The Poplar Bluff Christmas Bird Count, an event which dates back more than 25 years, will be held Tuesday.
During the count, volunteers will canvass a pre-determined segment of a 15-mile diameter circle, centered in Poplar Bluff, to count every bird they see.
“Volunteers try to cover as much of the area as possible, counting the total number of birds by species,” said count coordinator Bruce Beck.
The count area, Beck said, “encompasses 177 square miles of diverse habitat, including rural homes and farms, forest, cropland and swamp.”
In years’ past, volunteers would meet early in the morning to be assigned a specific segment of the count circle, but the procedure has changed this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, those who wish to volunteer are asked to contact Beck by telephone at 573-776-5305 ahead of the event to request a specific area or to be assigned one.
“We’re always looking for volunteers of any skill,” said Beck. “We’ve had experienced and inexperienced people together, and we’ve had people come from different parts of Missouri just to see something different.”
The event has drawn “one or two new people, and that’s nice,” Beck said.
Maps, instructions and a bird checklist will be provided to each volunteer before Tuesday’s count, Beck noted.
Beck urges those interested in participating to bring binoculars and “clothes they can layer and take off as it gets warmer.”
He also recommends taking a lunch along for those who wish to count all day.
Volunteers do not have to count for a specific number of hours, but should record their active times and miles driven or walked, Beck said.
When the count is completed, Beck will compile all the data and forward it to the National Audubon Society, which has conducted Christmas bird counts nationwide since 1900.
“The data is used by all kinds of researchers to show trends in the numbers of birds and species and how they change over time with changes in climate and habitat,” Beck said.