Emily Greve of Youngstown, a Mill Creek MetroParks naturalist / educator, speaks to a group at a recent “Coffee with the Birds” program at the Birch Hill Cabin at the park. (Photo by Bob Coupland)

YOUNGSTOWN — Members of the “Coffee with the Birds” program who meet at Mill Creek Park are among those local bird watchers who help with the annual bird counts reported to Cornell University and the Audubon Society.

Emily Greve of Youngstown, a Mill Creek MetroParks educator, gathered with 15 birdwatchers in December at the Birch Hill Cabin where they watched and discussed the local birds.

She said the winter months are when people see more birds at their feeders since less food is available for them to find because of the snow. Greve said many people watch birds at their home feeders, but there are groups at the park and at Mosquito Lake that can contact the local Audubon Society if they want to help with the bird counts.

Greve said while some people take part in the Christmas bird count, others take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.

“There are groups of people who get involved by contacting the local Audubon Society. We have people who watch the birds from the bird sanctuary we have here,” Greve said.

She said the monthly “Coffee with the Birds” is the first Sunday of each month at the Ford Nature Center, but in January and February, it will be the first and second Sunday at the park for discussion on a variety of bird-related topics.

She said locally, people can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 15 at the George L. Fordyce Park, formerly Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, located along West Calla Road in Beaver Township. Greve said this is a Mill Creek MetroParks offsite location.

WINTER BIRD TALKS

Greve said there are several winter bird talks on owls and other varieties being planned in January and February at the Ford Nature Center.

She said the Great Backyard Bird Count takes place one weekend in February, with local people recording the data from all the participants who are given specific days to watch and record birds. The Christmas Bird Count began Dec. 14 and ends Monday.

Melissa Papini of Boardman has taken part in the bird counts in past years, with her interest in bird watching starting from the feeder in her own backyard. Papini recorded birds she swat the Ford Nature Center last year.

She said she can watch the birds at the feeder and how they interact with each other.

“I have learned so much from Emily and the programs she holds. When I walk in the parks, I can identify different birds from the information she has given us,” Papini said.

She said watching the feeder at her home she is easily able to identify them.

Celeste Hazlett of Boardman said attending the “Coffee with the Birds” is the best way to start a Sunday. She said she enjoys watching birds and would like to take part in the bird count.

“I will make sure I have binoculars,” Hazlett said.

Paulette Pasquale of Youngstown said attending the “Coffee with the Birds” is a good way to get started to learn about birding.

“I am new to birding and have been on hikes in the park with Emily so I am learning about birds. Emily has helped me become more aware of how to locate birds and identify them. This is something I really enjoy,” Pasquale said.

Anita Koch of Austintown said she is a member of the local Audubon Society and finds the members are very knowledgeable about birds.

“They have great talks about birds and interesting facts. I have learned so much,” Koch said.

For the recent talk, Greve had a slide of different birds that she asked the participants to describe and then try to identify.

Greve discussed different types of bird feeders, noting tube feeders in the 1960s and 1970s were able to hold more bird feed and were easier to fill.

Greve said more than 50 million Americans have bird feeders and $4.5 billion is spent on bird seed in the U.S. annually. She said many people in farming and agriculture feed birds to increase the population since they eat pests that eat farm crops.