From Napa-Solano Audubon Society

Event: Christmas Bird Count for Kids

Event: Christmas Bird Count for Kids Family friendly event

Date: Sunday December 07, 2014

Time: 8:30 AM

Join us for the first Annual Napa County Christmas Bird Count for Kids at Connolly Ranch, 3141 Browns Valley Road, Napa, CA. Pre-registration required of $5. (NSAS Event)

Details:

Every year for over a century, tens of thousands of citizen scientists take part in the National Audubon Society’s Annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), the longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations. This rigorous event often does not include young children, so in an effort to train future generations of citizen scientists in this country-wide endeavor, Napa-Solano Audubon (NSAS) and Connolly Ranch, in collaboration with our friends at Sonoma Birding, invite families with children ages 8-16 to join us for a half day event to learn some of the important basic elements of this grand old Audubon tradition.

The CBC4Kids was spearheaded in 2007 by Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie of Sonoma Birding, who have expanded this program into a national event. The event brings together all the elements to introduce the next generation of stewards to the importance of birds in the ecosystem, the tradition of annual bird counts and the fun of getting families outside to exercise and engage with the natural world.

Bird Count participants, ages 8-16, will attend a Binocular Boot Camp, teaching them how to properly use and care for their binoculars. Each child will also receive a bird booklet to help him or her get familiar with birds, and keep a record and tally of what he or she sees in the field. Participants will break into groups led by local birding experts, make a short trip to their field location, and spend 1.5 hours in the field discovering and counting birds. Groups will return to Connolly Ranch for lunch and to tally and report on their findings.

Pre-registration and a $5 registration fee are required. All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Participants should wear comfortable hiking shoes, dress in layers, and bring a brown bag lunch and binoculars (if possible). A limited number of loaner binoculars will be available.

Click here to go directly to the registration page.

More information can be found on the Connoly Ranch web site. If you have any questions contact: Wendy Schackwitz at (925)963-4871 or napa-solano-birds@outlook.com. To register, go to registration@connnollyranch.org.

submitted on November 12, 2014, at 12:59 AM PST

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Page last modified on November 15, 2014, at 12:02 PM PST