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Long tradition to continue

Area Christmas Bird Counts set

A milder than usual December could have a positive impact on upcoming Christmas Bird Counts in the area. Agreeable weather could mean more birds to see and more people participating in the annual surveys.

“With the warm weather, hopefully, we’ll see more birds this year than in the past,” said Laurie Richardson, Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, Kenmare. “Maybe the birds are still dispersed into harvested fields, maybe not using bird feeders as much as they would in colder weather.”

Richardson will be leading bird counts at Lostwood NWR Dec. 18 and Des Lacs NWR Dec. 19. Participants are asked to arrive at refuge headquarters by 8 a.m. on the day of the count. Anyone interested in birding, regardless of experience, is invited to be part of the annual event. Her contact number is 848-2722, extension 17.

“We’ll have a refuge person driving a vehicle and help look,” said Richardson. “It’s always a good way to get out and see what kind of birds are flying around this time of year.”

Observers will be assigned to one of four routes at each of the two NWR’s. Each survey area is a circle of 15 miles in diameter. All sightings are reported to the National Audubon Society. The Christmas Bird Count is the oldest and largest citizen science project in the world.

The Christmas Bird Count at J. Clark Salyer NWR near Upham is scheduled for Dec. 19 at 8 a.m. Last year the Salyer count was hampered by several inches of snow that fell on the day of the count. It made travel difficult and cut down on observer participation. This year it appears the weather will be much more agreeable.

“It will be nice to get out and go anywhere you want,” said Gary Eslinger, J. Clark Salyer NWR. “It should make the observations a lot better. We even have a little bit of open water. There might be a few ducks and Canada geese.”

Eslinger said the count not only gathers information on bird numbers to compare to previous years, but is a wonderful opportunity for people to get outdoors during the winter when short days limit the amount of sunlight.

“Our participation depends on the weather and roads,” said Eslinger. “We usually have a dozen or so birders.”

Eslinger can be reached at 768-2548, extension 115.

Minot’s Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 22. According to birder Sherry Leslie, those who would like to participate should meet at Broadway McDonald’s at 7:45 a.m. on that date. She also asks that anyone with bird feeders please keep track of the species and numbers of birds using them. Leslie can be contacted at 725-4389.

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