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Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon Society asks for help with annual bird count

Posted at 3:29 PM, Dec 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-02 20:42:52-05

GREAT FALLS — If you live in or around Great Falls, the Upper Missouri Breaks Audubon Society could use your help with the annual "Christmas Bird Count" later this month.



Because of the pandemic, the organization will not be caravanning people around to count birds - that means they want people to get outside and count.

Count day is Saturday, December 19.

You keep track of what birds you see and how many of each in the society’s count area on that day, and then report that information to the society by e-mail at norafgray@gmail.com.

"It's a citizen science project that's been going on since 1900... Over that period of time, you can take and look and say, 'We've lost 90 percent of our population of this kind of bird or that kind of bird.' Then, you can start saying, 'Why? What's going on?’” said UMBAS member Beth Hill.

If you'd like to sign up, or get more information, click here to visit the website.

Last year, the organization reported the following types of birds and numbers during "count week":

Our bird list follows: (CW = seen during count week but not on count day)
Snow Goose 12; Cackling Goose 624; Canada Goose 24,240; American Wigeon 18; Mallard 2170; Canvasback 2; Redhead 57; Ring-necked Duck 17; Lesser Scaup 7; Bufflehead 192; Common Goldeneye 1382; Barrow’s Goldeneye 21; Hooded Merganser 1; Common Merganser 20; Ring-necked Pheasant 11; Wild Turkey 46; Sharp-tailed Grouse CW; Pied-billed Grebe – CW; Double-crested Cormorant –CW; Bald Eagle 25; No. Harrier 1; Sharp-shinned Hawk 1; Northern Goshawk 2; Cooper’s Hawk 2; Red-tailed Hawk 9; Harlan’s Hawk(red-tail) 1; Rough-legged Hawk 15; Golden Eagle 10; Merlin 1; Prairie Falcon CW; Peregrine Falcon 1; American Coot 160; Rock Pigeon 380; Eurasian-collared Dove 227; Mourning Dove 5; Great Horned Owl 2; Belted Kingfisher 2; Downy Woodpecker 21; Hairy Woodpecker –CW; Northern Red-shafted Flicker 14; Northern Shrike 1; Blue Jay 14; Black-billed Magpie 220; American Crow 20; Common Raven 18; Horned lark 8; Black-capped Chickadee 186; Mountain Chickadee 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch 10; White-breasted Nuthatch 2; Brown Creeper 2; Townsend’s Solitaire 3; American Robin 3; European Starling 664; Bohemian Waxwing – CW; Red-winged Blackbird 1; Common Grackle 1; House Finch 204; House Sparrow 1437.