To join a count group, call the Audubon office before 5 p.m. today (Oakland count) or by Dec. 24 (San Francisco count). After Dec. 17, call Dave Quady at 510-910-1905.

Counters will gather at the end of the day over dinner to tally the species numbers.

These annual counts attempt to identify and record every individual bird encountered within a defined 15-mile diameter -- about 177 square miles -- during one calendar day. Last year, more than 1,800 counts were held in the U.S., including more than 100 in California, with more than 50,000 participants.

The Oakland Count area extends from Treasure Island northeast to the San Pablo Reservoir in Contra Costa County and south to St. Mary's College in Moraga and Oakland International Airport. The area is centered near Lake Merritt and encompasses Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Lafayette, Orinda, and Moraga.

The data collected is sent to the National Audubon Society. Results from counts from 1900 through today are at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc. The data, generated totally by volunteers, are a crucial part of the country's natural history monitoring database. For over a century, the Christmas Bird Count has provided insight into the past and present status and health of continental bird populations and the health of the environment.

Contra Costa Times
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