Birders get ready for annual counts

The Daily Inter Lake

Bigfork, Kalispell and other area Audubon Christmas Bird Counts are coming up.

Dan Casey of the American Bird Conservancy compiles Bigfork and Kalispell count results.

Anyone interested in participating in either of these counts may sign up by attending the next meeting of Flathead Audubon at 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Summit in Kalispell, calling Casey at 857-3143 or 756-2681, or sending an e-mail to caseys4@centurytel.net.

People may participate in a Christmas Bird Count in the field with one or more other birders, counting all the birds in a designated part of a count circle. Or, if they live in a count circle, they may count the birds at their feeders on count day.

The 35th Bigfork Christmas Bird Count will be Dec. 20. Preparation for the count begins at Flathead Audubon's Dec. 8 meeting. Final count groups will be organized before count day. The count will be followed by a potluck dinner at the Bigfork Senior Center, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The Bigfork species count, usually the highest in the state, averages more than 80 per year, with a variety of waterfowl, raptors, finches, sparrows and woodpeckers.

Since the initial count in 1974, 142 species have been found in the Bigfork count circle.

Audubon typically relies on veteran group leaders to scour their usual areas and also invites the public to join in the count to help gain a better understanding of early winter bird populations.

The 10th annual Kalispell Christmas Bird Count will be Jan. 4, and covers riparian areas along the Flathead River, Lawrence Park, Owen Sowerwine Natural Area, West Valley, Spring Creek in Evergreen, Lone Pine and Herron Park and Smith Valley.

Prior-year participants have seen a total of 101 species in the Kalispell count circle, including a high of 74 species in 2007.

The Kalispell count starts with a group breakfast at 7 a.m. at Finnegan's Restaurant at 660 E. Idaho in Kalispell. Count circle segments and teams are set up for the day's efforts.

Other 2008 Christmas Bird Counts:

Dec. 14

Ninepipe - Contact Jim Rogers at 883-3611.

Dec. 20

Upper Swan - Contact Steve Lamar at 754-2745 or Jody Wolff at 754-2880.

Glacier National Park - Contact Susan Sindt at 892-7406.

Eureka - Contact Lynda or Lewis Young at 889-3492.

Libby - Contact Al Bratkovitch at 283-7515.