Petree WU trQeNie by Usls lyk LobeN 3 
Over 88,457,100 persons visited our National Parks in 1962, an all-time 
high. The cost of litter clean-up in our National Parks system runs to 
over $1,500,000 annually ... The Editors of Changing Times in September 
1963 scored the carelessness which is destroying the once lovely American 
landscape. They condemned the communities which through poor zoning 
are allowing billboards, junkyards, honky-tonks, and slums to deface some 
of our national shrines. . . Conservationists concerned over the stalling 
of the Wilderness Bill in Congress by the House Interior Committee may 
well read two current books with profit: “The Deadlock of Democracy: 
Four Party Politics in America” by James MacGregor Burns, and “The 
Senate Establishment” by Senator Joseph Clark. Both make excellent 
reading and give one a better understanding of why some measures are 
made into law and others are not. 
615 Rochdale Circle, Lombard, Illinois 
fi fl fi a 
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT DATES 
Thursday, December 19, 1963 
Through Wednesday, January |, 1964 
By Margaret Lehmann 
The above dates spell out the Count Period for this year, and that means 
excitement for many birding organizations. Each year, more enthusiasm 
is shown by more counts being taken and published in the country as a 
whole. The Christmas Count is the major winter activity for some Audubon 
groups. | 
While the main purpose of the counts is to stimulate interest in birds, 
the counts serve scientific purposes as well, especially when they are 
reported for the same areas over a long period of years. The censuses in- 
dicate increases or decreases in bird populations — whether some species 
are extending their ranges — whether there is an invasion of one or more 
species, and their extent — plus surprises which show up now and then. 
Each Christmas bird count represents a record of the number of in- 
dividuals and species of birds found on one day during the count period, 
in an area contained within a circle 15 miles in diameter. Traditionally, 
Florida, California, and Texas report the highest counts of individuals. 
This year Cocoa, Florida, reported 197 species, while Tomales Bay, Cali- 
fornia, and Houston, Texas, reported 166 species and 165 species respective- 
ly. It seems almost incredible that so many species of birds can be found 
in an area only 15 miles in diameter, but you may be sure these circles 
are centered to contain as many of the best local birding areas as possible, 
and the participants work those areas intensively, both before and on the 
actual count day. We say they have the birds “pinned down” before the 
Gay of the count. 
Some people have asked how to initiate a Christmas bird count. Your 
first step should be to send for the official count forms. Send your request 
to: Miss Elizabeth S. Manning, National Audubon Society, 1130 Fifth 
Avenue, New York 28, New York. With these forms will be included a 
printed sheet listing Christmas Bird Count rules, and a sample to follow 
in filling out the official forms. Study these instructions carefully. Reports 
