By Adrianne Thackery and Alexia Singh
Serving with Monongahela National Forest
Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Adrianne Thackery.
Each year between December 14 and January 5, naturalists and bird lovers across the western hemisphere mobilize in the longest-running community science project in the world. Volunteers go out on one day to count birds in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC).
This past census was the 125th count since the National Audubon Society started the program. The data collected by thousands of volunteers has been used as a valuable resource to understand trends in bird populations over the past century.
History
The inspiration for the CBC stems from a less savory tradition. Prior to the 20th century, there was a Christmas Day celebration called a “side hunt”. This was a competition to kill as many birds and wild game as possible in a short amount of time.
Meanwhile many waterfowl and songbird populations were in decline as a result of over hunting and human caused environmental changes. Among these were the Carolina parakeet and passenger pigeon which would both become extinct in the early 20th century. Conservation was in its beginning stages and there was a growing concern for these declines.
In 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman proposed a “Christmas Bird Census”, a new holiday tradition that would promote conservation by counting, rather than hunting. The first CBC in 1900 came to fruition thanks to the dedication of Chapman and 27 birders, in 25 locations across Canada and the United States. 90 species were observed in all the counts combined.
Since 1900, the count has grown tremendously. Last year in Audubon's 124th CBC, 2,677 counts were completed across Canada, the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. 83,186 people participated and just under 41 million birds were counted. Participants tallied 2,380 species in total.
Getting Involved
Bird lovers of all abilities are able to volunteer in the Christmas Bird Count. Those interested in participating will need to join an existing CBC circle by contacting your local compiler in advance of the count day.
If you missed the CBC, but are still interested in bird citizen science, the Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up in February. It occurs on President’s Day each year, and you can count the birds in your backyard or community and enter results online. In as little as 15 minutes of bird watching you can help scientists better understand and protect birds. You can learn more at www.birdcount.org.
December 14th, Christmas Bird Count in Pocahontas County
Adrianne Thackery (Left) & Alexia Singh (Right)
Bags ready, filled with cameras, binoculars, bird identification books, and of course lots of snacks. We started the day in our living room decorated for Christmas looking out the window at our feeders, one stuck to the window, the other hanging on the spruce in the front yard. Seeing all sorts of woodpeckers, blue jays, and all their neighbors. Our team consisted of 2 master birders Kitty and Sharon, ecologist and botanist Nancy, the watershed AmeriCorps member Adrianne Thackery and the ecology and botany AmeriCorps member Alexia Singh.
Eastern Screech Owl (Red Morph). Photo by Alexia Singh.
With all our supplies, we headed out to the designated count circle on our Christmas Birding adventure. On the drive out, we all spoke of what we wanted to see, among the list was an owl, a golden eagle, and some grouse. Spotting hawks basking in the sun on the sides of the mountains filled with trees that have lost their leaves. One of our first stops in a nearby neighborhood revealed one of the best finds of the day and a lifer for Adrianne. A lifer being the first time ever identifying that bird in their life. A red morph eastern screech owl taking refuge in a spruce, perfectly lit and in a state of calm. A million photos were taken, everyone’s cameras going nonstop. None of us could take our eyes off the little beautiful treasure the forest gifted us.
Golden Eagle. Photo by Alexia Singh.
With the excitement filling everyone’s hearts, we realized someone’s wish to see an owl was granted. That was not going to be the only lifer seen that day. Our next stop was the boardwalk at Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. Sauntering along we all took in the gorgeous views of the landscape, the frozen water creating art in the ice, and the clear sky. When suddenly, a massive bird flew overhead, through my binoculars I looked, quickly exclaiming “LOOK UP! LOOK UP! LOOK UP! A BALD EAGLE!” Adrianne quickly looks and screams excitedly “A GOLDEN EAGLE!!” Another lifer for Adrianne.
What a special day it was, we learned so much, saw some amazing birds, and did so with wonderful people.
A Merry Group of Birders. Photo by Alexia Singh.
Sources:
Audubon Christmas Bird count. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count
Yeoman, B. (2023, September 8). Why the passenger pigeon went extinct. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/magazine/may-june-2014/why-passenger-pigeon-went-extinct
