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Would you like to be a Citizen Scientist? Do you want to know more about local birds? You can do both by joining the Newton Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 15th! Groups of birders head out in the morning to areas of Newton to count birds on that date and report back. Data are also collected surrounding towns and compared to numbers from years before. No birding experience is necessary since you will be part of a group with an experienced leader.
The Christmas Bird Count will be held on Sunday, December 15th this year. If you wish to participate, please email lianehartnett26@gmail.com. Birders will meet at 1 Raeburn Terrace, Newton Highlands at 7 am and divide into groups and head out to count birds. For the early birders – who want to count owls – a group will likely meet earlier . If it’s raining, the owl count will not take place. Please register if you are interested in joining our court this year! Registrants will receive more details as the date grows closer.
Some of the areas covered by the groups include: Newton South, Kennard, Saw Mill, Houghton Gardens, Hammond Pond and Webster Woods Newton Cemetery, City Hall, Edmands Park, Bullough’s Pond, Cold Spring, Mason Rice / Newton Centre, Crystal Lake, Newton Commonwealth Golf Course, Chandler Pond, Charles River (from Watertown to Waltham), Calvary Swamp, and the Albemarle area.
The National Audubon Society organizes the overall worldwide count, which is described on their website: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count The Newton count is part of the Greater Boston count circle, one of very many across the country! Expert birder, Peter Alden, wrote an article, “How a Christmas Bird Count Works”, about what happens in a count: https://www.sparkbirding.com/post/inside-a-christmas-bird-count
The most common question people tend to ask is “how do you know that you don’t count the same bird twice?” Well, you can’t know for certain, but we try our best! It’s notable that we often do see four calling birds or even seven swans a swimming, but not a partridge in a pear tree!
