LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Redbud Audubon Society will conduct its 48th annual Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, Dec. 17.

The Christmas Bird Count is a traditional project of Audubon societies around the country.

In preparation for the count, the group will present a comprehensive bird identification program on Thursday, Dec. 15, starting at 7 p.m.

The program will be presented on Zoom by Donna Mackiewicz who is an avid birder and naturalist.

To register for the program, click on the registration link on the homepage at www.redbudaudubon.org. The link will be sent on the day of the presentation.

Previous participants in the Christmas Bird Count have been sent information about meeting times and places by the count organizers, Brad and Kathy Barnwell, but new participants are welcome.

Participants this year can meet at either Anderson Marsh State Historic Park or Clear Lake State Park at 8 a.m. or may participate in smaller individual groups.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve your spot or to ask about participating in a smaller group within the count circle.

National Audubon has been holding a Christmas Bird Count for 125 years.

The official count period usually starts around the middle of December and ends the first week of January.

Local Audubon societies can decide what day they conduct their counts within this time frame.

Every individual bird and species encountered during the day is recorded. Each count group has a designated circle of 15 miles in diameter and tries to cover as much ground as possible within a certain period of time.

Count volunteers follow specified routes through the designated 15-mile (24-kilometer) diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day.

It's not just a species tally — all birds are counted all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day.

The data collected by each count group are then sent to the National Audubon Headquarters in New York and is made available online.

Scientists rely on the remarkable trend data of Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count to better understand how birds and the environment are faring throughout North America — and what needs to be done to protect them.

Roberta Lyons is president of the Redbud Audubon Society.