The Crawford Park District held their annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, Jan. 3. A total of 16 volunteers helped count birds for this event. The birders included 11 field and five feeder counters.

According to Park District Naturalist, Warren Uxley, a total of 54 species were counted in Crawford County this year, which is down from last year's record count of 62 species. The very cold temperatures the day of the count are partially to blame for the decreased bird activity.

Some of the birds that were noticed in higher numbers were Cedar Waxwings which were found feeding on the berries of the highly invasive Amur Honeysuckle. Naturalist Uxley also noted that there were five Bald Eagles counted this year and a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker was sighted.

The information gained from the count will be submitted to Audubon along with count results from all over North America. This information is then used to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys, it provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count relies solely on the efforts of volunteer bird enthusiasts. Results can be viewed at our website: www.craw fordparkdistrict.org or by going to the Audubon website. For more information on becoming involved with next year's count, contact the Crawford Park District office at 419-683-9000.