On Sunday, Dec. 14, the Rathbun Area Bird Club will be participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count. Thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas will take part in the 109th Audubon Society sponsored event.

Each citizen who takes part in the count will contribute data to the longest running wildlife census. The information will be used to determine and assess the health of bird populations and in turn, guide conservation action.

Some field observers begin before daylight calling owls and may spend most of the day looking and listening for birds. Others are feeder watchers who count birds at their feeders throughout the day.

The local Rathbun Area Christmas Count is centered on a seven and one half mile radius of Walnut City. The count includes the towns of Centerville, Mystic, Plano, Rathbun and Clarkdale. The area includes most of Rathbun Lake including Island View, Buck Creek, Prairie Ridge, Honey Creek Ridge and Resort, Bridgeview, Southfork and Rolling Cove areas.

If you live within this circle and have bird feeders, you are welcome to help out our local bird club. If you would like to be a field observer, help is also needed and appreciated.

To participate call Mike and Vicky Stephens at 437-1736 or Dan Tiemeier at 856-8889 or email birder49@gmail.com.

More information about the Christmas Bird Count can be found at www.audubon.org/Bird/cbc/.