Friday is the day of the annual Christmas Bird Count in Poplar Bluff, and organizers are looking for volunteers to make the event a success.
“This nationwide, citizen-science program started in 1900 and is used to track the population of birds and changes in habitat,” said local count compiler, Bruce Beck.
In Poplar Bluff, Beck said, the count has taken place for more than 20 years.
During the count, volunteers canvass assigned areas inside a 15-mile diameter circle, which equates to 177 square miles, tallying all the various bird species they see.
“We’ve had up to 70 species,” Beck said, “but we can usually count on 60 of those.”
Some unusual species found in the past, Beck noted, include fish crows, a merlin, Brewer’s blackbirds and more.
Every year is different, he said, because of changes in the weather, migration and other factors.
The key to the success of the count, Beck said, is to have willing volunteers.
“Beginners are just as welcome as established birders. People of all skill levels join together and everyone learns and shares,” Beck said of the event.
Teams of two to four people are assigned to specific areas inside the designated count circle, but “beginners are always teamed up with someone with experience” Beck said.
The count lasts all day, Beck said, but volunteers don’t have to stay out the whole time if they don’t want to.
For this year’s count, volunteers are asked to meet at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Hardees on South Westwood Boulevard, where teams and count areas will be assigned.
Beck recommends everyone dress for the weather and, if they have them, bring binoculars to help with bird identification.
Currently, the forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature in the upper 40s.
Once the count is completed, Beck will compile all the information, which will be turned in to the National Audubon Society for the national count.
Anyone wanting to help with the count, Beck said, is encouraged to contact him by phone at 573-776-5305 or email at beckbugs42@gmail.com so he can find out their experience level and get them assigned to mentors, if necessary.