Participating in a Christmas Bird Count is an annual tradition for many birders, and this will be the 116th CBC in Rochester. In a Christmas Bird Count, birders try to count as many birds as possible within a particular “count circle.” Rochester’s circle is further subdivided into various sectors, and different teams of people are assigned to count the birds in those sectors. The Young Birders have our own sector – Seneca Park.
Early risers may start the day shortly before dawn as we try to lure in owls – screech are the most likely. The real trip begins at 7:30 as we walk through the Seneca Park trails, counting as we go. We typically wrap up in two or three hours (depending on how cold it is), but folks are welcome to come and go when they please and stay as long as they are having fun.
For the really die-hard fans, we may have opportunities to fill in with understaffed sectors later in the afternoon, and everyone can join the final compilation in the evening to see how many birds were counted in the entire circle.
