This year’s Iowa City Christmas Bird Count will be heldSunday, December 15.  If you would liketo participate, please contact me at credwards@aol.com or (319) 430-4732.  We can accept participants through December11, but for planning purposes (and my sanity), the sooner you let me know thebetter.

 The Christmas Bird Count program is administered by theNational Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and it is thelongest-running citizen science project in existence.  The Iowa City count has been conducted annuallysince 1951.  Our count area is a 15-milediameter circle centered in North Liberty – it includes N and W Iowa City, Coralville,Tiffin, North Liberty, Solon, Lake Macbride, Kent Park, and most of theCoralville Reservoir.  The circle isdivided into ten territories, and a group with an experienced leader isassigned to cover each territory.  Thegoal is to identify and count all the birds found in the count circle on theday of the count. 

 We need participants in the field and as feederwatchers.  If you wish to be a field participant,you will be assigned to a group and your group leader will contact you tocoordinate a meeting time and place.  Youcan participate for part or all of the day. Additionally, some groups look for owls before dawn.  If you wish to be a feeder watcher, email meyour address and I will confirm you are in the count area and will send you aform and instructions.  If you knowothers who may want to participate as feeder watchers, please pass thisinformation along.

 On count day, we will meet at noon for a mid-daycompilation (bring your own lunch) in Room N1 at the North Liberty CommunityCenter, 520 W. Cherry St.  A dinner andfinal compilation will be at 5:30 p.m. at Mexico Lindo Grill and Cantina, 1857Lower Muscatine Road, Iowa City (formerly the site of Okoboji Grill).

To participate, contact Chris Edwards at credwards@aol.com or (319) 430-4732.