Audubon groups organizing for annual Christmas Bird Count

Whether it’s in the spirit of citizen science or just an excuse to join other nature lovers in their preferred environment, the 114th annual Christmas Bird Count is luring flocks of birders out of their warm homes.

The event organized by the National Audubon Society is the longest-running citizen science survey in the world. More than 70,000 volunteers participate across the continent in more than 2,300 group counts between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.

Inland Northwest birders are in the thick of the action to help scientists get a snapshot of winter bird distribution.

Local Audubon chapters have scheduled programs this week to help birders understand birding trends and to identify and understand birds that frequent this region in winter.

They also invite newcomers to join the groups of birders that survey 15-mile diameter circles on designated days.

The Spokane count is one of about 36 in Washington. About 30 are scheduled in Idaho, including three organized by the active Coeur d’Alene chapter.

All of those eyeballs scouring the landscape through binoculars tally more than 60 million birds each year across the North America, turning up something new every year on local counts, according to reports filed by group leaders.

Last year, the Spokane Audubon chapter’s count leaders noted the 115 tundra swans they counted was by far the largest number in their records since 1981. Double-crested cormorants were at a record high while the number of ring- necked pheasants dropped dramatically.

Two years ago, rare finds in the Spokane count included a surf scoter at the Central Pre-Mix pond in Spokane Valley off Broadway. The group also found three greater white-fronted geese for only the second time in local count history.

Birding groups out for a day compile impressive numbers in seven hours, said Spokane count organizer Alan McCoy.

Programs prep birders

Local Audubon Society chapters have tapped professional biologists to present special pre-Christmas Bird Count programs this week.

• Coeur d’Alene Audubon, program on winter bird identification by Carrie Hugo, BLM wildlife biologist, on Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey Road.

• Spokane Audubon, program on climate change impacts on birds and local trends in wintering birds by Gary Blevins, Spokane Falls Community College biology professor, on Wednesday, 7 p.m., at Riverview Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave. Driving directions: tinyurl.com/SASmeeting.