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Show Volunteer Birders Needed For Christmas Bird Count Share the gift of nature this holiday season by participating with your family and friends in the 105th Annual Audubon Christmas . Bird Count. Nationally, birders have been participating in the event for one hundred and five years. Over 55,000 volunteers from all 50 states, Canadian, Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Pacific Islands count and record every individual individ-ual bird and bird species seen in a specified area found during one 24-hour period in a designated desig-nated circle 15 miles in diameter or about 177 square miles. Locally, (he CBC is gaining in popularity. Last year, over forty individuals from every walk of life turned out for the event. Everyone had a great time, identifying 3870 birds and 73 bird species in and around Kanab and Escalante, including many migrating birds such as bald eagles and Canadian geese. In addition swans were spotted in the Kanab area, an unusual visitor to Southern Utah. Special identification achievements achieve-ments like this were recognized with awards donated by local businesses. This year's event promises to ' be even more successful. This joint effort is co-hosted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Kanab Field Office and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), and the National Park Service (NPS) at Pipe Spring National Monument. The 12th Annual Southern Utah & Northern Arizona Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held on Dec. 15 in Kanab and at Pipe Spring I National Monument, and December 16 in Escalante from 8 AM to 4 PM. In addition, the USDA Forest Service Kaibab Ranger District, Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, Bryce Natural History Association, and Friends of GSENM will lend their support by helping to enlist community support and providing resources to make the event more entertaining and fun. Even more exciting, several area schools will be lending their support by having students count birds at feeders and around their own schools. According to Lisa Church, "Anyone can contribute. Folks can even count birds in their own yard. If they would like more adventure, they can drive or hike along local birding routes." To help kick off the CBC and to help fledgling birders bird-ers improve their skills, Lisa Church, KFO Wildlife Specialist and Jeanie Linn, GSENM Visitor Center Manager will present two midday mid-day "Brown Bag" programs entitled This Lunch is for the Birds: Learning More About Bird Identification. The first program will be held on Dec. 8 at the Escalante Interagency Office located at 755 West Main Street, Escalante. The other program will be given by on Dec. 9 at the GSENM Kanab Visitor Center located at 745 East Highway 89. Both programs pro-grams will begin at 12 noon, last about an hour, and are free. Everyone is invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Adding to the fun, the BLM and NPS will be sponsoring three Birding Field Tours on Dec. 11 from 9 to 11 a.m., featuring fea-turing tips and techniques for identifying migratory birds. Advance reservations are required with a limit of fifteen participants for each tour. Terry Tolbert, GSENM Wildlife Specialist, will lead the first tour starting from the Escalante Interagency Office and traveling to birding areas in the local vicinity. Call (435) 826-5499 for reservation and tour information. Led by Harry Barber, GSENM Assistant Monument Manager ' for Biological Resources, the second tour will begin at the GSENM Kanab Visitor Center and proceed to the Bunting Trail. Call (435) 644-4680 for reservation and tour information. The third tour will begin at the Pipe Spring National Monument Visitor Center and will take a closer look at birds on the Monument (fees will be waived for participants). Participants will car pool (if necessary) to points of interest. Call (928) 643-7105 for reservation reserva-tion and tour information. Hiking will be required. Bring sturdy shoes, a hat, sunscreen, sun-screen, plenty of water, and binoculars (if available). Bathroom facilities will not be provided during the trip. The 12th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is an event for everyone, not just for the birds! For more information, informa-tion, call the Kanab Visitor Center at (435) 644-4680 or Lisa Church at (435) 644-4605. Come, join us and learn more about the feathered residents of your public lands. |
