By Joseph Reznik | Columnist
One of the longest running Citizen Science projects is the Christmas Bird Count. You may also know this as the Audubon Christmas Bird Count because it is run by the National Audubon Society.
The Audubon Society was named for John James Audubon who was a famous painter and naturalist in the 1800s. Many of his works are used in art and natural history books. He was, however, a slave owner as well, so in recent years, there has been a national discussion as to whether or not to leave his name as part of the national group as well as many other things in order to respect those who were repressed by his actions.
As for me, I call this event the Christmas Bird Count, as this makes for a more welcoming name to anyone who wants to join and enjoy nature.
The Christmas Bird Count first occurred on Christmas Day, 1900. It is now conducted every year from mid-December to mid-January. Each area sets a date for their count, so you could go to more than one depending on how much you want to travel. The count is what first detected the bald eagle decline in the 1970s, the movement of invasive birds into the United States like the purple finch, and it is helping to show how climate change is affecting different bird populations, either through habitat and/ or population loss or gain.
If you’d like to join the Christmas Bird Count in person, there will be hikes at two separate places around the Northside on Dec. 27. One will be at Frick Park from 9:30-11 a.m. (eventbrite.com/e/christmas-bird-count-tickets-1940545286189) and another at Riverview Park from 8-10 a.m. (we’ll meet at the visitors center).
If you want further information about events, or have any natural history questions, please email me at: [email protected]
Joseph Reznik teaches biology and math at the Community College of Allegheny County’s main campus.
