The Raccoon River Watershed Association (RRWA) held its December meeting Saturday at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, with this month’s annual Christmas Bird Count topping the agenda.
Denny Thompson of the Audubon Society spoke to RRWA members about plans for the Christmas Bird Count, with the association aiming at a watershed-wide approach to this year’s count. The members resolved to:
- Find out by county when the bird counts are scheduled
- Mobilize RRWA members for the counts
- Record species that are in the watershed as well as in the county
- Report what we find watershed-wide
- Publish our total in the newsletter
- Collect fresh data on numbers and distribution
- Use the annual counts in assessing watershed ecological well being
The partial schedules for counts in the Raccoon River Watershed follow.
Boone County Christmas Bird Count: Saturday, Dec. 30
For more information, contact Alex Kretzinger at alexkretzinger1@gmail.com or 515-298-3553.
Carroll County Christmas Bird Count: Tuesday, Dec. 19
Carroll County Conservation Board. For more information, contact Matt Wetrich at go_tweeting@hotmail.com.
Dallas County Christmas Bird Count: Saturday, Dec. 16
Dallas County Conservation Board. For more information, call 515-465-3577 or email conservation@dallascountyiowa.gov.
Come join Dallas County Conservation Board and Raccoon River Watershed Association for a day of birding with a purpose. Each year local bird clubs gather around the Christmas holiday to take a snapshot of the birds in their area. This information is sent to the National Audubon Society, which looks at the long-term health of bird populations over the last 100 years. Participants are divided into groups, each with an experienced birder in a different location in the county. Counters usually hike in the morning and drive the area in the afternoon. It does not matter whether you are a beginning or experienced birder because the day is filled with beauty and opportunities for learning. Registration is required.
Greene County Christmas Bird Count
For more information, contact Chris Henning, Dan Towers or Colleen Radebaugh.
Guthrie County Christmas Bird Count: Thursday, Dec. 14
For more information, contact Anne Riordan, Iowa DNR training specialist, at 641-295-6028 or anne.riordan@dnr.iowa.gov.
I would like to invite you to join in the Jamaica Circle of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. It will be held Thursday, Dec. 14, and you are welcome to meet at my office about 7 a.m. to divide into birding parties and grab a cup of coffee and a snack. If you take the Education Center entrance at Springbrook, follow the service road all the way around, behind the dining hall basement. My office door is on the south side of the building. If you prefer to start on your own, that is fine. Just touch base with me so that we will have a good idea of areas being covered. If anyone wants to do some early morning owling, that is great! We will plan to meet at 11:30 a.m. at PJ’s in Panora for lunch and to compare notes and regroup for those able to continue in the afternoon. All who would like to stay for chili and to assess the count are welcome to meet back at my office about 5 p.m. Please let me know if you have any questions, and note my new phone number: 641-295-6028. I am beyond grateful for all of you, who continue to make this an amazing and rewarding adventure in citizen science.
Polk County Christmas Bird Count: Saturday, Dec. 23
Des Moines Audubon Society. For more information contact Denny Thompson at 515-254-0837 or cndthomps@gmail.com
Des Moines Audubon Society’s 2017 Christmas Bird Count will be held on Saturday, Dec. 23 beginning at 8 a.m. The annual Christmas Bird Count will take the place of our regular field trip in December, so plan for a day or part of a day of counting birds in the Des Moines count circle. We’ll meet at the Des Moines Art Center parking lot. Please call ahead of time if you plan to participate. We’ll be dividing into teams to check various Des Moines areas. Dress warmly and appropriately. Bring food and beverage for the day, and plan to stay as long as possible. If you wish to remain at home but still want to be a part of this count, you may do so by keeping track of the birds visiting your neighborhood, in your backyard and at your feeders. Keep track of how many of each species you see during the day and at the end of the day, report to Denny. The Des Moines 15-mile diameter is centered at 63rd Street and University Avenue, and it runs from Saylorville Dam to Lake Colchester (north of Norwalk) and from the U.S. Interstate 80 rest stop to the fairgrounds. The Des Moines CBC has been held since 1948.
Sac County Christmas Bird Count: Saturday, Dec. 30
For more information, contact Megan Cook at sccbnat@frontiernet.net or Liz Blessington at liz@moveit.com
The Sac County CBC will begin around 8 a.m. at the Sac County Conservation Center. Volunteers are welcome to participate.
The RRWA Board also discussed plans for its annual Life in the Raccoon River conference, scheduled for Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4 at the Hotel Pattee in Perry.
