The North American Migration Count (NAMC) is an annual event that occurs in both the spring and fall. The spring count is always the second weekend in May and the fall count is the third weekend in September. County coordinators are assigned to organize the counts in each county. Volunteers are assigned regions and fan out, counting every bird they can find in their region. The count period is 24 hours and is either on a Saturday or Sunday, depending on the preferences of the coordinator.
The main goal of the NAMC to gather bird migration data that can help inform decision makers on issues that pertain to birds. Data has been collected since the early 90's and that data is currently being processed in a central database with the expressed intent of having the data analyzed at a future date. A secondary goal of this project is to get more people into the field enjoying birds. Since these two dates provide some of the most productive birding of the year, we hope to use this event as a showcase for our state's avian wonders and promote bird conservation and appreciation.
If you would like to assist in counting birds in any one of Oregon's 36 counties, contact the state coordinator Chuck Gates at cgates326@gmail.com