The 40-year tradition of counting birds during the Christmas season continues in Ellis County. The annual activity is part a nationwide effort by the Audubon Society in about 25-hundred locales.
December 17th, a local group of skilled bird watchers and amateurs scouted 177 square miles of ground, about a 7-mile radius of Hays, collecting data on the number and types of birds species in the area.
Organizer Greg Farley is a Biology professor at Fort Hays State University. Last year’s count saw 5, 874 individual birds of 55 different species, including the red-bellied woodpecker.
The first North America Christmas Bird Count dates back to 1900 and is the longest-running Citizen Science survey in the world.
Farley says it takes place during this time of year when potential windy, wintery weather makes it easier to spot birds often huddled together on the snow.
See more birds tonight on Street Beat Eagle Community TV Channel 14.