Check our latest feature story: Early risers get the birds...sometimes

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  Check out our latest story: Early risers get the birds...sometimes Once a month from September to February, staff and volunteers gather at national wildlife refuges across the west to participate in waterfowl surveys. "Having this information is vital to what we do," says Nick Stanley, project leader at Kern National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Delano, Calif. "These surveys help us gauge if we are being successful in our land management." Credit: Byrhonda Lyons/USFWS   By Byrhonda Lyons March 1, 2017 It was 6 a.m., and dark. The occasional beaming headlights illuminated the mist. A crew of five gathered at the main entrance of the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, 45 miles north of Bakersfield, Calif., waiting for the thick fog to break, so they could do their jobs: count the number of birds on the refuge. "There's someone on the south end, the east, the west and the north," said Miguel Jimenez, operations specialist on the refuge. "Each surveyor counts the number of birds that fly over the side they are responsible for." Jimenez, along with the refuge staff, does this once a month from September to February. He rises early to survey the number of birds using the refuge. But on this Wednesday, things were not going smoothly. Instead of seeing thousands of birds fly off the refuge's wetlands, it was a waiting game. Will the refuge's staff be able to get their jobs done or will they have to try again on another day? Continue to full story... Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     This email was sent using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825