Morgantown Christmas Bird Count

The Mountaineer Chapter of National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is holding its annual count on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021 in the Morgantown area. You are invited to participate. We changed up our procedures last year due to COVID-19. To maintain social distancing, only small groups outdoors will be in the field together. Masks and vaccinations are recommended for all groups. Tabulation of results will again be done via a Zoom meeting. The updates will be posted on the mountaineeraudubon.org
website under the CBC tab and on the Mountaineer Audubon Facebook page. Watch for special events on count day just for young birders.

LeJay Graffious will be coordinating the event again this year. Let him know if you would like to participate in the field or as a feeder counter at [email protected]. He will enter you on an email list for updates and team assignments as the time draws nearer. This year’s event promises to be our most successful yet with more participants involved. In recent years, we came close to breaking the 100 species count on Count Day. We have cracked the 100 mark for Count Week. Help us exceed 100 on Count Day.

Please talk with your circle compiler or sector leader in advance of the count day for any guidance on which areas to cover, the sequence of your coverage, or any bird questions. Participants’ guide on what data to collect during your Christmas Bird Count:
1. Record every bird seen or heard in your assigned area, and only between
midnight and 11:59 pm on your count date.
2. Try to cover your assigned route as thoroughly as possible during
daylight hours.
3. Nocturnal birding or “owling” is optional.
4. Record all hours spent watching or listening for birds.
5. Record all miles traveled while watching or listening for birds (see
guide to CBC party miles/hours for details).
6. Record each mode of transportation (by foot, by car, etc), and match the
mode with # of hours and miles for each type.
7. Record hours watching at feeders separately from any birding in the
field.
8. Record hours and miles “owling” (nocturnal birding) separately from any
birding in the field during count day.

Bird watching (or birding in short) is a fun, enriching activity that can be as easy or complex as you wish. At times, it can be made a little competitive and that is what a “Christmas bird count” event is over the years.

FEEDER WATCH OPTION
If tromping around in the winter cold looking for birds doesn’t sound like a great time to you, but you’d still like to contribute to our efforts, please consider volunteering to be a feeder-watcher.
If you live within the Morgantown CBC circle (within 7.5 miles of the Morgantown Airport — see http://mountaineeraudubon.org/index.php/cbc/ for a map of the boundary), you can participate in the CBC by observing and recording the bird species that visit your feeders. From the comfort and warmth of your home, you can simply count the maximum number of each bird species present throughout your observation period. See the attached flyer for more details and for a checklist that you can print and use to keep track of bird counts.

SUGGESTION LIST OF ACCESSIBLE LOCATIONS in MON COUNTY (for mobility/wheelchair birders)
1. West Virginia Botanic Garden (main gravel loop) Tyrone Rd, Morgantown WV
2. Guthrie Loop, Core Arboretum
3. Decker’s creek trail, Sabraton area, various access points.
4. Caperton trail/ Mon river trail – access points near Table 9
5. Mon river trail – park near Terra Cafe
6. Mon river waterfront by Barill park (near terra cafe but parking is at the waterfront itself) for aquatic fowl viewing.

If you would like to participate and/or have any questions, please contact our CBC coordinator LeJay Graffious at [email protected] or 304-379-7505.

Morgantown, WV, USA