This month, the Plumas Audubon Society will be sponsoring three local census operations during the 125th running of the national Christmas Bird Count by:
Sat, Dec 14 - American Valley: Liz Ramsey (email elizabeth@plumasaudubon.org / call (530) 616-8670 for details and to RSVP)
Sun, Dec. 15 - Sierra Valley: Colin Dillingham (email colindillingham2@gmail.com / call or text (530) 927-7381for details and to RSVP)
Sat, Dec. 21 - Lake Almanor: Colin Dillingham (email colindillingham2@gmail.com / call or text (530) 927-7381 for details and to RSVP)
Methods: Participants follow a specified route contained within a 15 mile diameter circle, centered on a key area. Birders count all birds they see and hear, not just compiling a species list but a census of all birds detected. Each CBC is done in one full day between December 14th and January 5th. Christmas bird counts enable biologists to monitor trends in distribution and diversity across the United States.
Results: The CBC is one of America’s longest running citizen science data sets. Plumas Audubon has recently compiled and analyzed data for the last 10 years of local Christmas Bird Count events. Our goal is to observe trends in species diversity in order to gain a greater understanding of patterns related to changes in this diversity for future conservation efforts.