Bird feeder watchers from The Woodlands are needed on Saturday, December 14th, 2024, to help with the Spring Creek Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The accompanying count circle map shows the area covered by this count and includes almost all of The Woodlands.
Each year between December 14th and January 5th, the Audubon Society involves people to help the birds by participating in Christmas Bird Count (CBC) all over North America. The Audubon Society’s goal is to capture an annual snapshot of bird populations during the early winter, comparing this data with snapshots from scores of previous years to help understand fluctuations in bird populations that show which species are thriving and which are struggling.
One of these Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) is the Spring Creek CBC and includes most all of The Woodlands. This CBC is sponsored by the Heartwood Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists (HW TMN). Volunteers from HW TMN along with other local birders work to survey all the birds in this count circle. This CBC is scheduled for the first Saturday of the CBC period – this year it falls on Saturday, December 14, 2024. It is centered roughly at I45 and Rayford / Sawdust and extends 7.5 miles in all directions. This 15 mile diameter circle makes up the “Spring Creek Christmas Bird Count”. (You can see this and many more CBCs in Texas by visiting https://houstonaudubon.org/programs/birding/christmas-bird-counts/.)
We need people who live in the CBC circle (see map above) who can watch their backyard bird feeders on Saturday Dec 14, 2024, and report the birds that you see. All this information is turned into the CBC compiler and will be reported to the National Audubon Society.
If you live inside the Spring Creek CBC count circle (see map), have bird feeders in your yard, and will be home during any part of the day on Saturday, December 14th, please contact the Spring Creek CBC compiler, Claire Moore, and volunteer to help by counting the birds that visit your feeders on that day. Most of The Woodlands is within the Spring Creek CBC, except for the far north and far northwest portions of The Woodlands. (See the accompanying map to get an idea of which areas are in the count circle. If you aren't sure, you can send your address or a nearby intersection to Claire and she can confirm if you live inside the CBC circle.) To volunteer to be a feeder watcher for the CBC, please contact Claire now via email at cdmoore3i@gmail.com Claire will then email you further information on how to count and report your sightings.
As mentioned above, volunteers from the Heartwood Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists sponsor this CBC. The Texas Master Naturalist Program’s mission is to develop a group of well-informed volunteers to provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities for the State of Texas. The Heartwood Chapter includes a passionate group of diverse individuals based in Montgomery and Walker Counties. Our chapter meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m., except December, and are open to the public. Each meeting includes an interesting speaker on a nature topic. For topics and more information, please check our calendar at our website: https://txmn.org/heartwood/
