|A mixed flock of ducks take off from a California wetland. Many national wildlife refuges will welcome participants in an annual bird count called "The Big Sit" on October 10.|
|Credit: Gary Kramer|
Many Refuges to Take Part in Birding Event
Once again, many national wildlife refuges nationwide will participate in the annual birding event called “The Big Sit,” hosted each fall by Bird Watcher’s Digest. The bird-a-thon, slated for Sunday, October 10, involves people around the world in tallying all bird species that can be seen or heard within 24 hours.
Volunteers form a circle 17 feet in diameter on a refuge or other outdoor site and take turns sitting inside the circle, counting all the bird species they see or hear.
Participating refuges this year will include Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Ohio (http://midwest.fws.gov/ottawa), Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Texas (http://southwest.fws.gov/refuges/texas/trinityriver) and Muscatatuck Refuge in Indiana (http://www.fws.gov/midwest/muscatatuck).
Last year, 37 national wildlife refuges hosted Big Sit teams, drawing hundreds of volunteers.For more information about The Big Sit and refuge participation, visit http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/about.php