Volunteers gather each year at thousands of locations throughout North America and search 14-mile circles for birds over a 24-hour period. Not all of these counts take place at the same time. They cover a window of time, this year from Dec. 14-Jan. 5.

A list of species was handed to volunteers, and they counted each individual bird they found, identifying and logging them. The information was then relayed to the National Audubon Society, which tracks population trends across time and across areas, giving clues to populations on large scales and what may be affecting them.

Typically, between 35-40 different species may be found in this area during the count, according to an organizer, Joe Super.

“If a group sees more than 40 species here, that’s a big deal,” he said.

Submitted Photo A red bellied woodpecker is spotted on a bird feeder in Minot on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Super said, many more species are typically seen during these continent-wide bird counts.

Each year, the dates of the counts vary, but the search circles stay the same, to keep consistency from year to year. This year’s count in Minot was moved slightly, from McDonald’s on Broadway to the Roosevelt Park Zoo. The time of year the count occurs is a nod to John Audubon, a naturalist and ornithologist from the late 1800s and his annual hunt.

Audubon was one of the first people to recognize the need to protect birds, and he pioneered changes in laws which restricted irresponsible hunting practices and protected migrating birds. As times changed, and the public became more conservation-minded, his annual family hunt became a count and is part of a large-scale conservation effort named for him.

Super invited those with a desire to learn about birds to join the count. He said the zoo and the park district have been collaborating with him to make birding “a bigger deal” in the city. He said anyone who’s interested may join in, even just by watching their bird feeders, keeping track of how long they watched and communicating their counts to himself during the count. To be included in the count, birders should share how many people they were counting with, how many minutes they spent birding and the number of individual birds, as well as species seen.

Some arctic dwelling birds, such as gyrfalcons, snowy owls and redpolls, are pushed south by the Canadian winter into this area, where there is more food and a more temperate climate. Super said these and other northern species don’t always winter in this area if food is plentiful in their typical habitat, but if winter is harsh, and food is difficult to find, a wider variety of species may be seen locally.

Submitted Photo Miki Asmamaw, left, Kaden McLeod, center, and Joe Super, right, are near the Roosevelt Park Zoo during the 125th annual Christmas Bird Count this past weekend.

Redpolls were the most commonly seen species by those searching last year. They migrate to North Dakota in the thousands to take advantage of sunflowers the farmers didn’t harvest, according to Super. In Canada, he said, they primarily eat seeds during the winter, but if the trees and other flora don’t produce, more of the small birds can be driven south.

Geese are another species which can be found in the area year-round, due to the open water that can be found here along the river. By the river, Super said, the birds have everything they need to survive – trees for shelter, farms with waste seed and open water even during the winter. Super explained this combination of resources makes the Souris River Valley an excellent migration corridor for many species and offers a winter home for even more.

Local birders are trying to build up more habitat along the river, because as Super pointed out, that’s how birds travel safely through the area. He said the city has 14 acres of land along the river near downtown Minot, which he would like to see planted with sheltering plants and trees. According to Super, taking care of the river corridor is crucial.

Those interested in helping birds easily can, said Super, simply by having a bird feeder and keeping it stocked, as well as having fresh, open water and limiting the use of pesticides and herbicides. One bird seed he mentioned was black oil sunflower seeds, as these are a natural part of many species’ diets, and invasive species don’t prefer them, he said. Another huge way to help, he said, is to plant trees, which offer needed shelter.

Garrison and Minot have both already had their counts this year. The count for the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge was Wednesday, the Lost Wood count is today, and the Medora/Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit count will be Saturday, Dec. 28, starting at 8:30 a.m. at the visitor’s center.