The Washington Post
On a quiet, unpaved Michigan road on the Saturday before Christmas, John Lowry scanned the skies, ready to jot tallies on a clipboard for his contribution to one of the longest-running citizen-powered data projects in North America.
Every year, the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count draws tens of thousands of birders (and sometimes “SOBs” and “FOBs” — spouses and friends of birders) for the 126-year-old event that blends birding and data science…