The Montana Audubon Center in Billings has recently got its new director, Jonathan Lutz, and his favorite outdoor activity is bird-watching. Lutz, 36, started working at the center on December 1, 2015.

Lutz so far has made good use of his binoculars and has enjoyed a long list of bird-viewing. One of his first fun Billings outings was to participate in the December 19 Christmas Bird Count along with several members of the Yellowstone valley Audubon Society.

His team during the bird count counted 37 out of the 67 species recorded for the day. Lutz said the score is pretty good for the team and is good for a northern climate. Last year, the bird watchers recorded 51 species.

Among the bird species spotted by Lutz include the northern shrike, a predatory songbird known to impale other birds on barbed wire before devouring them.

He said he hopes to bring a stronger focus on birds to the facility's nature programs while continuing to highlight the Yellowstone River ecosystem. He also said he will be promoting regional ecotourism.

“The demographic of a birdwatcher in the U.S. is 60 to 65, middle to upper class, and educated. Those folks bring money into the community, but birding is under the radar”, he said.

It is very important for them to create a link between bird-watching and environmental conservation. People should also be encouraged to participate in bird-watching, he said.

He also shared his wish to grow the number of Center Friends and to work with the center’s Advisory Council to promote program feelings.