Volunteers with good hearing, eyesight needed to help identify birds for annual survey

The call has gone out for bird-lovers and nature enthusiasts who have good hearing, eyesight and the ability to identify birds.

Suitable transportation is a requirement too.

The Missouri Department of Conservation is seeking volunteers to assist with the annual North American Breeding Bird Survey by collecting bird population data along roadside survey routes. There are about 20 routes in Missouri that need volunteers, according to the Conservation Department.

Each route is 24.5 miles long with stops at half-mile intervals. At each stop, volunteers will conduct a three-minute count of every bird heard or seen or within a mile radius. The surveys start a half hour before sunrise and takes about five hours to complete, according to the Conservation Department.

Volunteers will need to complete an on-line training program before their data can be used. The survey takes place in June, the height of the bird breeding season.

To see the routes needing volunteers, click here.

For more information or to volunteer contact Janet Haslerig, a Missouri Department of Conservation resource scientist, at Janet.Haslerig@mdc.mo.gov or call 573-522-4115, ext. 3198.

This story was originally published May 30, 2014 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Volunteers with good hearing, eyesight needed to help identify birds for annual survey."