One day is set aside each Christmas season between December 14 and January 5 when local volunteers gather to count wintering birds in designated locations all over North America. Saturday, December 14 is the date set for the 48th annual Crookston Christmas Bird Count. The volunteers spend the day covering a 15-mile diameter circle from Crookston east and south trying to find as many species of birds as they can during the daylight hours.
You don’t have to be an expert to participate because the volunteers will be divided into groups with experienced birders to cover different portions of the circle. The rural areas are covered in the morning and early afternoon, and then they move to the city of Crookston to finish the day. Volunteers can assist for the full day, just the morning or afternoon. Bird feeders are an important part of the count, too. If you would like to report sightings at your feeder or have the volunteers stop by, please contact Tom Feiro, Crookston’s compiler, for details on how to record your feeder activity.
The birders meet at RBJ’s Restaurant at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday the 14th for breakfast and prepare the groups for the morning count which starts at about 8:00 a.m. There is no charge to participate.
Data collected is used to help biologists determine bird populations, movements, and conservation needs. 2019 marks the 120th year of Christmas Bird Counts in North America. In 2018 the Crookston Christmas Bird Count recorded 34 different species and 1,476 individual birds. Each year the group strives to break the Crookston count records. Record counts were held in 2007 and 2012 when 35 species were recorded, and in 1986, a total of 3,600 individual birds were observed.
The Crookston Christmas Bird Count was started in the early 1970s by Dr. Dan Svedarsky, UMC Natural Resources Professor and Wildlife Biologist. He was the original volunteer compiler for the first 8 years. He passed on the responsibilities for what ended up to be, the next 40 years, to Tom Feiro, then the UMC Natural Resources Lab Service Coordinator. While both are now retired from UMC, they continue to play roles in keeping the count going.
If you want more information or have an interest in helping with the count, please contact Tom Feiro, volunteer compiler, at 218-521-0223 (cell).
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