ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — The National Audubon Society’s 125th year and the Cayuga Bird Club’s 63rd year doing the Christmas Bird Count, amateur and experienced bird enthusiasts alike gear up for collecting data on New Year’s Day.

Started as a way to replace the “side hunt”, which involved hunting as many small birds as participants could shoot, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count prioritized conservation of birds and became about observation rather than killing.

As for the bird count in Ithaca, there are eight count areas that are approximately fifteen miles in diameter, centered around Varna. Each location has an aerial leader to provide guidance on how to conduct the count. Participants can choose which count area they want to be a part of and can base it on what they want to see most. For more information on the count areas and their area leaders, visit the Cayuga Bird Club website here.

Jared Dawson, one of the directors of Cayuga Bird Club, says that the bird count is open to all who are interested.

“I began birding through one of the bird counts, it’s a good way to get started. You don’t need any prior experience and can participate for as long or as short of a time as you want. We always make sure that those who are beginners are in a supportive group that gives them plenty of opportunities to learn.”

Usually, the Christmas Bird Count in Ithaca sees about 150 participants each year. Start times are flexible, as the count takes place over a 24-hour period on New Year’s Day. Counting from home is also an option, with feeder monitoring being another method of data collection used. To find out how to properly count using the stay-at-home method, those interested should get into contact with the area leader from the count area they reside in.

After the count, the data is tallied over a two-day period, with a dish-to-pass dinner open to anyone taking place at the Foundation of Light on January 3rd starting at 6:00 p.m. The tallied data is presented after the dinner and then submitted to The National Audubon Society.

Having a rich and long history in the country as well as Ithaca itself, the Christmas Bird Count is an important way to keep track of and stay in touch with what goes on locally.

“It’s a great snapshot of winter birds. It allows for a larger compilation of data to be collected, which can then be used for research and bird conservation efforts. It’s the oldest count in the country, so it’s interesting to see stats and how things change over the years. Where birds come from, where they’ve gone, what new species have moved in… these are all important things to know not only about the birds in the area, but this data can also give us more context for the larger ecosystems of the area as well,” says Jared Dawson.

For those interested who have never participated in a bird count before, the best way to get started is to contact Jared Dawson at jaredwdawson@gmail.com. More information on Ithaca’s bird count can be found here on the Cayuga Bird Club website, and more background on the origins of the count can be found on the National Audubon Society website here.