Christmas Bird Count (All)
December 16, 2017, Anytime: Warren Circle
(December 17, 2017, Anytime: Jamestown Circle)
Each circle is a 7.5 mile radius of a pre-determined center point in Jamestown and Warren.
Free
Reservations are required a week in advance to be assigned a count area.
If registering online, please click all the way through checkout, even though the cost is zero.
Participate in an historic census of birds in a defined circle performed by volunteer bird watchers.
For 118 years birdwatchers have been counting birds to add to the information of which species are found in a certain, defined area. It is amazing to note the changes from year to year, and over time.
It’s that time of year again. Fill your bird feeders. See who shows up. Some will be feathered friends, some may be bird watchers with binoculars. December 16 and 17 this year bird watchers around Jamestown and Warren will take to the roadways, woods, and backyards to see how many birds and species they observe.
Each day, in the evening, the bird watchers gather for a potluck and to report their sightings. It’s a great time to tell the day’s stories, note the trends and celebrate any unusual species seen. For more information, to see how you can participate, to find out whether your home is in a count area or to get more details, please contact the Audubon Community Nature Center.
(You can stop here, the rest is just if you want it).
It is the 118th Annual Christmas Bird Count held by National Audubon Society. The first bird counts were organized to draw people away from traditional Christmas bird hunts, when groups went out to shoot raptors for entertainment. “We really appreciate it when people who feed the birds make the extra effort to fill their feeders before the Count Weekend. That way we are more likely to see more birds,” Ruth Lundin, from the Audubon Community Nature Center, reported. “It’s also important for people to know that we will be out in our cars and on foot that weekend, so that residents will not be worried if they see a slow moving car load of people staring at their feeders.”
People who enjoy watching birds, or who would like to learn more about bird watching are encouraged to call the Nature Center at (716) 569-2345, and leave a message for Ruth. “We are always looking for new birders to help us,” reports Don Watts, who organizes volunteers for the Warren Count. People in the Warren area can reach Don at (814) 723-9125. People can also help by filling their feeders and then keeping a list of the birds that they observe on the count day.
Special Information: People can participate by watching a feeder, by driving through an assigned area, or by walking in an assigned area. Each person must be able to identify the birds, or be willing to go with a person who can do so, and to report using the protocol. Once assigned a location, they can spend as little or as much time as they want on the count day, but this will be a part of the reporting.
