Annual Christmas Bird Count

The Annual Yosemite Christmas Bird Count will be on Sunday Dec. 18th. If you are interested, they are looking for volunteers. Here is the email I got from the organizer:

Dear Prospective Bird Counter:

The 80th annual Yosemite Christmas Bird Count is close at hand, and you are
invited to participate! This year's count will be held on Sunday, December
18. If you wish to attend, please contact Sarah Stock at (209) 379-1435 or
by email at sarah_stock@nps.gov so I can plan your zone assignment. It is
important to contact me at least a few days before December 18 to receive
your assignment, but the sooner the better. Also, please see if you can
drum up additional participants from among your friends and family, the
more contacts I can add to the list, the better! Last year, we counted and
identified 1,333 birds of 57 species across 6 zones in the park.
Highlights included a turkey vulture observed above the rim of the Merced
River Canyon, two Merlins in Foresta--with one of them in the same viewshed
as a Northern Pygmy-Owl. There was also a Williamson's Sapsucker oberved in
Foresta, and a California Thrasher observed on the Foresta Road above El
Portal.

The bird count is an all-day event. We start shortly after dawn and
continue until around 5 p.m. Participants should dress warmly and wear
sturdy shoes, and be prepared for conditions that can vary greatly
(layering is the key). Bring binoculars, field guides, lunch, and water.
We'd like to have as many people as possible in the field for as long as
possible, but it isn't imperative that every person be out the entire day.
Arrangements can be made for participants who can only be out for part of
the day. If you are one of these people, it is preferable that you begin
at the normal start time for your area (usually as early as 7:00 a.m.) and
end early. A rendezvous with a group later in the day is sometimes
difficult to arrange.

At 5:30 p.m. on the day of the count, we’ll meet at the Girls Club (a.k.a.
the library) in Yosemite Valley for the compilation of results. The Girls
Club is located in Yosemite Village, near the Ranger Club, across the
street from the park's Administration Building, and next to the Yosemite
Institute office. We will have a potluck style meal, so please plan on
bringing something to share with the group (an oven/stove is available at
the Girl’s Club). All count participants are welcome to attend and share
your bird observations with the group. When you respond, please let me know
if you’ll be attending the compilation.

As in past years, a participation fee of $5.00 is due from every counter.
Please pay this fee to your area leader on the count day. The fee is
submitted to the National Audubon Society and helps support the publication
of count results in National Audubon Society Field Note, which all counters
will receive, and which will give the highlights of the 2011 International
CBC you will be a part of.

We'll hope for good weather, but we'll count birds on Sunday, December 18
come rain, snow, or shine. We look forward to your participation. I will
send subsequent reminders, but for now, please mark your calendars and let
me know if you're planning on joining us!

Sincerely,
Sarah Stock, Wildlife Biologist and Count Compiler

P.S. Other Christmas Bird Counts nearby include the Mariposa Christmas Bird
Count on December 14 (contact either Len McKenzie lenmckenzie@yahoo.com or
Lowell Young [email protected]) and the Groveland Christmas Bird Count on
December 15 (Bill Zachman Phone: (209) 962-6689)

Sarah Stock, Wildlife Biologist
Resources Management and Science
Yosemite National Park
5083 Foresta Road, P.O. Box 700
El Portal, California 95318
phone: (209) 379-1435 fax: (209) 379- 1131