Christmas Bird Count [] Audubon of San Miguel de Allende
Event Category: Community Events
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Christmas Bird Count
Saturday, January 4, 2025
7:30am-12:30pm
Join in the fun and count birds for science.
We’ll be counting birds for the 125th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
How does it work? We’ll form 3 teams to count all the birds we can at our CBC sites: El Charco del Ingenio, our beautiful botanical garden; a richly varied site along the Rio Laja near Cieneguita; and Peña Blanca, another bird-rich site a few miles past the Presa Allende dam.
Why count birds? Our local CBC tallies contribute to creating a living snapshot of bird populations throughout the Americas, helping scientists study their movements in the context of the effects of climate change and habitat degradation. This information can help guide conservation and restoration of habitats, which is key to the survival of birds and wildlife, but for climate resilience and human welfare.
Details:
7:45 AM – Meet up at Insituto Allende, 20 Ancha de San Antonio. Check in and form teams.
8:00 AM – Depart for our sites
12:00 PM – Arrive InstitutoCost: Non-Members 200 pesos/Members free
Transportation: Carpool, if you have a car, please bring it!
Provided: We will have spotting scopes to view the birds up close and extra binoculars to share.
What to wear/bring: We recommend sturdy walking shoes, layered clothing and a hat. Bring your bins, camera, sunscreen, water.Because of the resurgence of COVID, masks will be required in cars.
Preregistration required. audubonsmabirdwalks@gmail.com
By Signe Hammer
Spend a fun morning outdoors with Audubon de México! Join the longest-running Citizen Science survey in the world—122 years and counting. Every year, between mid-December and early January, thousands of birders throughout the Western Hemisphere—from north of the Arctic Circle (Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and Arctic Bay, Canada) to the southern tip of South America (Drake Passage), team up to count birds. San Miguel’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is coming up on Wednesday, January 5.
How does it work? On count day, teams fan out to count all the birds they can find within a 15-mile-diameter circle. San Miguel is one of many circles in Mexico, and within our circle we count birds at three sites: El Charco del Ingenio, our beautiful botanical garden; a richly varied site along the Rio Laja, near the bridge at Cieneguita; and Peña Blanca, another bird-rich site a few miles past the Presa Allende dam.
To keep everyone safe and make social distancing possible, we’re limiting the number of participants to 8 at each site, with preregistration required. Masks are required in the cars, and we’re asking that everyone be vaccinated.
Why count birds? To help them survive. Our teams send their bird-count numbers to our count compiler, Luke Rich, who enters them online. The combined CBC data provide a living snapshot of bird populations throughout the Americas. As the planet heats up, increasingly affecting birds’ habitats, this information is critical.
So whether you’re an experienced or novice birder, come help us count birds on January 5! We’ll meet at 7:30am outside La Comer, on the covered walkway between parking lots. We’ll form teams and carpool to the sites. Children age 10 and up are welcome, and if you have a car, please bring it.
Wear sturdy walking shoes and bring water and a hat. We’ll have telescopes and a few pairs of binoculars to lend. You should be back by about noon, happy with your contribution to Citizen Science!
Please contact audubondemexico@gmail.com to preregister with your name, phone number, and whether you can bring a car with room for fellow-counters.
For more information, visit our website at: http://www.audubonmexico.org/.
Photos
Great Kiskadee
Photo Credit: Bob Graham
White-tailed Kite
Photo Credit: Becky Matsubara
Sociedad Audubon de México, A.C.
Sociedad Audubon de México is based in San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful colonial town in the mountains of central Mexico. It is the only Audubon chapter in the country, and is conscious of its responsibility to represent and protect the natural world in Mexico. “The Sociedad Audubon de Mexico, as a bird focused organization, recognizes that a healthy environment is critical to the survival of birds and all other elements of nature, and we operate from this perspective.”
Our Vision
Our Vision is to become the most effective advocate for the protection and appreciation of birds and all other elements of nature in the San Miguel de Allende area and environs.
Our Mission
Sociedad Audubon de Mexico recognizes that a healthy environment is critical to the survival of birds, wildlife, and people. Through education, conservation, and recreation we promote environmental stewardship to ensure quality of life for all living things in San Miguel de Allende – for today and the future.
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