EVERY BEAK COUNTS IN CENSUS BIRDERS TRAMP THROUGH REGION.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer Forgoing the crowds at the day-after Christmas sales, a dedicated group braved the rain and chill Monday morning in search of something to really sing about. There was the Cooper's hawk swooping down from the sky and skimming Skimming An electronic method of capturing a victim's personal information used by identity thieves. The skimmer is a small device that scans a credit card and stores the information contained in the magnetic strip. the grass. And there was the tree that had dropped most of its leaves but was loaded with chipping sparrows. For several hours, bird watchers eagerly tallied species as part of the 106th annual Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birders. The purpose is to provide population data for use in science, especially conservation biology, though many people , the oldest and largest citizen science event in the world. Groups all over the country gather to walk their community and count the number of species and individual birds they see. The information helps experts study bird population trends. Organized by the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Audubon Society, teams covered seven different locations Monday morning, from Chatsworth Reservoir to Hansen Dam Hansen Dam in Los Angeles County, California was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District in 1939 and 1940. The project is located near the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley on Tujunga Wash, about one mile below the confluence of the Big Tujunga Wash . ``It's an important day for protecting the birds for the future - and to protect their habitat,'' said Heather Medvitz of Calabasas. ``Plus, it's a wonderful thing to see a lot of birds. You never know what you're going to see when you come out.'' She was among more than a dozen volunteer birders who spent the morning at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in Lake View Terrace, usually the busiest bird count location in the Valley, leader Jim Hardesty said. More than 100 different species are usually spotted in the area's willow forest, lake and grassy areas. But many birds were hiding out early Monday morning because of the dark sky and rain. There was barely a chirp from the trees. But there were some sights, nonetheless. ``There's a little aerial ballet over there.'' Hardesty pointed to the sky as two crows twisted, dipped and soared in tandem Adv. 1. in tandem - one behind the other; "ride tandem on a bicycle built for two"; "riding horses down the path in tandem" tandem . The team kept on walking, eager to spot movement among branches or tall grass. Guy Commeau of Van Nuys has been ``birding'' or bird watching Bird Watching is a British magazine for birders. The current editor is Kevin Wilmot. External Links
He is also an accomplished birder planning a trip to Venezuela so he can spot his 4,000th bird species. ``What's good about birding is that you can go anywhere in the world and see a bird. Even if I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. anyone there, I will know a bird.'' The results of the 2006 Christmas Bird Count are available at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) An overhead flock and a nest in a bare tree are among sights Monday near Hansen Dam as San Fernando Valley bird watchers join the 106th annual Christmas Bird Count. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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