Audubon's 106th Bird Count ends January 5, 2006

AUDUBON’S 106TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT TO TAKE PLACE DECEMBER 14, 2005 – JANUARY 5, 2006

[Excerpts]

Ivyland, Pennsylvania, October 31, 2005 – From December 14, 2005 to January 5, 2006, the National Audubon Society’s longest-running wintertime tradition, the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), will take place throughout the Americas. During the 106th CBC, approximately 55,000 volunteers of all skill levels are expected to take part in this census of birds.

“Having fun while birding can identify important results that help shape the direction of bird conservation,” says Geoff LeBaron, National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count director. “Audubon and our partners at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and the Boreal Species Initiative are analyzing data from the overall CBC database, and using the results they find to develop Audubon’s ‘State of the Birds’ report. These important results will be reflected in 2006 in our ‘State of the Birds’ waterbirds report, and inform the Audubon WatchList, which is used to prioritize Audubon's bird conservation activities.”

CBC compilers enter their count data via Audubon's website at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc or through Bird Studies Canada's homepage at www.bsc-eoc.org, where the 106th Count results will be viewable in near real-time. Explore this information for the winter of 2005-2006 or visit a count from the past. See if and how the state of your local birds has changed during the last 25...50...or 100 years.