Experienced birders tend to do things that make them look like wizards to beginners. One of the things that often both impresses and confounds the neophyte is an expert’s ability to catch a glance of a back-lit bird flying out of a tree or a shorebird standing by a pond a half-mile away and nail the identification seemingly without thought. For better or worse, there’s no magic involved. What the experienced birder is doing is birding by impression.

It’s not difficult to see why many of our national parks offer spectacular birding. Vast expanses of protected natural areas are bound to be good spots for watching birds and other wildlife. The national seashores and lakeshores are even more inviting as birding destinations than some of the “parks.” But what about the historic sites and national battlefields?

I’ve managed to get around North America quite a bit during my five years as a serious birder. At least it seems like I have. When I plot a map of every checklist I’ve ever entered at eBird, it looks like I’m neglected large swaths of the continent. What’s with the interior plains? The west coast south of Olympic National Park? Alaska isn’t even on the map because there were no pins there, so I cropped it out.

It sure doesn’t seem like a whole year has passed, but it’s time again for the annual Christmas Bird Count. Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, this is the 115th consecutive year the count has been held, making it one of the world’s longest running and largest citizen science projects. The 2014-15 count dates fall between December 14th and January 5th. Participation is free.