Sandy McRuer wants to retire—for real, this time.
McRuer has organized the annual Christmas bird count in the Alberni Valley for nearly 25 years, and announced last year he wanted to retire. No one stepped up to replace him, however, and after some urging from regional birders he has agreed to run the annual count one more time. This year it will be on Sunday, Jan. 3.
The bird count is part of a western hemisphere-wide event that takes place between Dec. 15 and Jan. 10 every year.
Anyone wanting to participate—or better yet, take over from McRuer—can call him at 250-731-7015 or e-mail mcruer@shaw.ca.
He is looking for a new compiler—”somebody else who can do all the number crunching,” he said.
The compiler would handle publicity, contacting past volunteers, organizing teams and locations, then compiling and entering data into the Audubon Society web database.
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