|
Locals to take part in 118th Audubon bird count |
|
November 16, 2017 |
Local bird lovers will be getting together for
an early breakfast on Thursday, December 28, and
then scatter to all corners of the county to
take part in the 118th annual Audubon Society
Christmas Bird Count.
Prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters
engaged in a holiday tradition known as the
Christmas "Side Hunt."
They would choose sides and go afield with their
guns—whoever brought in the biggest pile of
feathered and furred quarry won.
Conservation was in its beginning stages in that
era, and many observers and scientists were
becoming concerned about declining bird
populations.
Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist
Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the
then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new
holiday tradition—a "Christmas Bird Census" that
would count birds during the holidays rather
than hunt them.
Local birders will gather at the Badger's Den,
S6551 Main Street, Bonners Ferry, right when
they open at 6 a.m. for a no-host breakfast and
to get everyone organized, and then, after a day
of counting Boundary County birds, will meet in
the back room at the Chic-N-Chop, S6421 Main
Street, Bonners Ferry, at 3:30 p.m. for hot
cocoa and the end of the day tally.
Everyone interested in taking part is welcome!
To sign up or to find out more, call or text
Roger at (208) 818-0139, or email
bfbirdcount@gmail.com.
To learn more about the annual tradition,
click here. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
