"The Yellow Warbler"

Everyone is welcome to participate, so check the list of areas to find a team you would like to join. Feeder watchers can also participate if the feeder is within the count area, and if the results are reported at or before the compilation meeting on December 29.

The Christmas Count tradition began in New England on Christmas Day, 1900, when 27 conservationists organized a bird count to protest the traditional, organized hunting competition known as a "holiday side hunt." The conservationists observed and counted the birds instead of shooting them, and the tradition soon caught on and spread. Now, thousands of participants across the country take to the fields and woods every holiday season to record wintering bird species. The data collected over the years has provided useful and interesting information on early winter distribution patterns of many bird species (as well as occasional fluctuations), and serves as a valid indicator of the overall health of the environment. Our local Christmas Count has been affiliated with the National Audubon Christmas count since 1923.

The results of the count will be tabulated at our Compilation Meeting on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 7:15 p.m., at Aullwood Audubon Center, 1000 Aullwood Road. Even if you cannot participate in the count itself, you are invited to attend the Compilation Meeting. Light refreshments will be served, and many interesting sightings and amusing tales will be told.

Grab your binoculars and spotting scopes, and dress warmly! We always have a great time no matter what the weather. If you have any questions, please contact Sue Tackett at 439-3799.

Tuesday, December 8, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.

Sunday, December 27
86th DAS Christmas Bird Count
Please see the article above.

Tuesday, December 29, 7:15 p.m.
Christmas Count Compilation Meeting
Aullwood Audubon Center. Please see the article above.

Tuesday, January 12, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.

Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 p.m.
DAS Program/Meeting
This meeting has been cancelled.

Tuesday, February 9, 7:30 p.m.
DAS Board of Directors Meeting
Harrigan Auto Center Reserve, 475 Congress Park Dr.

Wednesday, February 17, 7:00 p.m.
DAS Program/Meeting
This meeting has been cancelled.

Additionally, said Dr. Kress, there will be two totally new sessions offered in association with Elder Hostel (now Exploritas) where participants will assist Project Puffin biologists to census gulls, eiders and cormorants at several nearby seabird nesting islands.

Another tendency we have as birders is to specify certain species as better than others. Certainly a Painted Bunting is more spectacular than a House Sparrow. We even go so far as to spend thousands of travel dollars to see the "most beautiful birds in the world", such as Resplendent Quetzals, Birds-of-Paradise, and Lilac Breasted Rollers, when we have hundreds of species in our very own state. Most of us would trade a perfectly lit Red-Winged Blackbird sitting in the open for a glimpse of a back lit Flame-Colored Tanager one hundred yards away in a thick bush.

All these things are perfectly good, and I am just as guilty as anyone. However, if we make these tendencies our permanent fixations, we will never experience the world of birds to the full extent. If all of our goals are to see X number of species, or only certain species, then all we will gain are marks on a checklist and fond memories. In other words, we gain only fleeting knowledge of the appearance and in some cases the basic habits of our feathered friends.

As a change of pace, I suggest going out to your birdfeeder on a snowy morning and sitting down right next to it. You will scare away the birds at first, but hunger will soon bring them back. As the Cardinals, Juncos, Titmice, and Blue Jays return, you will be exposed to a completely different realm. You will become acutely aware of the torrent of wind and feathers flashing right by your ear. You will notice curious expression of a Chickadee when he first discovers the biped in his midst, and then the nonchalant manner in which he proceeds after noticing that you did not move. You will be unable to contain your chuckles at seeing the pomposity and businesslike manner with which Juncos forage for food. And if you are lucky, you will witness the grandeur of the regal authority a mockingbird believes he has over all other species as he sits perched above the rest, observing the avian activity below him.

So this winter, wake up early, bundle up, and have a close encounter... of the bird kind.

Sponsored by National Audubon and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Join with thousand of others to find out how many birds are being seen in your area and across the continent this winter. By participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, you help document where birds are, and track changes in their numbers compared to previous years, helping scientists paint a picture of the state of birds this winter.

I would like to help with:

     __ Birdathon
     __ Conservation Committee
     __ Education Committee
     __ Field Trips
     __ Membership Comittee
     __ Publicity
     __ Yellow Warbler

     __ Other:
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