Alva Review-Courier -

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Numbers aren't the only focus of the annual Christmas Bird Count.

The event was founded in 1900 in New York to urge a change in what was then a socially accepted practice of killing birds - all kinds of birds - as a way of seeing what species are out there, or were.

The idea of a count brought people together with binoculars instead of guns.

Organized by the National Audubon Society, the 117th CBC will kick off next week across the country and beyond with numerous single-day count outings scheduled by local birders in the Inland Northwest.

The Spokane Audubon count is one...