Hi all,
Please join us for the 51st annual Dallas Christmas Bird Count on December
29, 2020. To join, contact me at caleb@xxxxxxxxxxxx.
The Dallas count circle is full of the wonderful and rich variety of winter
birding in our region, set against richly beautiful landscapes. From the
raptor-filled rolling prairies of the Valley Floor to the teeming marshes
of Baskett Slough to the under-birded upland vistas of the Coast Range,
this is a count filled with possibility and vibrant winter flocks of
sparrows, blackbirds, finches, ducks, pipits, and others. This has
especially been a good year for raptors and has potential to be a good one
for winter finches.
There is especially a place for a wide variety of birding interests on this
count. If you like owling, raptor-watching, sparrow-sorting, duck counting,
or forest birding, there's a fun place to be in the Dallas circle. Whether
you like hiking, biking, mountain biking, car birding or even small river
kayaking, there's a sector for you on the Dallas CBC. If you still want to
share a day of birding with friends, I can assign you to the same sector
and your different pods can bird together, though there may be limits on
total numbers on a team.
I hope you all consider joining us for the count. I know I've always looked
forward to CBC season, and though COVID may reduce some of the fun, I
think there's still lots of potential to enjoy some sense of togetherness,
normality, and hope through this CBC season. Plus, we need all your help
spotting that Gyrfalcon, which has been seen in the circle twice this week!
Very best wishes and love to all, and happy beginning of the holiday season!
Stay safe, enjoy birding, make it through.
Best wishes,
Caleb
P.S. Here's my notes on my choices about holding the count this year:
After carefully considering COVID and the date, it seems that this count is
mostly reliant on local Willamette Valley observers, and that the date will
not conflict too much with other local counts. I hope that running it will
provide some normalcy and cheer from birding all on the same day in the
same area, even if distanced. Of course we are running with standard
restrictions: no in-person meetings, no carpooling, and possibly a few
others if current state restrictions remain in place on the date.