The Audubon Society will start its 116th annual Christmas Bird Count on Monday, which will have volunteers contribute to data that will be collected and used to determine the status of bird populations in North America. The event will last from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, 2016.
Each participating area will have an assigned count compiler. Those who wish to be volunteers will have to contact these count compilers and stick to an assigned 24 km diameter circle. Once assigned, the volunteer(s) will have to walk the assigned area for a day, counting every bird they see or hear.
Lucky are those volunteers whose homes are within an established CBC circle, because they can participate without leaving. They can simply inform the count compiler that they will be counting from home, using feeder trays to attract birds and count them as they pick up a meal.
A total of 2,106 species and 68,753,007 birds were counted during last year's 115th Christmas Bird Count, according to EarthSky.
Unusual sightings are also well taken note of, like last year's sightings of Snowy owls and a Tennessee Warbler that appeared in Ontario, Canada.
Organizers at Audubon are excited this year because they are anticipating more unusual sightings since the weather has also changed due to El Niño.
Those interested in joining this year's CBC can check out Audobon's site for the sign-up instructions and ways to contact the count compilers.
The event will also be using the hashtag #ChristmasBirdCount where participants can share pictures of the birds they get to encounter during the count day.
