Those interested in discovering what kinds of winter birds come to Moapa Valley are invited to join in the 11th Annual Muddy River Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, January 1, 2011.
Participants will meet at 7:00 am. They will then be divided into groups to spend a day in different areas of the Muddy River valley from the Warm Springs Ranch to Bowman Reservoir, identifying and counting the different kinds of birds found. The groups will get together at days end to tally the birds seen and share stories from the day.
The local count is part of a larger effort headed by the Audubon Society that has gone on for over a hundred years and is now done throughout the world.
“This is a good example of citizen science,” said David Syzdek who is coordinating this year’s Muddy Valley count. “Getting help from a lot of local observers all across the country, people who know their own territory and know where the birds will be. With that data, we can track population trends and movement of the birds.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you know birds or not – everyone is welcome because the more people there are in each group, the more birds are seen,” Syzdek said.
Each group has at least one knowledgeable leader and part of the fun is helping everyone learn about our birds.
Contact David Syzdek at 702-714-0003 to sign up, get directions, and to have questions answered.
