For those members of the community that could tell you exactly what a Yellow-billed Cuckoo or a Common Nighthawk looks like, the Hampshire Bird Club met last Monday in order to discuss upcoming events and to watch a slide presentation.

“This is the only time of the year [the meeting] is this informal,” president of the club and retired University of Massachusetts employee Mary Alice Wilson said. “Usually we have a speaker, sometimes from inside the club and sometimes from outside, who gives a formal presentation.”

At the beginning of the meeting, the club organizers went over upcoming events, most notably the Christmas Bird Count that will be taking place in a few weeks.

For the Christmas Count, birdwatchers scour the area and count every bird they can find. These birds are then recorded, and the results are compared with what other birders saw in their respective geographical areas.

This event is open to beginner and expert birdwatchers alike, and there is no designated time limit on how long a person needs to observe for. Birdfeeders are also fair game, so it is not even necessary to leave the comfort of your own home in order to participate.

What makes the Christmas Bird Count especially appealing this year, is that it is an irruption year for finches that usually spend the winter in Canada. Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, Bohemian Waxwings and even both species of crossbill can all be expected in large numbers.

These rarities should combine with the normal winter birds of Massachusetts to add up to a great day, in terms of species recorded.

“This time of year, sea ducks on the coast, especially at Plum Island and Cape Ann, are the main attraction,” Wilson said.

Next, the migration report was listed, and it was noted that many rare species have been recently coming through the Northeast. A Sage Thrasher and an Ash-throated Flycatcher, both of which are usually found in the western half of the United States, were seen in Maine, while two Caliope Hummingbirds were recorded in Manhattan for the first time ever.

Other late migrants also included a female Baltimore Oriole, a Chipping Sparrow, a Carolina Wren and numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers.

With the conclusion of the migrant report, the slide projector was wheeled out, and the second half of the meeting began.

The first speaker recounted her recent trip to the short-grass prairies of Wyoming and Nebraska, and went on to describe the birds of the area. Highlights of the trip included all kinds of shorebirds in the ponds and alkaline pools of the prairie, while the power lines proved to be great habitat for American Kestrels, many different species of flycatchers and Mourning Doves.

Vietnam was the subject of the next presentation, although the speaker’s trip proved disappointing in terms of birds seen. Apparently, the Southeast Asian country has had a problem with the capture and concurrent incarceration of almost every wild bird in the area, and despite the tropical habitat, there are almost no wild species remaining.

The final speaker of the evening went over his slides of Hawaii, and described the many different land and sea birds that he was able to identify. White-tailed Tropicbirds, Red-tailed Tropicbirds and Fairy Terns were just a few of the many species he was able to get on film.

“We do have field trips,” Wilson said at the conclusion of the slide show. “They average about two a month and we have some overnight trips as well – usually one in the spring and one in the fall. And except for the overnight trips, you don’t need to be a member for anything.”

For more information on the Christmas Bird Count or the Hampshire Bird Club in general, e-mail Wilson at [email protected].

“To me, one of the most interesting things is the differences in people,” Wilson said. “They are all drawn together by one thing, but there is serious diversity among them, and that is what makes it fun.”

Meetings usually take place on the second Monday of every month, but December’s get-together was pushed forward because of Chanukah.

The meeting took place at the Immanuel Lutheran Church on North Pleasant Street, and began at 7 p.m. Holiday refreshments were served.