The Audubon Society had been counting birds at Christmastime nationally for 124 years, and Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh has been a part of that endeavor since 1910.
This 12 months, although, will mark a primary — extra depend places within the Mon Valley this Sunday.
The Christmas Bird Count is the world’s longest-running citizen science undertaking, in accordance with an Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania information launch, and it takes place between this Thursday and Jan. 5. People of all ages and birding expertise depend birds that they see on the dates, then the info is compiled and used to measure adjustments in hen populations and the atmosphere. This wealth of knowledge paints a transparent image of hen distribution and abundance whereas aiding within the understanding of the urgency of hen conservation, Audubon leaders stated within the launch.
Residents can be a part of within the hen depend at three extra places in addition to in their very own backyards:
- Buffalo Creek Valley, which incorporates Todd Nature Reserve and Buffalo Creek Nature Park, on Saturday, Dec. 16.
- Pittsburgh, together with Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, Fox Chapel, on Saturday, Dec. 30.
- South Butler, together with Succop Nature Park, Butler County, on Sunday, Dec. 31.
Mendenhall/Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania)
Participation is free and prior expertise isn’t vital, leaders stated. New birdwatchers will probably be teamed up with skilled birdwatchers. More info on the hen depend is on the society’s website, and a whole listing is on an occasions calendar.
Audubon opened a satellite tv for pc workplace in McKeesport this 12 months, and it has a variety of companions and municipalities concerned within the hen depend and different actions as a part of a two-year initiative within the Mon Valley. In addition to the hen depend in Renzie Park on Sunday from 9 a.m. till midday, residents can even take part in guided walks and counts at two different websites:
- White Oak Park, Magnolia Shelter, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., led by the Allegheny County Park Rangers. Registration is available on the Allegheny County Parks site.
- Dead Man’s Hollow GAP Trail entrance, close to McKeesport, from 8 to 11 a.m., led by the Allegheny Land Trust. Registration is available on the Trust site. Note: this program has a $5 entry payment.
Rachel Handel, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania communications director, stated the area’s participation within the hen depend has been robust yearly, with extra circles becoming a member of in and folks coming again 12 months after 12 months. A superb instance, she stated, is in North Park, which additionally features a kids’s undertaking.
The society doesn’t set objectives for the depend, however moderately the target is to recruit as many individuals as attainable, which is commonly depending on location and climate. Last 12 months, Western Pennsylvania’s 149 area observers and 36 feeder watchers tallied 39,997 birds on Dec. 31, 2022, in accordance with the native group’s web site.
Audubon has had a heat welcome from the Mon Valley because the undertaking’s announcement in February. “The reception has been really amazing,” she stated. We’ve labored in 5 communities. Especially McKeesport — it has been a extremely nice associate.”
Dravosburg, South Versailles, Versailles and White Oak are the opposite communities. The Tri-COG Land Bank and the McKeesport School District additionally take part within the effort, which is funded by Richard King Mellon Foundation and Environmental Protection Agency grants.
Mendenhall/Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania)
Ben Kehoe, the neighborhood conservation coordinator based mostly in McKeesport, stated the undertaking is a collaboration. “We wanted to be sure we can reach out to the communities that we serve and make it as easy as possible for people to gain access to our programs. [There are] barriers that prevent people from getting to Fox Chapel and Butler. These grant opportunities have enabled us to do a lot of great work in the Mon Valley.”
That included month-to-month walks in Renzie Park and authorized yard habitats undertaking to draw and assist hen, insect and animal species within the Mon Valley.
Sixty residents now have these habitats on their property, an effort that Kehoe careworn will assist birds survive. The undertaking gave out 1,000 native vegetation this summer time, ones that match the areas, which he careworn is essential.
Kehoe’s workplace is positioned on the third flooring of McKeesport’s City Hall building, and he’s studying extra in regards to the metropolis and space and its organizations on this foundational 12 months. The month-to-month hen walks will proceed in 2024, and he’ll supply a Winter Birds and Where to Find Them free program on Jan. 20 from midday to 1:45 p.m. on the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, 1832 Arboretum Drive, in Renzie Park.
This 12 months residents from all 5 communities have taken benefit of what has been supplied, together with the Feathers and Flowers talks on the McKeesport Senior Citizens Center. Other applications will probably be developed with neighborhood enter, he stated.
“It seems people are really excited about the type of programming we can bring there,” stated Kehoe, 45, who began with Audubon on May 1 after working for the Allegheny County Park Rangers for 3 years and a Student Conservation Association program coordinator earlier than that. “There is an audience in McKeesport and the Mon Valley,” the Coraopolis native stated. “And [we learned] simply how stunning it’s round McKeesport. People don’t give it numerous credit score. We discovered numerous stunning birds and delightful vegetation.
“People have been going there [to Renzie Park] for years. I’m pointing out the things that people never noticed in all the years they have been there. People were really delighted to find out all these things in park they really love.”
He stated the hen depend members can convey binoculars to assist spot birds, and in the event that they don’t, he may have some to share. The depend is on no matter rain, snow or shine.
Kehoe stated the depend will see resident birds who stick round right here all 12 months spherical, in addition to different birds that come from the acute north, the tundra in Canada. His favourite? The golden-crowned kinglet. “They are really tiny birds, smaller than chickadees,” he stated. “They are insectivores [that] only eat insects. They come down here and stay all winter. Then head north as soon as it warms up and their breeding grounds in Canada.”
Experienced birders will assist depend members join sound and site for the birds. Each participant, whether or not they’re within the depend circles or their very own yard, will probably be requested to submit a type to the Audubon Society on their particular day.
He stated residents can come on Sunday for your entire time or for nevertheless lengthy they need to do it.
“We’ll be doing the walk, and then people get a general idea of the birds around that time of year,” Kehoe stated. “They are additionally invited to go home and do the hen depend. We regard this as a primer.
“You have to be very patient, and then you start to notice more and more birds. It improves your observation skills,” he stated. “And you will see a whole lot of other things [around you], just by paying attention to birds.”
For extra info on the Christmas hen depend, contact:
Helen is a replica editor on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, however she’s at the moment on strike. Contact her at [email protected].
