Christmas Bird Count Underway

This is the 77th year Bozeman has held its annual Christmas Bird Counting. The group started in 1905 and has continued ever since.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running citizen science survey. It originated when a group decided to provide an alternative to shooting birds as a holiday tradition.

“What people used to do was the Christmas bird shoot. They would go out and see how many species of birds they could shoot every Christmas,” said Paulette Epple, a Christmas bird counter.

The group covers a fifteen mile diameter circle that centers approximately at the Gallatin Valley Mall.

“You come out and you write down everything that you see and hear and you just do it for the one day. But you try and make sure it falls on the same date every year and it's within a defined area,” said Forrest Rowland, another Christmas bird counter.

This survey gives people an idea of the impact growth and climate has made to birds in the area.

“It's just an idea to kind of gauge our impact on the birds, but also natural influences on bird populations over years and years. And of course there's a social aspect and everybody gets together, has breakfast first, has lunch together all those sorts of things,” explained Rowland.

The bird that had the highest count... was the magpie.

“Sixty-one...we're going to get three hundred of those buggers today,” exclaimed the group.

This is a growing trend for nature enthusiasts everywhere.

“Probably kicked off as a, ‘hey let’s get together and do this thing.’ And then yay it turned from a meeting in a coffee shop in one place to thousands of count circles across the country and now in the world,” said Rowland.

Around forty people showed up to participate in the Christmas Bird Counting excursion just in Bozeman alone.

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