In December 1990, Frank Chapman organized the first Christmas Bird Count, and that tradition continues today with four counts in the tri-county area.

Each are on one specific day, when volunteers fan out over a 15-mile-diameter designated area to record all the birds they see. These volunteers are usually birding enthusiasts, but also can be people who are just interested in our winged neighbors.

These hardy volunteers go out no matter what the weather may be (last year there was a major snowstorm for the Plattsburgh count), and their finds can be outstanding.

This year in the Plattsburgh area, where the first count will be held Dec. 14, a couple of snowy owls have been spotted, photographed and written about. Snowy owls, big predators from the Arctic, usually fly south during years of lemming shortages up north, but that may not be the reason this year. Some speculate an overabundance of food led to high reproduction and expansion, not starvation. No matter, they are impressive birds to see.

Add to that the prospect of seeing a bald eagle almost anywhere along Lake Champlain, a gray jay or brown-capped chickadee in Bloomingdale Bog during the Saranac Lake Count, or plenty of wild turkeys in the Elizabethtown Count, and it is easy to understand why birders get excited about these events. And, the Christmas Bird Counts are actually the longest running scientific data base on record. According to the Audubon Society, a major birding organization, we know from the Christmas Counts that 20 common birds are in decline nationwide. One is the Northern bobwhite quail, also considered a game bird; however, the bald eagle is on the rebound.

Judy Heintz is the Plattsburgh Bird Count Coordinator, and she recommends volunteers (and new ones are always welcome) dress accordingly and bring along binoculars, a field guide and plenty of enthusiasm. You will be assigned an area or you can pair up with an experienced birder, a good way to learn new birds.

If you're not up to the field work, but still want to get involved, consider being a feeder watcher. All you need do is sit and watch your feeder for an hour, counting the birds you see.

"We always need feeder watchers," Heintz says.

For more details on the bird counts, contact the following:

* Dec. 14, Plattsburgh -- Judy Heintz at 563-5273 or heintzjf@verizon.net

* Dec. 20, Ferrisburg, Vt. (takes in Willsboro area) -- John and Pat Paxton at JPThax5317@aol.com

* Dec. 27, Elizabethtown -- Matt Medler at etowncbc@yahoo.com

* Jan. 3, Saranac Lake -- Larry Master at larry@masterimages.org

The GBBC

There is yet another significant bird-counting event set for Feb. 13 to 16, 2009 -- the 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count sponsored by the national Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. More on that in the months to come, but it's never too early to plan.