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The very first Christmas Bird Count began over a century ago when 27 conservationists in 25 localities throughout Canada and the United States where led by scientist Frank Chapman in a day long bird survey. This count changed the course of ornithological history. On Christmas Day 1900, the small group of conservationists posed an alternative to the “side hunt,” a Christmas day activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead, Chapman proposed to identify, count, and record all the birds they saw, founding what is now considered to be most significant citizen-based conservation effort and a more than century-old institution. Count results from 1900 to the present are available through Audubon's website www.birdsource.org.
Today, there are hundreds of bird counts that take place throughout North America during a two week period at the end of the year. This includes our local Elkhart County Christmas Bird Count which will be held on Saturday, December 31. Volunteer bird counters can participate two ways:
Teams will bird by car and foot from dawn to dusk. Participants should dress for the weather, and bring binoculars and field guides. Field observers will meet at Ox Bow Haus Shelter in Ox Bow County Park on Saturday, 31, 2011 at 7:30 a.m. Ox Bow County Park is located at 23033 County Road 45 in Dunlap.
8:00 a.m. and five at 4:00 p.m. You count the five.) Feeder counts can take place anytime throughout the day.
The Elkhart County count circle extends from the state line on the north to Waterford Mills on the south end, and includes the towns of Bristol, Middlebury, Goshen , and eastern portion of Elkhart . The center of the 7.5 mile radius for the count circle is the intersection of County Roads 18 and 23.
Bird watchers are encouraged to contact Ronda DeCaire with the Elkhart County Parks at 574-535-6458 or e-mail rdecaire@elkhartcounty.com to register their name, address, and phone number and e-mail to receive further directions for the December 31 bird count. |
The
South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society and the Elkhart County Parks are
calling upon volunteers to join bird watchers across the western hemisphere
to participate in Audubon's longest-running winter-time tradition, the
annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Counts are open to birders of all
skill levels. 
Field
Observers will be assigned an area and
given maps to count birds within a designated part of Elkhart County
.
Feeder
Counters can count birds in their yards.
Participants must count the highest number of birds of each species
seen at one time in your yard on December 31. (Example: you see three
Cardinals at