Sunday, February 17, 7:45 am-noon
Meets in front of Instituto Allende, Ancha de San Antonio 20
Members free, non-members 200 pesos or US $10

Audubon Birdwalk and Great Backyard Bird Count

by Signe Hammer

Come help count the world's birds! This month, we combine our regular Audubon birdwalk with the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizen-science event with participants in countries around the world. To count our local birds, we'll walk with leaders Luke Rich, Norman Besman, Michael Burns, Bob Graham and Signe Hammer along the Rio Laja, near Cieniguita and the bridge to Guanajuato. The rich habitat includes a wooded river trail, farmland with big trees, and open sky for raptors.

Everyone is welcome to join this birdwalk, from beginners to experienced birders. Adults and children (aged 10 and up, with their parents) alike will enjoy looking at the birds through binoculars and telescopes. Many will want to help us count them, as well.

For over 20 years, the Great Backyard Bird Count has been providing information to scientists who monitor the health of bird populations around the world. More than 160,000 people of all ages and walks of life worldwide join the four-day count each February to create an annual snapshot of the distribution and abundance of birds. These snapshots provide invaluable information for researchers who, like all of us, want to protect these beautiful creatures and the environment we share with them.

Last year at this site we found plenty of residents and winter visitors. On and along the river we saw a majestic Great Blue Heron, both Pied-billed and Least Grebes, a Green Heron and two Green Kingfishers, several Neotropic Cormorants, White-faced Ibis and all three of our resident egret species, Great, Snowy and Cattle.

In the trees and bushes, among our resident birds we found a rare, colorful Varied Bunting, tiny Bushtits, a gorgeous Hooded Oriole and vivid Blue and Black-headed Grosbeaks, as well as brilliant-yellow-fronted Great Kiskadees, lemon-yellow-fronted Cassin's Kingbirds and bright red Vermilion Flycatchers. Wintering sparrows included Chipping, Lark, Clay-colored and Brewer's. Among our smallest winter visitors were Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped, Yellow and Wilson's Warblers as well as two Common Yellowthroats—tiny, yellow, black-masked bandidos.

Perched or in the air, last year we saw Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Common Ravens, Turkey Vultures, a Crested Caracara and a Red-tailed Hawk, plus three American Kestrels.

Wear comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and bring water and a hat. We'll have our Audubon de México bird guide, Birds of San Miguel—with 81 species commonly found in the San Miguel area—for sale. Our guides carry telescopes so that everyone can see distant birds clearly, and we'll also have a few pairs of binoculars to lend.

Carpooling is essential, so if you have a car, please bring it. Plan to arrive at 7:45, as we leave promptly at 8. You'll be back by noon, with new entries for your life list and new birding friends. For more information, visit our website at:

http:// www.audubonmexico.org