Christmas Counting and Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
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 – 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, Christmas Counts will take place around Westchester and Putnam counties on the following dates:
- Saturday, Dec. 16, Peekskill CBC
- Sunday, Dec. 17, Greenwich-Stamford CBC
- Sunday, Dec. 17, Rockland CBC
- Saturday, Dec. 23, Bronx-Westchester CBC
- Tuesday, Jan. 2, 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 at 914-666-6503 or www.sawmillriveraudubon.org to find a local “circle” in which to participate.
For those of you who prefer your birding to be less challenging and easier on the extremities (i.e. indoors), Saw Mill River Audubon hosts its annual Members and Friends Best Photos and Holiday Desserts evening at the Croton Free Library on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
I always marvel at what wonderful pictures our friends produce and enjoy stories of their escapades in capturing the image of an elusive owl or crafty kingfisher, sometimes on the banks of the Hudson and sometimes far afield. Also, there is a plethora of snacks.
Saw Mill River Audubon will host more than 50 events between now and March, so although winter may seem like a less-than-ideal time to be birding, indeed, 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, 2023, has been a fortunate one for me. I’ve been able to travel to, and bird, in Elko, Nev., Cheyenne, Wyo. and even Barcelona, Spain. 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 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.
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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