Wildlife vigilance is not new to animal health pros. Did you know that the Audubon Society has conducted a bird count for more than 100 years? Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this long-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.
Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition—a “Christmas Bird Census” that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them.
Audubon’s 119th Christmas Bird Count will be conducted between Friday, December 14, 2018 through Saturday, January 5, 2019 in designated locales.
Source: Audubon.org. Join the Christmas bird count. Link. There is a specific methodology to the CBC, and all participants must make arrangements to participate in advance with the circle compiler within an established circle, but anyone can participate.
Also see: Audubon.org. History of the Christmas bird count. Link. How the count started, and how the data is used today.
INSIGHTS: This can be a fun activity for families young and old who enjoy the outdoors!