Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4B
December 10, 2008
Reporter
Monroe County Outdoors
Bird count is a Christmas tradition
A ll of us have favorite traditions.
For some it is opening one pres
ent on Christmas Eve. Others
hang the same tattered stock
ings over the fireplace
that they have used for decades.
The list of Christmas traditions
enjoyed by Monroe Countians is
indeed long. There is one Christ
mas tradition that began with a
handful of people in 1900 and has
swept across the nation and be
yond to involve thousands of peo
ple in 12 other countries such as
Canada, as well as nations
located in the Caribbean,
Latin America, and Pacific.
This tradition is the Christ
mas Bird Count.
For the past 37 years, the
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge/Rum
Creek Wildlife Management Christmas
Bird count has been the local contribution
to what has become the longest running
wildlife survey in the entire world. These
counts are conducted during the two
weeks prior and after Christmas. This
year the Piedmont NWR/Rum Creek
WMA count will be held Monday, Dec, 15.
While each count is as different as the
place where it is held, they share the
same objective and adhere to the same
rules. The objective is simple - to count
as many birds as possible within a 15-
mile count circle during a calendar day.
Participants are allowed to tally any bird
that they can identify by sight or call. The
local count circle encompasses the entire
Rum Creek WMA and Piedmont NWR as
well as most of eastern Monroe County.
Last year 2,113 counts were held, 1,658
of which were staged in the U.S. A total of
59,918 (46,620 in the United
States) volunteers counted
more than 57.7 million (53.6
million in the U.S. alone) repre
senting 2,267 species (665 in
the USA).
Each year there is intense
competition between count
teams from Texas and
California for the title of the
count that tallies the
most species. In 2007
the honor went to
Matagorda County
-Mad Island Marsh,
Texas. There spotters
recorded 235 species.
In Georgia, 25 counts were held with a
total of 223 species seen throughout the
state. Locally we reported 10,029 birds
representing 107 species.
During the Piedmont NWR/Rum Creek
count’s 37-year history a total of 152
species of birds have been seen. This past
year the Henslow’s sparrow became the
most recent addition to the list. While
this secretive sparrow passes through
Monroe County on its fall migration, it
rarely winters north of the Fall Line.
The most abundant bird seen last
December was the American coot (1,818).
Large numbers of this aquatic chicken
like bird winter on Lake Juliette.
Rounding out the list of the 10 most abun
dant birds seen were the chipping spar
row (1,560), red-winged blackbird (822),
American robin (604), ring-necked duck
(533), cedar waxwing (320), song sparrow
(281), mourning dove (234), hooded mer
ganser (214) and American crow (203).
The data collected on the count are used
by biologists in a number of ways, such as
documenting the range expansions of
birds, the impact of weather on bird
migration, the status of bird populations
both locally and continent-wide, as well
as the impact of habitat changes on win
tering birds. It is also being used to assess
the impact of West Nile disease on wild
bird populations.
If you would like to begin a new holiday
tradition, join us this year. You don’t have
to be an expert to take part. There will be
plenty of folks willing an able to help you
hone your birding skills. If you do come, I
know you will have a great time.
Additionally, you will participating in a
conservation project that will benefit the
birds that add so much to your quality of
life.
Last year’s total of 107 birds seen fell
one short of the record number of species
ever recorded on the Piedmont NWR/Rum
Creek WMA Christmas Bird Count. If
you would like to become a member of the
team that will attempt to topple this long
standing record, contact me or Melissa
Hayes at the Nongame-Endangered
Wildlife Program Office at 994-2568 by
Dec. 12.
Volunteers will meet at the Nongame
Office at 8 a.m. on count day and then
MALE CARDINAL
divide into teams. There is a $5 participa
tion fee charged for all participants 19
years old or older. See you on the 15th!
Terry Johnson is the retired Program
Manager of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife Program. He is cur
rently Executive Director of TERN (The
Nongame Wildlife Section's Friends
Group) and conducts wildlife research and
survey projects, presents programs and
writes about wildlife. Email him at
TJWoodDuck@aol.com.
‘Gimme a
T- 0- N’
The Mary Persons High School cheerleaders are
participating in a community service project
called "Raise a ton." The Cheer Dawgs are trying
to gather over 2,000 pounds of food to give away
to families for Christmas. Nonperishable food
items can be donated to cheerleading coach
Penny Davis at Hubbard Elementary School or
Calandra Jackson at Mary Persons High School.
Save A Pet Fundraisers
December 13, 2008 - 4-7 pm
Canine Christmas At the Ensign House
December 19, 2008 - 10am- 5pm
Jewelry Sale Monroe County Bank Bolingbroke
December 23, 2008 - 10 am-4 pm
Jewelry Sale Monroe County Bank Forsyth
Great jewelry, accessories, unique gifts
available at great prices. Call 478-994-5223
for more information.
Rec basketball
sign-up underway
The 2009 Monroe County
Recreation basketball season
begins with the draft Jan. 10.
Register to play at the Rec
Dept. Monday - Thursday from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday
and Saturday from 9 a.m. to
noon. The deadline to register
is Jan. 3.
You’ll Get Sparkling CleSn Carpet, Tile,
* and Upholstery For the Holidays *
You'll love this exclusive deep cleaning process. Our
system is designed to go WAY beyond what most
cleaners do and will help you prepare for and impress
your holiday guests. You'll have the cleanest floors in
Forsyth and we
GUARANTEE - No Returning Spots.
If any spots return before your Christmas gathering,
we'll come back at NO CHARGE.
If pet stains and odor are your primary concern then
we'll use special urine detection tools to locate problem
areas. We can even remove urine from your padding
with our special "water claw" subfloor extraction tool.
See MyCarpetCure.com for details.
V/- 1 FREE BONUS: Call this week and get FREE
Cinnamon deodorizer in all rooms we clean. Call Now
for a friendly, honest estimate: 478-405-9138 Hurry
Q^a/zf, tde
Celebrate Christmas with Concert from
Middle Georgia harpist Calista Anne Waddy at
Dayspring Presbyterian Church
When: 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13
Where: Dayspring Presbyterian
Church on Hwy. 41 S
IT’S FREE
Come andjoin us for beautiful
Christmas music!
CLOSING!!!
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