While humans can only tolerate being counted every 10 years, an annual bird census conducted by the Audubon Society has reached its 110th year. Conducted at year’s end, the Christmas bird count is an informal opportunity for birding enthusiasts across the country to get together and assess the health of avian populations in their area.

Since the Audubon Christmas Bird Count hit a notable milestone this year, I decided to shadow some experienced birders on this year’s Plattsburgh count. My goals: to see what sorts of birds stick around the city during our long North Country winters, to find out more about the hobby of bird watching and to learn whatever lessons I could.

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