The Christmas bird count has been a popular activity for bird watchers and families in recent years.

The populations of wild birds have been a significant guide post for the health of our environment and how we are taking care of our Earth. Our family has always had a keen interest in bird watching and wildlife in general. Being the first to call out a species sighting has been a regular event for every season and winter brings out a great opportunity to do so.

With so many students being home-bound and education being turned upside down, this would be a terrific opportunity to do something educationally interesting, an outdoor activity, definitely using social distancing and a way to expand your knowledge about nature’s feathered friends. With Moraine State Park, Jennings Nature Preserve, Preston Park and Succop Nature Park among other areas as a starting place, you can combine walking, observing bird life and fresh air as an educational experience.

Throw in cross country skis, sleds, or snowshoes and you can really gain the interest of youngsters.

How do you start a winter bird watch? First of all, you can obtain a reference guide to birds from our area. We can start with The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds-Eastern Region, the PA Game Commission-sponsored Birds of Pennsylvania written by James & Lillian Wakely, or even the National Wildlife Federation — Wild Bird Feeding publications.

All of these books can be readily found on line and rounded up at many bookstores and even on E-bay and Amazon. The Bird Watcher Store in Slippery Rock has many resources to help you start out as well.

If you want to do this activity, I would suggest this explorer list; one back pack, a thermos for hot drinks, good binoculars, a bird guide for identification, photography equipment, a notebook and pencil, high energy snacks and a water bottle. Don’t forget warm gloves or mittens and hand warmers.

If you get off the beaten path, you will need good boots and a flash light. Why a flash light? If you want to see or hear owls, you will be working on it at dawn and dusk. An orange vest will be needed if you are walking in Game Lands or areas open to hunting.

I prepared a list of Winter birds that you are likely to see in your journey for bird watching. This is where the pencil and notebook come in handy, sometimes ink pens can freeze up in the outdoors.

The birds you may encounter could include these and maybe some others: 1. Black capped chickadee, 2. White-breasted nuthatch, 3. American gold finch, 4. Northern Cardinal, 5. Blue Jay, 6. Mourning dove, 7. Purple finch, 8. House finch, 9. Downy woodpecker, 10. Hairy Woodpecker, 11. Red-bellied woodpecker, 12. Tufted titmouse, 13. Dark-eyed junco, 14. American crow, 15. Carolina wren, 16. Eastern Wild Turkey, 17. Brown creeper, 18. Redpoll, 19.Pine siskins, and 20. Evening grosbeak.

For bonus points, you can add these birds to your bird watcher list; the Pileated woodpecker, Ruffed grouse, Sandhill cranes, Red-tailed hawk, Eastern screech owl, Barred owl, Barn owl, Bald eagle and the Great horned owl. When you are afield, you can likely see many other birds that have flown off course or migrated in our area as well. In some areas, you may see ducks and geese or even a Snowy owl that isn’t one of our regular visitors, which would be extra special!

It could also be a good time for art work and posters to sketch, paint or draw your favorite bird in its natural setting. A card designed with a bird illustration is certainly a special gift. Photographers can have excellent photo ops and frame prints for many of the same creative ideas.

If you can’t get outdoors, a bird feeding station could be an entertaining option to consider. Feeders can be platforms, tubes, hoppers and fly throughs depending on your bird populations.

Each bird prefers a different feeder and location. I have found that nearly all birds prefer the black oil sunflower seeds, ground birds the white proso millet, and finches and the pine siskins the niger thistle seed.

It is best to keep the seeds separate for each species of bird. Birds will throw out unpreferred seed while seeking their favorites.

Good luck and see how you do with this winter season activity! Until we meet again be safe, be healthy, have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year in 2021!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle