This Bullock's Oriole was spotted and photographed during last year's annual bird county in Lewiston by Bob Moul. Photo is posted on the Audubon Web site.

So the BIG day has come and gone.
The 20 minutes of euphoria has given way to the reality of cleaning up the mess of wrapping, molded plastic and general overall mayhem the holiday has caused in your life.

You need a change of pace, something to take your mind off the dinner you have to cook, something that helps you re-connect with nature.

How about counting birds?

No, we're not kidding, we're totally serious.

December is the month the National Audubon Society conducts it's Annual Christmas Bird Count, or bird census if you want to be all official about it.

This is no small deal. The count, going on from now through Jan. 5, is the 109th and enlists the help of tens of thousands of volunteers across the country.

"Each year, volunteers brave snow, wind, rain or bad traffic to take part in the Christmas Bird Count, and they have made an enormous contribution to conservation to help guide conservation actions," according to Dan Brauning, who is with the Pennsylvania Game Commission's wildlife Diversity Section and whose quote was provided through a release from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental protection.

"The data collected through this effort -- which is the longest running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations -- allows researchers, conservation biologists, to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America," Brauning said.

"when combined with other surveys, such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have change in time and space over the past hundred years."

The count takes place within "count circles," which focus on specific geographical areas and are led by a "count compiler" who is en experienced birdwatcher. That means even if you don't know what you're doing, you can help.

And if you live inside one of these circles, you can help just by looking out the window.

In this area, the "Audubon Count Circle" includes Montgomery and Chester counties and is led by Edie Parnum. She can be reached via e-mail at eparnum@comcast.net to by calling 610-964-8331.

There is also an Elverson Count Circle, also in Chester County, led by Robert Cook, who can be reached via e-mail at dunlin@dejazzd.com or by phone at 610-286-9919.

Also, there are two counts in Berks County. One, called the Hamburg County Circle is in Berks and Schuylkill counties and is led by Laurie Goodrich, who can be reached via e-mail at goodrich@hawmtn.org or by calling one of the two following numbers: 610-756-6961; or 570-943-3411, Ext. 106.

The other Berks County count circle is called the Bernville Circle and is led by Ed Barrell. He can be reached via e-mail at hawkman501@yahoo.com or by phone at 610-962-2962.

These folks can tell you how it works and what you need to do.

If you read The Thin Green Line from outside these areas, you can click here to access the Audubon Society's newsletter which has a full listing of all the state's county circles.

Have fun.

To view instructions on how to search for a circle and sign-up for an open count, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “Wildlife” in the left-hand column, and then choose the “Christmas Bird Count” icon in the center of the page. Information also can be obtained from Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count website (http://www.audubon.org/Bird/cbc/), or on the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology’s December newsletter (http://www.pabirds.org/Newsletter/PSO_Newsletter_2008_04.pdf).