Bird watching is now in season

As the New Year starts, there are a lot of hunters still going after their favorite game, including archery deer and turkey, quail, rabbits and squirrels as well as some waterfowl.

Another activity that is growing across the state at this time of year includes several friends who get "birdy." Jack Wilson is one of these people. Wilson loves the outdoors and although he doesn't hunt with a dog or gun, he uses a binocular to find birds.

Wilson is among the growing number of birders and said, "Birding doesn't take much equipment. All you need is a good bird ID book, a quality binocular and a good field guide. Once you learn to recognize the different bird habits and traits like feeding, mating and flying, it gets easy to determine the species. It gets to be fun and you can do it at your convenience."

Birders have been ready for the annual invasion of Canada's hungry birds. The land that sends human "snowbirds" to the warmer south will send real feathered friends to Missouri this winter.

A big invasion of winter finches from Canada's north woods is expected to delight feeder-watchers in Missouri according to bird experts. Area bird watchers may be in for a treat this winter when the showing of northern finches arrive.

Wilson has a few tips for beginners to get them started. First, get a good binocular, one with a 7x35 or 10x50 power that offers adequate magnification and field of view, especially when birding in prime areas. A good field guide will help in identification.

Beginners will soon learn to identify birds by sight and sound, Knowing the shape of a bird's wings, legs, head and tail makes it easier to learn the different species.

The annual Christmas Bird Count, going on for more than 100 years, counted birds at more than 1,700 locations across North America. It just ended and the results will be released soon.

The 8th annual Great Backyard Bird Count will once again be sweeping the nation during the weekend of Feb. 18-21. The theme this year is, "North America's Great Backyard, no bird left behind," was chosen as a way to celebrate the beauty of birds found across the country.

People are encouraged to count birds during some or all of the four-day event, keeping watch in their backyards, parks, or other public lands. They can then report their highest tallies for each bird species over the Internet at www.birdsource.org/gbbc and view maps of the counts as data pour in. There's no fee or registration to participate.

During last winter's GBBC, participants submitted nearly 50,000 checklists that totaled more than four million birds of 512 species. These reports documented regional declines of the American Crow that may be the result of West Nile virus.

How will this winter's count compare with the last ones? What will it reflect about our bird populations and the health of the environment?

Instructions for participating can be found at the above web site and also includes information about bird feeding, bird identification, using binoculars, tips for families and groups with children and making your yard bird friendly.

Recently Wilson spotted two bald eagles near Stockton Lake and said, "For the past several years I have seen more and more eagles wintering in Missouri, it's quite a sight to see."