By Jean Zirnhelt
Weminuche Audubon Society
The first of three bird identification classes in preparation for Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m.
This class, presented by Keith Bruno, Audubon Rockies community naturalist, will focus on waterfowl.
Area lakes are currently hosting large numbers of these birds and providing opportunities to test our identification skills while lakes are still thawed.
Additional classes covering songbirds (Dec. 3) and raptors (Dec. 10) will be held. Everyone is welcome to join us in these fun classes, and audience participation is encouraged.
Classes meet at the Community United Methodist Church on Lewis Street and are also available on Zoom. Look for the Zoom link on the events tab of our website, weminucheaudubon.org.
Classes will begin promptly at 6 p.m., and we invite you to come early to share a snack before we get started. Please enter through the side door closest to the parking lot or let us know to open the main door for handicap entry.
In appreciation for our meeting space, we collect donations of cash and nonperishable food for the Methodist Church Food Bank at our meetings. The need for contributions is particularly great this season.
Join a team to help us count all the birds that we identify in our 15-mile diameter count circle on Dec. 14. If you live within one of the count zones, you can also participate by counting birds at your home feeders.
This is the 126th year of this annual census of birds done by people just like you. Data generated from the count is an important scientific tool used in understanding and predicting how birds respond to changes in our environment.
We welcome participation from all community members and visitors. For further information and to sign up as a volunteer, email us at weminuche.audubon@gmail.com. This local count is organized by the Weminuche Audubon Society with the support of Audubon Rockies.
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