By: Dayna Inbody
On December 17, 2022, the Prairie Oaks Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program completed its fifth year contributing to the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). This is an approved citizen science project in our chapter. Each year from December 14th to January 3rd, tens of thousands of volunteers brave the snow, wind, or rain and take part in this effort.
This year we had 18 volunteers from Prairie Oaks and Rio Brazos chapters come together to complete the count in our Erath County Circle. Many thanks go to each of the landowners that gave us permission to enter their property to conduct our count this year. With the help of the landowners in our area, we have added lakes and stock ponds to our count and that has allowed us to count even more birds and add to our species list totals. Each year we send them a thank you and give them a tally of the number of birds and species found on their property which they appreciate and can help them with the management of their land.
As we have shared previously you don’t have to be an expert birder to participate. In fact it is a fun way to learn about your local bids from the group. The teams are made of spotters, recorders, drivers, birders and photographers. All are needed to make a team complete. So don’t let your birding skill or lack thereof deter you from joining in the event. This year we had several members from recent classes attend and a couple community members also. One member had his son in law from WI come with him this year, and it was a pleasure to meet him. Seth Hamby who started the very first CBC for POMN joined us, and it was wonderful to have him help out and hope to see him back next year. We are always looking for more members to join us and we have a few ideas of how to add to the experience when we have enough volunteers. We’ll keep you posted on that as we build on this event.
We recorded 78 species this year and counted approximately 2,380 birds. As you will find on the Audubon website the data collected is used to assess the health and status of bird populations across North America. The data is used to protect the bird’s habitat, and to identify environmental issues that not only affect birds but humans too. For example, birds are an indicator species for climate change.
Please consider joining us December 16th 2023 for our annual CBC event. For any questions or suggestions, please contact Dayna Inbody at inbodyd@gmail.com.