For the Birds

For many people, the New Year is a time to make resolutions, think about the past and take stock of the future. For the Audubon Society of Greater Denver, it’s time to do the same for city-dwelling birds. More than 75 volunteer birdwatchers have signed up to (figuratively) beat the bushes at twelve urban locations (from the Platte River to City Park, from Buck-ley Field to Rocky Mountain Arsenal) as part of the traditional New Year’s Day Bird Count, in which birds and bird species are numbered; another thirty participants will watch their backyard feeders. It’s part of a larger nationwide census that began 108 years ago to measure the overall health and well-being of our feathered friends. Denver count leader Hugh Kingery says birders have already been reporting a few typically mountainous birds — mountain chickadees, red-breasted nuthatches, Townsend’s solitaires — looking for food in the city. For information or to volunteer, call Kingery at 303-814-2723.
Tue., Jan. 1, 2008