SAVANNAH - From migratory birds, to year-round residents, the lands that surround the Montezuma Audubon Center are home to a diverse and fascinating bird population.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Carol Stokes-Cawley, the education manager at the Montezuma Audubon Center, explains the benefits of the annual Christmas Bird Count, at a training session in Savannah on Sunday.
Carol Stokes-Cawley, the education manager at the Montezuma Audubon Center, explains the benefits of the annual Christmas Bird Count, at a training session in Savannah on Sunday.
On Dec. 20, the center will be hosting its second annual Christmas Bird Count.
On Sunday afternoon, Carol Stokes-Cawley, education manager of the facility and Dave Spier, who specializes in nature photographs as the Northeast Naturalist, as well as a volunteer at the center, hosted an informational seminar on the Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count, in its 109th year, is a program hosted by the National Audubon Society that runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5.
Stokes-Cawley said the count was created by Frank Chapman, an ornithologist and officer in what was the early stages of the Audubon Society.
Prior to the Christmas Bird Count, there was what was known as the Side Hunt. In this event, two sides went out and whoever shot the largest pile of birds won.
“Prior to the Christmas Bird Count that was how even scientists studied birds,” Stokes-Cawley said. “They went out and shot it and brought it back to study and learn about it.”
But Chapman was a forerunner of what would become the conservation movement.
Initially, he created the Christmas Bird Census as an alternative to the Side Hunt.
“The conservation movement was just starting,” Stokes-Cawley said. “People were starting to notice that certain populations were in decline and they wanted to learn why. Chapman proposed the Christmas Bird Census.”
And in the past century it has grown to be a worldwide effort. Stokes-Cawley said in 1900, 27 individuals in 25 different locations in the United States and Canada identified 90 species of birds.
In 2007, more than 59,000 people participated in the effort in 11 countries, identifying more than 2,000 species, making for more than 57 million birds sited during the 2007 Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count is called Citizen Science in Action by the Audubon Society.
“It gives everyone the opportunity to help,” Stokes-Cawley said. “From experienced bird watchers to beginners, this is something that anyone can take part in and help collect valuable information. It is exciting.”
The information collected from the count is used by the Audubon Society as well as Cornell University to compile reports and information on the patterns and trends in various species.
These counts contribute to the knowledge on population sizes, but are also important in figuring out more about birds' habits, habitats and what further conservation efforts might be needed to preserve species and their habitats and food supplies.
Stokes-Cawley said two major reports are generated from this information, “The State of the Birds Report” and the “Common Birds in Decline Report,” both of which have helped identify birds that are in need of greater protection.
Spier, who has participated in the count for many years at numerous locations, was on hand with a presentation of numerous pictures taken in the wild of birds to help give instructions on how to identify various species in the field.
According to last year's data from the Montezuma center, 139 species were identified.
Spier said some of these can be difficult to differentiate. He said first and foremost, it is important to carry a field guide as well as a camera when doing these kinds of projects.
Spier showed pictures of various species, some of which on first look are strikingly similar.
“The hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker,” Spier said. “They look a lot alike. But the downy is bigger and has a bigger bill.”
Other signs, such as color patterns, tail feather shapes and eye colors can help differentiate between species.
Spier also gave some insight on how to count. Again stressing the importance of a camera, Spier said it is easier to accomplish when photos can be taken digitally and enhanced for a better count later, but in the field he said it is often a matter of making a good estimation when birds are in a large group.
On Dec. 20, Stokes-Cawley said volunteers will be grouped together, giving newcomers the chance to work with experienced watchers, and assigned areas to count in.
Within the Montezuma count are there are 12 zones stretching from Auburn to Savannah and encompassing parts of Cayuga Lake and the entirety of the Montezuma Wetlands complex, which provides a unique and diverse range of opportunities for bird enthusiasts.
“The center (in Savannah) will open at 8 a.m.,” Stokes-Cawley said. “And around 4:30 or 5, we'll get together and start doing the compiling. It should be an interesting, fun time.”
To learn more
For more information on the Christmas Count, call the Montezuma Audubon Center at 365-3588
On Sunday afternoon, Carol Stokes-Cawley, education manager of the facility and Dave Spier, who specializes in nature photographs as the Northeast Naturalist, as well as a volunteer at the center, hosted an informational seminar on the Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count, in its 109th year, is a program hosted by the National Audubon Society that runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5.
Stokes-Cawley said the count was created by Frank Chapman, an ornithologist and officer in what was the early stages of the Audubon Society.
Prior to the Christmas Bird Count, there was what was known as the Side Hunt. In this event, two sides went out and whoever shot the largest pile of birds won.
“Prior to the Christmas Bird Count that was how even scientists studied birds,” Stokes-Cawley said. “They went out and shot it and brought it back to study and learn about it.”
But Chapman was a forerunner of what would become the conservation movement.
Initially, he created the Christmas Bird Census as an alternative to the Side Hunt.
“The conservation movement was just starting,” Stokes-Cawley said. “People were starting to notice that certain populations were in decline and they wanted to learn why. Chapman proposed the Christmas Bird Census.”
And in the past century it has grown to be a worldwide effort. Stokes-Cawley said in 1900, 27 individuals in 25 different locations in the United States and Canada identified 90 species of birds.
In 2007, more than 59,000 people participated in the effort in 11 countries, identifying more than 2,000 species, making for more than 57 million birds sited during the 2007 Christmas Bird Count.
The Christmas Bird Count is called Citizen Science in Action by the Audubon Society.
“It gives everyone the opportunity to help,” Stokes-Cawley said. “From experienced bird watchers to beginners, this is something that anyone can take part in and help collect valuable information. It is exciting.”
The information collected from the count is used by the Audubon Society as well as Cornell University to compile reports and information on the patterns and trends in various species.
These counts contribute to the knowledge on population sizes, but are also important in figuring out more about birds' habits, habitats and what further conservation efforts might be needed to preserve species and their habitats and food supplies.
Stokes-Cawley said two major reports are generated from this information, “The State of the Birds Report” and the “Common Birds in Decline Report,” both of which have helped identify birds that are in need of greater protection.
Spier, who has participated in the count for many years at numerous locations, was on hand with a presentation of numerous pictures taken in the wild of birds to help give instructions on how to identify various species in the field.
According to last year's data from the Montezuma center, 139 species were identified.
Spier said some of these can be difficult to differentiate. He said first and foremost, it is important to carry a field guide as well as a camera when doing these kinds of projects.
Spier showed pictures of various species, some of which on first look are strikingly similar.
“The hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker,” Spier said. “They look a lot alike. But the downy is bigger and has a bigger bill.”
Other signs, such as color patterns, tail feather shapes and eye colors can help differentiate between species.
Spier also gave some insight on how to count. Again stressing the importance of a camera, Spier said it is easier to accomplish when photos can be taken digitally and enhanced for a better count later, but in the field he said it is often a matter of making a good estimation when birds are in a large group.
On Dec. 20, Stokes-Cawley said volunteers will be grouped together, giving newcomers the chance to work with experienced watchers, and assigned areas to count in.
Within the Montezuma count are there are 12 zones stretching from Auburn to Savannah and encompassing parts of Cayuga Lake and the entirety of the Montezuma Wetlands complex, which provides a unique and diverse range of opportunities for bird enthusiasts.
“The center (in Savannah) will open at 8 a.m.,” Stokes-Cawley said. “And around 4:30 or 5, we'll get together and start doing the compiling. It should be an interesting, fun time.”
To learn more
For more information on the Christmas Count, call the Montezuma Audubon Center at 365-3588
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