Volunteers needed for National Audubon Society bird count

For the Rapids City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Dec. 15 marks the 119th year the National Audubon Society is conducting its annual Christmas Bird Count. The count is vital to ornithologists for assessing the health of our bird populations.

Volunteers are needed for the count. No experience is necessary; a rudimentary knowledge of local birds is all you need.

The count circle is a 15-mile radius with the airport as the center – an area including Wisconsin Rapids, Port Edwards, Grand Rapids, and Biron; a majority of Saratoga and Nekoosa; and a portion ofGrant. This area is called the Wisconsin Rapids Christmas Bird Count Circle.

If you have a bird feeder, just keeping an eye on it would provide valuable information to the count. Anyone interested can contact Willy Fleck, williflek@gmail.com or Penny Van Tassel, smallfaithone@gmail.com.