CEDAR CITY – Do you enjoy watching birds? Would you call yourself a birder, or would you like to learn more about them? If so, you should join the Bureau of Land Management  this Friday and Saturday for the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the count is a yearly bird census conducted nationwide during the holiday season. This year marks the 113th Christmas Bird Count and everyone — families, students, volunteers, birders, biologists and scientists — is invited to participate. During the count, bird species are identified and information is recorded on a checklist that provides data crucial to the study of the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.

This weekend, you can help BLM wildlife biologists identify and record counts of bird species on Southern Utah’s public lands. On Friday, Lisa Church from the Kanab Field Office will be counting birds in the Kanab area. Anyone interested in helping her should meet at 8 a.m. at the office. On Saturday, Sheri Whitfield from the Cedar City Field Office will be counting birds near Zion National Park. Anyone interested in helping her should meet at 7:45 a.m. in the parking lot immediately outside Zion’s west entrance.

Don’t miss out on your chance to participate in the longest-running wildlife census in the United States and contribute to the scientific study of bird populations living in your backyard.

Event details and contact information

Date: Dec. 14 and 15

Time: 8 a.m. (Dec. 14) and 7:45 a.m. (Dec. 15)

Location: Kanab Field Office (Dec. 14) and Zion National Park West entrance (Dec. 15)

Admission: Free

Contact: Lisa Church – 435-644-1273 and Sheri Whitfield – 435-865-3065

Submitted by: Bureau of Land Management

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews