Audubon California is happy to announce our own special Audubon Christmas Bird Count travelling correspondent, Alison Sheehey (aka Nature Ali). Sheehey will be attempting to attend a record-breaking number of Counts and posting her experience here on the Audublog. We are privileged to have such an exclusive from this first-class birder.

Californians from all walks of life will take to the outdoors this holiday season to participate in the 111th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Between Dec. 14, 2012 and Jan. 5, 2013, thousands of Californians will transform into volunteer scientists to assess the size of bird populations in local communities throughout the state.

The data from these counts will be compiled with others from around the nation and beyond, and will ultimately help Audubon track the progress of imperiled species and gauge the impact of environmental threats to birds and habitat.

Christmas Bird Counts will take place in virtually every county throughout California – in places both familiar and remote. This year, well over 100 counts are scheduled in the state, and more than 5,000 are expected to participate.

Audubon California has used Christmas Bird Count data to predict how California birds will respond to climate change, and to identify which habitat areas will be critical to future conservation.

Stay tuned for more coverage! And to find a count near you, visit our website.

(Photo of birders on Mount Davidson by thebonobo/Flickr Creative Commons)