a wealth of choices.
For those preferring the outdoor sort of activity, late December is an ideal time to join local Audubon chapters in the annual Christmas Count, a tradition begun more than a century ago as a counterdemonstration against the then-popular holiday “side-hunt” culling (i.e. killing) of thousands of birds, just for sport.
The Christmas Count has evolved into a great example of citizen science – regular folks out in nature and collecting useful data. Technical advances like e-Bird and its accompanying app have made it easier than ever to participate.
Locally, here are the Christmas Counts will take place around Westchester and Putnam counties.
- Saturday, Dec. 14: Peekskill CBC
- Sunday, Dec. 15: Greenwich–Stamford CBC
- Sunday, Dec. 15: Rockland CBC
- Sunday, Dec. 22: Bronx-Westchester CBC
- Saturday, Dec. 28: Putnam CBC
I’ve been on local Christmas counts in all sorts of weather, sometimes up to my ankles in snow, but it has always been a fun and rewarding day with fellow birders, often culminating in a lively dinner and drinks at day’s end, when all the species are tallied. Contact the Saw Mill River Audubon (SMRA) to find a local “circle” in which to participate.
The new year brings lots of activity to SMRA, and two events always stand out. On Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 9 a.m. is the First Day Hike at Rockwood Hall State Park. Led by SMRA board member Larry Trachtenberg, this annual walk on New Year’s along the Hudson River is offered in partnership with the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.
On Saturday, Jan. 11 at 9 a.m., there will be the Eagle Walk led by Charlie Roberto. Meet at the Croton boat ramp and then caravan into Croton Point Park to walk and look for eagles and other birds. Join us at our annual soup gathering inside the Croton Point Nature Center after the walk. No registration is required, but an RSVP is needed to attend the soup gathering.
Saw Mill River Audubon will host more than 50 events between now and March. So, while winter may seem like a less-than-ideal time to be birding, it is not. Westchester’s waterways fill with ducks and eagles, and the shrubs still bristle with birds brave enough to winter in New York, like chickadees, juncos, nuthatches, woodpeckers and others. Get out there!
This year has been a fortunate year for me. I’ve been able to travel to – and bird – in Bolivia. I had a magical afternoon near Tarija, in the south of the country, watching more than a dozen Andean condors wheel through the sky, floating on thermals using their incredible nine-foot wingspans. It’s a privilege and immense honor to be invited to such places and be asked to explain them through my articles.
I feel the same about my continued alliance with Saw Mill River Audubon; you are not likely to meet a more knowledgeable, down to earth and friendly bunch of people.
We take a moment to pause and consider the true gravity of the world around us, plagued as we are with wars, inflammatory rhetoric and natural and man-made catastrophes that sometimes seem to signal end of days. In moments of doubt, we can take some comfort in the welcoming, nurturing birding community, which serves as an antidote to the negativity and be glad to be among friends in the infinite joy that is the natural world. Peace on Earth.
Please visit www.sawmillriveraudubon.org for more details about the organization’s events.
Brian Kluepfel is a proud member of Saw Mill River Audubon and a correspondent for the Lonely Planet travel series as well as BirdWatching magazine and many other publications. He lives in Ossining.
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