The Rydell and Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuges will be hosting their 11th Annual Christmas Bird Count on Thursday, December 18.
The National Audubon Society administers this public event and is the longest-running citizen science bird project in the U.S. This year marks the 126th year of the Christmas Bird Count. Counts are held in designated areas between December 14 and January 5 each year.
In recent years, counts have been completed annually in over 2,500 locations, including Canada and Latin America. More than 75,000 people participate in the counts and more than 50 million birds are tallied each year! Information from the count provides important insights into the winter ranges of birds, population trends, and how a changing climate affects winter bird distribution.
Birds observed in the Rydell/Glacial Ridge Count Circle over the past ten years have included 57 different species, including northern shrikes, Bohemian waxwings, red-bellied woodpeckers, snowy owls, northern goshawks, white-winged crossbills, and Lapland longspurs.
People interested in participating do not need to be experienced birders. This event can serve as a learning experience for new birders and those individuals will be paired up with Refuge staff or experienced volunteers. Participants should meet at the Rydell NWR Visitor Center at 8:00 am for coffee and a brief meeting. Bring binoculars and a bird book if you have them. If not, we’ll have some on hand for your use. Counting will take place within a 15-mile diameter circle that stretches from Erskine west to the center of Glacial Ridge NWR. Participants can count from a vehicle or on foot, depending on their preference and the weather conditions that day. Refuge staff will host a potluck lunch back at the Visitor Center at noon. After a hearty lunch, folks can “call it a day” or can go back out and continue to search for birds.
Please RSVP by December 15th to Wildlife Biologist Ben Walker at 218-230-5563 or benjamin_walker@fws.gov. Ben can also assist if you have questions about the count or require additional information. If the Rydell and Glacial Ridge NWRs Count doesn’t fit your schedule, be aware that the Bemidji Count is on Sunday, December 14th, and the Crookston Count is on Saturday, December 20th, this year.
