Teams of birders across parts of Lake County came out during the early hours of Dec. 27 to take part in the annual Blackbrook Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. Starting just after sunrise volunteers spread across a 15-mile diameter circle that encompasses Lake County Executive Airport in Willoug hby to western Perry and then down from Lake Erie to the Holden Arboretum and Big Creek Park in Geauga County to get a glimpse of colorful birds —  but also to get a feel of how bird populations are changing over time. Dan Donaldson, the compiler for Blackbrook’s assigned area, was the first to arrive at his chosen post at Shipman Pond just west of Headlands Beach in Mentor. After unloading his scope at the small parking lot, he carefully made his way down the roadway to see what birds could be spotted. A flock of Canada geese pass overhead nearby Mentor Marsh during a Christmas Bird Count. (Frank Mecham -- The News-Herald) He said that he was only there for a few minutes, but spotted Canada geese, sparrows, American black ducks, a goldfinch, and a bald eagle perched in a tree about a kilometer (0.62 miles) away. The number of birds that he might see changes drastically depending on the weather, Donaldson said, but on a decent day he might see upwards of a 100 or as little as 30. “We usually get, on this bird count, around 70 species of birds,” Donaldson said. “Maybe 20 species of waterfowl, or birds that are associated with the lake or wetland here and then the rest associated with bird feeders like chickadees, titmice, and goldfinch, woodpeckers and things like that. “It just kind of depends on where you’re at, when it’s frozen over like this, we don’t get a lot of ducks in here… but I suspect that we get about 65-70 species today — it’s a nice day out, all things considered.” Donaldson said that he wanted to start off near the Mentor Marsh because the area offered many opportunities to see a diverse number of birds due to the makeup of the area. “This is one of the best birding spots in Ohio, for sure,” Donaldson said. “There’s here, Magee Marsh, several others. Everybody’s got their favorite spot. But this is pretty good birding spot because we get all the birds that are associated with the lake. “We’ve got Mentor Marsh, which is a huge marsh wetland, and then we’ve got some Lake Plain Forest here. It just gives us a lot of diversity in habitat which gives you a diversity in different birds.” Citizen science has been part of the Christmas Bird Count since its founding in 1900 making it the longest-running community science bird project in North America when ornithologist Frank Chapman first came up with the idea. Dan Donaldson walks down a pathway nearby the Mentor Marsh as he takes part in Blackbrook Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 27. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) Donaldson said that over the years, different birds will change where they stay and migrate to adapt to a changing environment, and by counting them throughout the year and sharing that data with the national network, they can help gauge how populations are changing in numbers or behaviors, as more habitat is taken away by industry, human encroachment, and climate change. “This is about helping researchers figure out populations, migration, and now with climate change, ranges of birds are starting to slowly move their way north because it’s warmer here,” Donaldson said. “Sometimes we see birds that we don’t normally see up here, like Northern mockingbirds, which are typically a more southern bird are starting to be more prevalent here along with some other species. “Some years we have what are called ‘irruptive species’ which are species that typically spend their time in the boreal forests in the winter, like finches and Grosbeaks, and things like that. And on years that there’s poor pine cone production they will flow south, and this is south to them, and they will shift in search of food.” Mentor Marsh, pictured here, has landscape for all kinds of different birds. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald) He said that people get into birding for all kinds of reasons, be it to check off lists, as an excuse to go outside, or just to be more involved with the world around them — but, he added, its very easy to help collect data with the smartphone that’s already in most people’s pockets. “All of it gets entered into an app called ‘eBird’ which is a national database based on location,” Donaldson said. “When you think about your phone, it’s got everything that you need for scientific research. It’s got photo documentation, it’s got geolocation, it’s got time. So, you’ve got a date stamp, a geolocation, and photo evidence on your phone and that’s all you need.” The Blackbrook Audubon Society offers Monthly Bird Walks every fourth Sunday of each month starting at 8 a.m. at Veterans Park in Mentor. New and upcoming programs can be viewed on its website at blackbrookaudubon.org.   ...read more read less