Our Mission: The Mattabeseck Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon
Society, is committed to environmental leadership and education for
the benefit of the community and the earth's biodiversity.
deKoven House,
27 Washington Street,
Middletown, Connecticut 06457
The 37th MAS Annual Salmon River
Christmas Bird Count to be Held
Sunday, December 18, 2011
For 112 years, the National Audubon Society has been surveying bird populations at Christmas time. This year will be the 37th year MAS has been part of this effort which will be held on Sunday, December 18. Our teams, led by the captains listed below, will scour the countryside in our 15-mile diameter circle centered on the Old Comstock Bridge on the Salmon River (see map) to tally our feathered friends, who invariably provide us with some surprises.
Those of you who have feeders within the circle are urged to use the form on the reverse side to report birds that come to your feeder. Feeder watchers not only contribute to the total bird tally; they have almost always tallied birds that those of us in the field have not found.
We encourage any and all newcomers, experienced birders or not, to participate in this celebration of man-in-nature, sponsored by the National Audubon Society and its hundreds of local chapters and affiliates nationwide. This is the oldest citizen-led science project in the world. If you are interested in taking part, call Joe Morin at (860) 635-2786. Or call one of the team captains if you would like to participate in his or her count area. (We hope to have the updated list on this page soon.)
We will all congregate at the Cypress Restaurant on Route 17 in Middletown, going south out of the city, from 5:00 p.m. on, to enjoy the fellowship and the excitement of the tally. Every year has produced a few spectacular sightings—either for the count day or the count week—and unusual numbers of species.