Counting tradition

For 109 years, the National Aubudon Society’s Christmas Bird Count has relied on the observations of amateurs and expert birders who pool their talent during the holiday season. Last year, 50,000 people volunteered in all 50 states, every Canadian province, and parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and the Pacific Islands. They recorded every bird and species seen or heard in an assigned 24-hour period. You, too, can be a citizen scientist by registering to join a group in your state. You’ll be instructed on how to count birds in a specific 15-mile diameter CBC circle on a particular date between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.

$5 per adult participant per count day in the field; free if you count at home feeders or are under 18. Contact your local CBC compiler at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.