Pittsburgh-area Christmas Bird Count, set for Dec. 28, ‘turns up birds not normally found here’

For many Pennsylvanians, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, now in its 125th year, is as much a part of the holidays as gingerbread men and tinsel-laden trees.
Held annually throughout the western hemisphere from mid-December through Jan. 5, it is the longest-running community bird-science project in the United States, providing valuable data about population trends, ranges, and diversity.
The Pittsburgh-area count, which is always conducted Dec. 28, is one of the more popular in the country, said Brian Shema, Audubon director of operations at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in suburban Pittsburgh.