ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IN AND AROUND CALLAWAY GARDENS®

PINE MOUNTAIN, GA (12/16/11) – Calling all birders!  Every Christmas season Callaway Gardens^®participates in The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count Program.

Volunteer birders are needed to assist with the Callaway Gardens count on Friday, December 30, 2011.  Some participants simply watch feeders from the comfort of their home, while others walk and drive through different portions of the count area to census the bird populations. 

Last year between December 14 and January 5, Audubon’s official “count period,” over 61 million birds were reported on 2,215 counts. Apart from its attraction as a social, sporting and competitive event, the Christmas Bird Count reveals key scientific information about the Winter distribution of resident and migratory birds across the Western Hemisphere.

Each count has a designated circle measuring 15 miles in diameter.  All the birds seen or heard during the 24-hour (midnight to midnight) count day are tallied by birders. The center of the Callaway Gardens Count circle is near the Mountain Creek^® Inn at Callaway Gardens, so the census area encompasses all 13,000 acres of Callaway Gardens, as well as the FDR State Park and a large portion of Harris County.  

 The National Audubon Society charges each participant a $5 fee to help offset the cost of data processing.  Preregistration for the Christmas Bird Count is required by December 23, 2011.  To volunteer for this exciting event, call the Preserve at Callaway Gardens at (706) 663-6745or email ccroft@callawaygardens.com .

http://www.callawaygardens.com/index.aspx