With few trees, compared, say, to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, counting birds at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area shouldn't be too difficult when the NRA holds its Christmas Bird Count.

Those clear vistas should help as you search the skies, waters, and cliffs for some of the 315 bird species that have been documented in the NRA in the past.

The Christmas Bird Count at the NRA, its 14tyh annual, will be held January 3. You're invited to participate, and don't need to be an expert birder to participate. New birders will be paired with experienced individuals, making this a great way to start learning the birds of Glen Canyon.

What might you be looking for? Wood ducks and merganzers might be visible on the surface of Lake Powell, along with coots, grebes, and even loons, while overhead you might spy eagles or even condors drifting in from Grand Canyon National Park. Peregrine falcons are said to be fairly common sights in the NRA, as are canyon wrens, and if you get into the scrub vegetation you might keep an eye out for long-eared owls and Southwestern willow flycatchers.

Those particularly vigilant birds might, with some luck, even see a roadrunner dart by.

To help you prepare for birding in the NRA, we've attached Glen Canyon's annotated bird list.

Glen Canyon’s Christmas Bird Count will take place on Tuesday, January 3, 2012. Volunteers are asked to meet at 7:30 a.m. at park headquarters at 691 Scenic View Road. Bird watchers will be in the field until 4:00 p.m. Dress warmly, pack a lunch and water. There is a $5 fee to participate in the bird count, which goes to the National Audubon Society to cover the costs of sponsoring the Christmas Bird Count and reporting the results.