Special to the Herald

The Audubon Society is conducting its 125th annual Christmas Bird Count and is looking for volunteers to count birds in Effingham County.

Effingham County’s count will be taken Dec. 21 from sunrise to sunset. Volunteers simply count any and all birds they observe within a 15-mile diameter of Springfield. A volunteer’s property will work, or participants may go to a nearby park, field, boat landing, or forest. (If going onto private property, first get permission from the property owner.)

John Cassell, a zoology teacher at Effingham College and Career Academy, is the coordinator for Effingham County count. People who want to participate in the count may email Cassell at jcassell@effingham.k12.ga.us to sign up as a participant for the count. Cassell will email participants more information and data sheets the day before the count is taken.

Cassell is holding an informational meeting for anyone interested in participating Dec. 13, beginning at 6 p.m. at Effingham Extension Office, 601 N. Laurel St. in Springfield.

“(We are) focusing our efforts in Guyton, Rincon, and Springfield,” Cassell said. “We will determine what species are thriving in this rapidly growing county.”

According to the Audubon Christmas Bird Count website, participants may range from expert ornithologists to beginning birders. Participants just report the number of birds they see or hear on Dec. 21 to Cassell via email. If you take pictures of the birds as you count, the pictures may be uploaded to Audubon’s live website.

Volunteers are also needed for the Savannah bird count on Jan. 4, 2025.

After all the numbers are crunched, data will be available on the Audubon website in March 2025.