New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials are urging wildlife enthusiasts in the North Country to join thousands of volunteers throughout the United States to take part in the Audubon Society's 111th Annual Christmas Bird Count, which began Dec. 14 and runs through Jan. 5.

The CBC is the longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations. Said Gordon Batcheller, Chief of DEC’s Bureau of Wildlife, “Each year, volunteers brave snow, wind, cold, ice or rain, often venturing afield during pre-dawn hours, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count, and they have made an enormous contribution to help guide conservation actions.”

Data collected through this effort allows researchers, conservation biologists and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys, such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have changed in time and space over the past 100 years.

“At more than a hundred years running, the annual Christmas Bird Count provides an unparalleled long-term record of early winter bird distributions and abundances and a basis for analysis of range changes across the continent,” said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York.

The count takes place within “count circles,” which focus on specific geographical areas. Each circle is led by a count compiler, who is an experienced birdwatcher, enabling beginning birders to learn while they assist. Those who live within a count circle can even stay at home and report the birds that visit their backyard feeders, or join a group of birdwatchers in a local field. Volunteer counters can pick the most convenient circle, or participate in more than one count.

To find out where circles are located, when birds in a given area will be surveyed and who to contact to participate in a Christmas Bird Count, visit the National Audubon Society’s web site at: http://app.audubon.org/cbcapp/findCircles.jsp?start=&state=US-NY&Submit1=Show+Circles.

For more information on the status of birds in New York, visit www.dec.ny.gov/animals/271.html on the DEC website.