Dec 18, 2014 1 min read

Join The Annual Christmas Bird Count On Saturday

American Robin by Jonathan Oleyar, courtesy National Audubon Society

Looking for something to do with the family this weekend? Take part in a tradition over 100 years old at the Christmas Bird Count in Prospect Park or Green-Wood Cemetery.

The Christmas Bird Count is part of a nationwide bird census running from December 14 to January 5, 2015 that relies on volunteers armed with binoculars, bird guides, and checklists to help track local bird populations. The event offers an opportunity to engage with nature, but it also does immense work toward conservation. The National Audubon Society uses the data to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation action.

Here’s how you can get involved this Saturday, December 20:

Prospect Park’s Audubon Center hosts the event during two sessions this weekend, at 12pm and 3pm. Call 718-287-3400 x 303 for more information.

A group will meet at Green-Wood Cemetery at the Fort Hamilton entrance at 7:45am, break into smaller groups to wander, then meet back up for lunch (so bring something to eat). Call leader Ed Crowne at 917-716-2882 for more information.

If you’re heading out, count leaders recommend you dress warmly — the weather should be nice tomorrow, but it will be chilly. And at the end of the evening, there’s a potluck dinner for all those who were counting in Brooklyn.

Last year, a total of 2,408 counts and 71,659 observers tallied over 66 million birds of 2,403 different species in all 50 states, all Canadian provinces, and over 100 count circles in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. In Brooklyn, a total of 111 species were counted!