Christmas Bird Count scheduled
The 31st annual Bemidji Christmas Bird Count will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Minnesota Nice Café, 414 Beltrami Ave. N.W. The event is part of the National Audubon Society's 110th annual Christmas Bird Count.
Binocular-toting volunteers will be cruising areas in and around Bemidji, on foot and by car, looking for avian activity. The annual survey is a one-day annual event that helps monitor bird populations all across the country. Homes with full bird feeders attract many hungry visitors making them ideal places for volunteers to count feathered winter residents.
Participants work in teams to cover a designated area, and each team will be led by at least one experienced birder. To find out more about the bird counts, visit the Web site audubon.org/bird/cbc. A $5 participant fee helps National Audubon Society cover the costs of processing, reporting and managing the data collected.
Participants are also needed to conduct feeder watches Saturday. Feeders must be located within the 15-mile diameter count circle.
Participants are invited to bring a friend, invite a neighbor or introduce a young person to the CBC.
The circle will regroup at 12:30 p.m. at the Cabin Coffee House, 214 Third St. N.W. for lunch and midday reports.
A Tally Rally will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Brigid's Cross Irish Pub, 317 Beltrami Ave. N.W.
Individuals who have any unusual bird sightings should report them to Kelly Larson. Late migrants and wandering vagrants help boost the species total for the count.
For more details or to register, call Kelly Larson at 218-694-6029 or register online at app.audubon.org/cbcapp/ findCircles.jsp or by e-mail at northernflightsfarm@gmail.com.
