Area wildlife enthusiasts can take part in a nationwide holiday tradition at local park this weekend.
The annual Tri-County Rochester Christmas Bird Count is part of the larger nationwide Christmas Bird Census. It counts birds during the holidays from Canada to California. The local event covers a 15 mile circle where Marshall, Kosciusko and Fulton Counties meet.
Potawatomi Wildlife Park in Tippecanoe is hosting a bird count event at its interpretative center on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 8 a.m. EST. Their goal is to create a list of birds found specifically on Potawatomi Wildlife Park’s property.
Inexperienced birders are encouraged to come. Identification cheat sheets will be provided, and novices will be paired with more experienced watchers.
The main goal of the Christmas Bird Count is to monitor the status and distribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere. CBC data is paired with that of other surveys to develop a clearer picture of how bird populations throughout the Americas have changed in time and space over the past 100 years.
Data also helps reveal the impact of diseases such as, in years past, the West Nile virus. Since birds are overall indicators of the health of our environment, experts say the cout also reveals a great deal about ourselves and our impact on local flora and fauna.
The Potawatomi Wildlife Park Interpretive Center is located at 16998 State Road 331, Tippecanoe Indiana. Participation is free and includes a published annual report. Call Executive Director Mike Stephan at 574-498-6550 for more information or email park@getintonature.com.
