2nd Christmas bird count coming
The second of this winter’s annual Eastern Panhandle Christmas Bird Counts will be held on Saturday, Jan. 4. The first count was held on Dec.15.
These local-area counts are part of a volunteer-based Christmas Bird Count that has been conducted throughout the western hemisphere every year since 1900 under the auspices of the National Audubon Society.
The local area counts are sponsored by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society.
The purpose is to monitor the status and distribution of early-winter bird populations.
Count volunteers join teams that go out in the field and follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day.
Experienced and novice birders are always welcome to join these teams. Novice volunteers will be teamed with those who have more experience.
Or, people who live within the circle areas can simply count the birds they see at their feeders during the day and submit a record of their sightings to PVAS.
The circle for the Jan. 4 count, known as the Inwood count, is centered near Shanghai in Berkeley County and includes the west side of Martinsburg and Inwood to the east and the Stotler’s Crossroads/Greenwood section of Morgan County to the west.
To get more information about participating, either as a field team member or by recording the birds at their home feeders, go to the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org.
All those who participate as a field team member must register beforehand with PVAS.
To register, or to get additional information, contact Bob Dean at bobdean52@gmail.com or 304-754-3042.