Saturday, December 21, Butterbredt Christmas Count.

For those unfamiliar with the Christmas Count concept, click HERE for a link to the National Audubon web page.

This is the one trip every year where you can count on meeting real birders, the kind that bring their cross-country skis when the weather turns iffy. No latté-sipping wimps on this trip! All seriousness aside, dress warmly, pack a lunch and snacks and be ready to spend all daylight time (it gets dark around 3:30 p.m.) in the Butterbredt count circle as we do our part to count all the birds that were too macho to fly south for the winter.

This is a Citizen Science event. The data gathered on Christmas Counts (over 2,300 of them) is available for use by researchers in, for instance, bird populations and climate change. This is your chance to contribute to the advancement of science.

On previous trips we’ve seen: Mountain & California Quail, Western Screech-Owl & Great Horned Owl, Ladder-backed & Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller’s, Western Scrub- & Pinyon Jays, Rock Wren, California & LeConte’s Thrashers, Black-throated, Sagebrush & Golden-crowned Sparrows and Pine Siskins.

We have created a page for this count, including a map and checklist for further information. Click HERE.

Family guide: long car ride, cold weather; gotta love the birds.

You need to contact the compiler, Chuck Bragg (310-454-9662), to reserve a spot on this trip. There is no limit as to who may attend, but we need to know you’re coming, tell you where to meet, and arrange carpools if needed.