Christmas Bird Count set in Connecticut and New York

SHARON — For over 120 years, small groups of birders have ventured out in December for the Christmas Bird Count, with the sole purpose of counting birds.

This free event, known in our area as the Trixie Strauss Christmas Bird Count, occurs on Sunday, Dec. 18. from 12:01 am to midnight.

Sharon Audubon Center’s count area is a 15-mile circle with its center at The Hotchkiss School, thus taking in some good birding areas in Sharon, Salisbury, and Falls Village, and Amenia and North East in New York.

Interested participants can contact the Audubon Center by Friday, Dec. 16 to determine meeting times and places throughout the count day for each birding area on our map.

Teams from all over the state and all over the country — even Canada — take part, and all the numbers are compiled and reported to help better understand what birds are doing in the winter.

You don’t have to be a great birder to enjoy Christmas Bird Count; it is for everyone, and everyone is welcome to join any of our “teams” for as little or as long as you would like! If you enjoy watching birds, but are not able to join a team, or being out in the cold isn’t for you, “Feeder Watchers” are also always appreciated.

If you live in our count circle area and would like to participate, but would rather not leave home, you can choose to count the birds at your bird feeders, even if only for one hour. Your numbers can then be given to our compiler right after the count and they will be included in the overall Christmas Bird Count report. Contact the Audubon Center to receive a feeder watcher form. We ask anyone who lives in the count area to fill up your bird feeders to help with our counts.