"Please do not fear the birders"

A letter written by Richard A. Danca in Newton, Mass., likely needs to appear in many newspapers and on websites far and wide before the annual Christmas Bird Count begins on Dec. 14. The letter might dispel some unease and prevent incidents such as the arrest of birder Paul Peterson of Boston last January.

Danca wrote:

Please don't panic if you see people with binoculars tramping around the week before Christmas, even if it feels like they're peering into your windows. It's only birders (birdwatchers, if you must) participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count, looking for every bird they can find, even the ones in your back yard.

He also provided the URL for National Audubon Society's CBC information and ended his letter with an invitation of sorts: "Even if you don't feel like counting birds, you could help by ensuring that your bird feeders are full."

Christmas Bird Count for young birders!

In Northern California two years ago, Sonoma Birding created a half-day Christmas Bird Count program for children ages 8 to 14. The Audubon CBC for Kids runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., not from midnight to midnight as in the traditional CBC, and the suggested count dates fall between Dec. 10 and Jan. 15.


Sonomabirding.com provides many helpful details in the link above, and the framework sounds similar to the rules laid out for youth teams in New Jersey's World Series of Birding and the Great Texas Birding Classic.

As mentioned in a recently Bird Education Network bulletin, birding organizations in locations around the United States are adopting the framework and adapting it to their needs. Will you help get more young birders involved in your area?

Above, Audubon CBC for Kids founder Tom Russert with two participants. Photo courtesy of BEN/Christine Hansen

Christmas Bird Count 5

This time of year, birders get to see their hobby/sport/lifestyle in mainstream media, thanks to coverage of the Christmas Bird Count. The 109th count began Sunday, Dec. 14, and will continue to Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.

According to National Audubon Society's CBC FAQs page, thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere dedicate 24 hours to identifying species and counting birds within a 15-mile count circle. The predetermined circles are covered by birders who report to a count compiler before the circle's count date and pay the $5 participation fee.

Recent media coverage of completed counts
MaineToday.com, Unity, Me.:

The Unity Christmas bird count occurred last Monday with mostly cloudy skies, an inch of old snow, blustery wind, and temperatures warming from 4 degrees at midnight to a gentle rain after dark.

Although all the tallies are not yet final, the preliminary numbers indicate 25 birders reported 48 species.

Cape Cod Times, Cape Cod, Mass.:

The days at the end of the year — filled with the holiday rush of shopping, parties of all sorts and family commitments — offer scant opportunities to get afield and look for birds.

Yellow-breasted Chat courtesy of E. Vernon Laux/Cape Cod Times

Press of Atlantic City, Atlantic City, N.J.:

Off in the distance, with the Atlantic City skyline piercing through a cloudy midafternoon sky, the focus is out at sea, where hundreds of birds have gathered.

Bucks County Courier Times, Levittown, Pa.:

Trudging along the trails of Silver Lake Nature Center Saturday on the annual Christmas bird count, the center's director-naturalist Bob Mercer didn't necessarily need his eyes to do the job.

Valley News Dispatch, Pittsburgh, Pa.:

Pausing along a path in Todd Nature Reserve in Buffalo Township, something caught George Reese's eye in a stand of hemlock trees.

"There's a grouse," Reese said above the low roar of nearby Hesselgesser's Run.

The London Free Press, London, Ontario, Canada:

About 150 nature enthusiasts braved temperatures around -11 C yesterday to count thousands of birds in the London area.

Citizen scientists spotted more than 60 species within a 12-kilometre radius of Reservoir Park on Commissioners Road during the 100th annual Christmas bird count, said Pete Read.

The Expositor, Brantford, Ontario, Canada:

A bright pink pillar of light rose in the eastern sky Dec. 14 and allowed itself to be spread out in layers of rose and gold by the southwest wind. It was a good beginning for the annual Woodhouse Township Christmas Bird Count. Last year, Betty Chanyi and I woke to drifting, blowing snow... and chickened out. It's one of the few times either of us has missed the count.

Dalton Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.:

While most teenage boys were out chasing girls, Sandy Pangle spent his high school days chasing birds.

“To a lot of people, a bird is a bird,” Pangle said. “And it became kind of a challenge to go to an area and realize there is really nothing to the untrained eye, then all this stuff started appearing.”

Photo courtesy of Dalton Daily Citizen

The Telegraph, Macon, Ga.:

Bird-lovers in Middle Georgia made their way outdoors Saturday for the annual Christmas Bird Count, a nation wide “citizen-science” effort sponsored by the National Audubon Society. In Macon, some 30 people took part this year in the more than 100-year-old tradition that seeks to annually catalog the number of birds and bird species in a given area, said Marie Amerson, with the Ocmulgee Audubon Society. This year set a local record for participation in the event, Amerson said, even though they did not find quite as many birds as in previous years.

The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla.:

Cold and windy weather didn’t keep nature lovers away from the Christmas Bird Count on Saturday at Martin Park Nature Center in Oklahoma City.

Volunteers and friends came bundled up and carrying binoculars to participate in the annual winter songbird census.

The Ukiah Daily Journal, Ukiah, Calif.:

Area bird watchers gathered at Granite Construction's Talmage operation about 7:15 a.m. Saturday to count birds as part of a yearly Christmas bird count.

Cold temperatures frosted Ukiah Valley's floor, but wearing gloves and warm clothing local Audubon chapter members focused on counting birds.

Queen Charlotte Islands Observer, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada:

The screaming northeaster almost stopped our breath as we headed into it on our way to Little Spit Point at Sandspit. There was no shelter, neither for us nor for the birds. The wind chill brought the temperature down to minus 22c and it was no place for the faint-hearted.

Christmas Bird Count 4

This time of year, birders get to see their hobby/sport/lifestyle in mainstream media, thanks to coverage of the Christmas Bird Count. The 109th count began Sunday, Dec. 14, and will continue to Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.

According to National Audubon Society's CBC FAQs page, thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere dedicate 24 hours to identifying species and counting birds within a 15-mile count circle. The predetermined circles are covered by birders who report to a count compiler before the circle's count date and pay the $5 participation fee.

Recent media coverage of completed counts
Hilton Head Island Packet, Hilton Head, S.C.:

Shrinking wildlife habitat means Audubon Society birders are counting fewer birds on Hilton Head Island than they have in the past, a trend reflected all over the world.

While the number of local species has hovered around 150 since the 1970s, the total number of birds has continually declined, said Barry Lowes of the Hilton Head Audubon Society. The local group completed its annual Christmas Bird Count last week.

Northumberland Today, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada:

On a gloomy day that seemed to be twilight throughout the daylight hours, 31 observers took to the field on Dec. 14 for the Presqu'ile-Brighton Christmas Bird Count. In total, 22,726 birds of 76 species were found during the day.

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:

A bevy of birds and waves of nasty weather kicked off the opening week of Christmas Bird Counts in Northeast Ohio.

With so many birders in the field, good sightings could be expected, even with the predictable rainy, gray and frigid conditions of mid-December.

Christmas Bird Count 3

This time of year, birders get to see their hobby/sport/lifestyle in mainstream media, thanks to coverage of the Christmas Bird Count. The 109th count began Sunday, Dec. 14, and will continue to Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.

According to National Audubon Society's CBC FAQs page, thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere dedicate 24 hours to identifying species and counting birds within a 15-mile count circle. The predetermined circles are covered by birders who report to a count compiler before the circle's count date and pay the $5 participation fee.

Recent media coverage of completed counts
Burlington Free Press, Burlingon, Vt.:

Two sleek ducks, streaks of black and white, flew in across the Winooski River from Burlington, riding the south wind and the smell of doughnuts frying at the Koffee Kup bakery.

Gloucester Daily Times, Gloucester, Mass.:

The 40 experienced bird watchers who spent Sunday recording virtually anything that flew as part of the 79th annual Cape Ann Christmas Bird Count, logged 47,000 birds in 123 species — including some interesting finds.

Bay City Tribune, Bay City, Texas:

Over 100 birders braved the cold, windy weather Monday to count 234 species of birds in the 16th Annual Matagorda County Mad Island Marsh Christmas Bird Count.

Pique Newsmagazine, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada:

Participants in the annual Whistler Christmas Bird Count have seen some tough conditions over the past 19 years, but this year’s Christmas count on Monday, Dec. 15 ranks as one of the toughest, with freezing temperatures and high winds sending birds into hiding.

Prince George Citizen, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada:

Cold weather was likely the factor that reduced the number of species naturalists observed during this week's 41st annual Prince George Christmas Bird Count.

Christmas Bird Count 2

This time of year, birders get to see their hobby/sport/lifestyle in mainstream media, thanks to coverage of the Christmas Bird Count. The 109th count began Sunday, Dec. 14, and will continue to Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.

According to National Audubon Society's CBC FAQs page, thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere dedicate 24 hours to identifying species and counting birds within a 15-mile count circle. The predetermined circles are covered by birders who report to a count compiler before the circle's count date and pay the $5 participation fee.

Recent media coverage of completed counts:
Lakewood Ranch Herald, Bradenton, Fla.
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

See previous coverage in this post: Dec. 15

Photo courtesy of Sara Kennedy/Bradenton.com

Christmas Bird Count 1

This time of year, birders get to see their hobby/sport/lifestyle in mainstream media, thanks to coverage of the Christmas Bird Count. The 109th count began Sunday, Dec. 14, and will continue to Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.

According to National Audubon Society's CBC FAQs page, thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere dedicate 24 hours to identifying species and counting birds within a 15-mile count circle. The predetermined circles are covered by birders who report to a count compiler before the circle's count date and pay the $5 participation fee.

The data collected by the birders helps researchers, biologists and other individuals study bird species' long-term health. Researchers can combine the CBC data with Breeding Bird Survey data to better understand species' behavior, and the data can generate reports, such as Common Birds in Decline and Watchlist 2007.

Today's media coverage of completed counts: San Francisco Chronicle with a nine-image photo gallery from Yosemite Valley


WFMD TV, Mansfield, Ohio
Newsday, New York, N.Y.
The Epoch Times, New York, N.Y.
Lawrence Journal-World, Perry, Kan.
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Calif.
San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas