JOHN DAY – The Grant County Bird Club invites birdwatchers of all ages and skill levels to help with the 2021 Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, Dec. 18.

Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the annual event is the longest-running community science survey in the country, dating from 1900. It provides ornithologists with a snapshot of native bird populations throughout North America during the winter months

Each individual count is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles. The volunteers break up into small parties to cover different sections of the count area, counting every bird they see. Some people also watch feeders instead of following routes and submit their sightings to the compiler. Interested birders should meet at the Outpost Restaurant in John Day before 7 a.m. Compiler Tom Winters will designate teams and assign territories. Due to the risk of transmitting COVID-19, teams will be comprised of persons that share space continually, are fully vaccinated and willing to share space, or are driving separate vehicles.

Those counting birds at feeders should contact the compiler to help reduce duplications of sightings from field participants. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Tom Winters at home at 541-542- 2006, by cell at 541-620-2922 or by email at tjwinters1951@gmail.com.

The compilation of the day’s efforts will take place at 5 p.m. at the 1188 Brewery. Feeder watchers and anyone interested in the day’s results are welcome.

This year, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count will mobilize nearly 80,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,600 locations across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count utilizes the power of volunteers to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone.

Data compiled on the John Day count will try to record every individual bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast community science network that continues a tradition stretching back 120 years. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.