Seasonal bird counts have been a central part of Birmingham Audubon’s work ever since its founding in 1946. This year, we’re continuing that tradition with four great counts, culminating in our fifty-third annual Spring Bird Count, scheduled for Saturday, April 28th.
Together, we’ll spend the day in small groups surveying bird populations at a wide variety of sites located in Jefferson, Shelby, and St. Clair counties. Spring migrants, resident hawks, large waders, even common birds like Northern Mockingbirds and American Robins, are all fair game—each sighting contributes to a half-century-long dataset with important information on shifting ranges, the effects of urbanization, and climate-related population changes.
As always with our counts, we’ll meet up at the end of the day for refreshments, good conversation, and the evening “compilation,” the sometimes raucous process by which the day’s final bird list is assembled. (This is also your best opportunity to brag about all those unusual sightings you managed to get—so long as you bring proof of the really rare ones!)
Note: Because this is a coordinated scientific survey, we require all participants to register at least a day or two before the count. Please let us know if you’re new to bird counts, as we’ll need to send further instructions on how to participate, what to expect, &c. (Don’t be intimidated, though! We strongly encourage participation by new and inexperienced birders—nothing quite builds expertise like a day-long count in the company of a seasoned birder.)
Can’t join us in the field? Click here to learn more about how you can participate at your home feeder!
Compilation location: Ansel Payne will host the compilation starting at 7 p.m. at his home in Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood (4600 7th Court South).
Count leaders: Greg Harber (cell: 205-807-8055; day of count only) will coordinate the count, with help from Birmingham Audubon Outreach Director Ansel Payne and Program Director Andy Coleman.
More information: To learn more about how bird counts work, and to read the history of the one that started it all, check out National Audubon’s “History of the Christmas Bird Count” page.
Organizer:
Birmingham Audubon
Phone:
205-719-3678
Email:
info@birminghamaudubon.org
Website:
birminghamaudubon.org