Native Indiana birds counted at state park

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. -- Even in below freezing temperatures, some local wildlife brave the Indiana weather without flying south for the winter. \nThe Knob & Valley Audubon Society of New Albany, Ind., teamed up with local residents Saturday on a hike in Falls of the Ohio, a state park located in Clarksville, Ind., to count winter birds. The event was held in conjunction with the National Audubon Society's annual Backyard Bird Count held every February. \nOne of the primary aims of the project is to provide scientists with information on trends in bird populations and migration in the western hemisphere. \nThose involved in the national bird watch said they hope this year's data could help conservationists indicate just how many birds have been affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita.\nGary Sprandel, an avid nature lover, said the cold weather didn't bother him. \n"I am from Minnesota, so I am used to the cold," he said. \nDavid Coyte, president of the Knob & Valley Audubon Society, led the expedition.\n"I enjoy nature very much, and birding is something I really like," Coyte said.\nAs an expert in the Backyard Bird Count project, Coyte was able to teach others how to record the information they collected from the hike in a national database.\nOne method of luring birds for observation is with food. At the feeders, birdwatchers saw 28 house sparrows at one time. \nThe Audubon Society conducts its count based on how many birds of a species are spotted at one time, rather than the numbers seen over the span of the entire watch. \nThe cardinal, Indiana's state bird, was also seen in abundance. \nThe rarest bird sighted was the Cooper's hawk, which was seen flying over the high trees of the park. The scouts also observed the tufted puffin, Carolina titmouse, herring gull, dark eyed junco, mourning dove, song sparrow, downey woodpecker, Carolina wren, American robin, white breasted nuthatch, blue jay, red shouldered hawk, double breasted cormorant, European starling and the mockingbird. \nBett Etehonan, who is part of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and helped organize the hike, said she was not disappointed by the number of participants and birds seen. \n"On a cold day like this, as many showed up as were to be expected," she said. \nFor more information about the national bird count, visit www.birdsource.com.