Around this time of year, the National Audubon Society holds the Christmas Bird Count.
Observers—first time birders and experts—go outside and count all the birds, including the species and numbers they see in one day and night, said Northern Neck of Virginia Audubon Society vice president Kevin Howe.
The count is the longest continuous citizen science project in North America, having started 119 years ago, said Howe. It began in 1899 with 27 participants covering 25 localities in 13 states. In 2018, some 58,000 participants covered nearly 2,000 locations in the U.S.
Four years ago, the Northern Neck chapter sponsored the first Christmas Bird Count of its own…
