I saved a seat next to me in my car so you could go with me to the Audubon Christmas bird count in the Skagit and Island County area., figuratively speaking. This is our contribution to the national bird count in the lower 48 states, Canada and Alaska. The goal is to track how species are doing locally. The data allows tracking for how well species are doing both short- and long-term.

A car is needed to reach our assigned area. For years mine has been the Deception Pass section south of the bridge, including the state park and the adjoining saltwater. My area is designated 12A and is the ou...