The Connecticut River Valley & Christmas Bird Count:
A Century of Observations
A Century of Observations
A Zoom Presentation by Geoffrey S. LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count Director for National Audubon
Child birding at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, 1940s.
Courtesy of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Massachusetts Historical Society |
Some of the nation’s first bird surveys were conducted in the Connecticut River Valley. In Northampton, the first records date to the 1840s when William Dwight Whitney, who grew up on King Street, began observing birds and collecting specimens. In the decades that followed, the nation’s interest in natural history and conservation soared. In 1889, Florence Merriam published the first field guide to bird identification in the U.S., Birds Through an Opera Glass, which includes profiles of species she observed along the Mill River while she was attending Smith College.
In this presentation, noted ornithologist Geoff LeBaron will spotlight the last century of birding in the Connecticut River Valley by focusing on the records gathered during the Christmas Bird Count. Started in 1900, Christmas Bird Count is considered one of the world’s largest “citizen science” projects and relies on data collected by thousands of volunteers. LeBaron will share information on how some species of birds in our area are doing on local, regional, and continental scales. |
Tuesday, February 28, 2024
7 PM
7 PM
About Geoff LeBaron
Geoff LeBaron is the Director of the Christmas Bird Count for the National Audubon Society, a position he has held since 1987. A frequent contributor to Science Friday on NPR, LeBaron is also the spokesperson for Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home, Climate Watch, and the Great Backyard Bird Count. He is a resident of Williamsburg, Massachusetts, and a member of the Hampshire Bird Club. He has led birding trips all over the world.
