The Chenango Bird Club will hold a planning meeting for the upcoming Christmas Bird Count Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. at Rogers Environmental Education Center’s Bird Exhibit Cabin.
The Christmas Count will be Saturday, Dec. 17. Chenango Bird Club members have conducted the Sherburne count since 1980, though this is the 117th Audubon Society-sponsored Christmas Bird Count overall.
The Christmas Bird Count is 24 hours from midnight to midnight Dec. 17 where birders in the area try to see and hear as many birds as they can. Our count area is a circle, centered at the intersection of Routes 12 and 80 in Sherburne, with a 15-mile diameter.
While some hearty souls get out overnight to listen for owls, most Christmas Count participants spend about four hours between breakfast and lunch in the morning covering an assigned territory. If you’d like to join a team for all or part of the day, please come to the meeting or contact count organizer, Fred von Mechow at 607-674-4214 or fvonmechow@yahoo.com.
We’d love to hear from folks wh o have feeders within the count circle who would be willing to allow us to check their feeders during the count day or who would like to call in results of watching their feeders on the 17th. Farmers can help by spreading manure a day or two before the count to attract birds like turkeys, gulls, waterfowl and winter finches.
Everyone interested in the Chenango Bird Club, bird watching, or participating in the Christmas Bird Count is encouraged to attend the meeting. Program attendees are welcome to stay for all or part of the evening activities.
The Chenango Bird Club presents monthly programs (except January, February and March). Nature enthusiasts of all levels and interests are invited to all Chenango Bird Club programs, free of charge. Rogers Center is located one mile west of Sherburne Village on State Highway 80. Park in the main parking lot and walk to the west end of the lot to the Bird Exhibit Cabin.
Call Club President, Charlene LaFever at 607-334-9112 for more information on Chenango Bird Club activities.