We are part of The Trust Project.
DULUTH — Each early winter, just before Christmas, Audubon sends volunteers out into the cold, all across North America, to count how many different bird species they can find.
It’s one of the longest running bird counts in the world, and the citizen science involved is considered one of the best indicators of bird trends, both populations and distribution.
All of the counts are held between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. In the Northland, many bird counts are scheduled on Dec. 17 and 18, but dates vary by location.
Groups heading out in the Duluth and Sax-Zim Bog areas already are full, but you can still get involved with counting groups in Two Harbors, Cloquet, Hibbing, Virginia, Aurora, Grand Rapids, the Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge near McGregor, Ely, Isabella, Grand Marais, Cook, Duquette, Superior, Bayfield, Herbster and Hayward.
For more information and to see a map of where counting groups have formed, go to audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count . Please contact the local organizer before going out to count.
