ALEXANDRIA — For some folks already fed up with shoveling snow, one of the things about winter that’s actually fun is the annual Christmas Bird Count. Douglas County is lucky enough to have two: one in Kensington December 20 that starts at 8 a.m. (meet at the Kensington Rune Stone Park Visitor Center, 8965 County Rd 103 SW Kensington); and one in Alexandria that begins between 7:30-8 a.m. at the Visitor Center at Lake Carlos State Park (2601 County Rd 38 NE, Carlos, MN).

Ben Eckhoff is the Area Naturalist at the park and the compiler and organizer of the two counts. “We kind of started with one, [in] the Alexandria area because it's easy for me at the park,” he says. “That was one of the justifications; I'd be able to host it and teach people about bird counts, give them some information

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