Since 2005 the Mad Birders, a small volunteer birding organization in Washington County Vermont, has been conducting an annual year end bird count to assess the health of the winter population of birds in Northfield and the Mad River Valley. This year, the count will be held on Friday, December 15th. The results from this count will be submitted to the National Audubon Society, for inclusion in their extensive database, which compiles information from their annual Christmas Bird Count, an international event that began 124 years ago. The Mad Birders have renamed their event as the Winter Bird Count, to be more inclusive. Capturing a snapshot of the number of birds seen in a specific area during the same season year after year enables us to better protect our bird populations.
In Northfield, two teams will conduct the Winter Bird Count (WBC) between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Each team will be in a car with three to four members. One team will cover East of Route 12 and the other West of Route 12.
You can participate in this effort in one of two ways: 1) if you feed your birds regularly, especially during December and January, let us know so we can be sure to include your feeder on our stops. 2) If you'd like to be more involved, participate as a Feeder Watcher which entails committing to watch your feeder(s) for at least two, 30-minute sessions on the 15th, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon before dusk.
To take part in either of these ways, please email your interest to Carlos Pinkham at "Email Author" and he'll follow up appropriately or call him at 485-7330. In this day of annoying robo callers, he does not answer the phone unless the caller identifies him-/herself. If he doesn't pick up, leave your return phone number. If you've already been in touch with him or someone else from the Mad Birders about your participation in the Mad River Valley/Northfield WBC, no need to take further action.
Happy Birding!