THE YEAR OF THE BIRD - CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2018

Photo: Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) at Rocky River Reservation by Tom Fishburn.

No matter what mode of transportation, it is great to get as much of our Count Circle covered as possible and tally the number of species present. Everyone’s participation will be appreciated; from tallying numbers at feeders, to birding through whatever weather comes that day.

THE YEAR OF THE BIRD - CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2018
By Nancy Howell, Compiler for the Lakewood Circle Christmas Bird Count

2018 was deemed The Year of the Bird by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society, National Geographic and Bird Life International. Western Cuyahoga Audubon has been doing something for the birds throughout the year; programs, bird walks, blogs, field trips, sending data via eBird, and much more. Does the year’s end mean the end of The Year of the Bird? We hope not since birds are a barometer for the health of the environment and need to be monitored. Western Cuyahoga Audubon will always continue to celebrate birds no matter what year it is. Let’s celebrate birds that are here in the winter by participating in the Lakewood Circle Christmas Bird Count.  

The Western Cuyahoga Audubon sponsored Christmas Bird Count will take place on Saturday, December 29. For those unfamiliar with what a Christmas Bird Count is, it is the longest running “citizen science” project with over 100 years of data.”Citizen scientists” from all walks of life, you, me your family and friends, gather data about the birds found in our area in the latter part of the year. The information collected goes to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s database and provides researchers a glimpse of bird species that are around at the end of December. Each year is different but when data over many years is analyzed trends begin to appear. 

View the 2017 Christmas Bird Count-Lakewood Circle Points document here.

The Lakewood Circle takes in much of the western lakefront, through parts of Lorain Co. (Avon Lake, Avon and North Ridgeville), south to the northern border of Strongsville (Ohio Turnpike is a good boundary reference) and east to Brooklyn and some of Parma Hts. In addition, a list of groups one could join and areas that need coverage is below the map. We can ALWAYS have people walk around their neighborhoods, small parks, cemeteries and any other place to count birds and there is the opportunity to tally the birds at your feeder that day  … as long as it is within the Count Circle. 

Groups or individuals may be out early in the morning, some a little later. Some individuals go “owling” in the pre-dawn hours or later that evening.  All species as well as individual birds are recorded, including House Sparrows, Rock Doves and European Starlings. Some groups and individuals walk in areas, others drive from spot to spot. No matter what mode of transportation, it is great to get as much of our Count Circle covered as possible and tally the number of species present. Everyone’s participation will be appreciated; from tallying numbers at feeders, to birding through whatever weather comes that day.

As the compiler for the Lakewood Circle, every bird sighting is important and we want and need you and the results of your efforts, but we cannot do it alone so call on friends and family, we can always use more participants.. Please sign up to assist so you can contribute to a great event. At the end of the day participants gather for a catered dinner as a “thank you” for all of the hard work plus we begin to tally the species sighted. Please contact me, Nancy Howell at nancyhowell@wcaudubon.org or contact me at 440-891-1710 (home) or 440-655-5926 (cell/text). Thank you - Let’s hear it for The Year of the Bird … and beyond!

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