When it comes time to the Christmas season, people innately begin counting the birds: four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and whole lot of other species. But if you're an ornithologist, then the holiday season also marks an important time for bird-watching. Waking up before sunrise and catching a glimpse of the black-necked stilts or the white-tailed kites may be a part of your daily agenda, but when Dec. 14 rolls around you're ready for day long adventures to camp out and count the local bird species in the skies.
Marking the start of the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, Dec. 14 is an event that many birders wait for religiously so that they can join in on the hunt. Lasting through Jan. 5, the Christmas Bird Count is a national event sponsored by the National Audubon Society in hopes of collecting bird population and distribution data that is invaluable to the non-profit organization. Rather than having paid employs on the lookout for local species, the organization is able to recruit ornithologists and birders nationwide to join in on the cause. All numbers collected contribute to the nationwide database, and the event is now known as the longest-running citizen science program in the world. In fact, this year marked the 115th anniversary since the Christmas Bird Count began.
As part of the rules, participants spread out within a 15-mile diameter circle from a predetermined center to census the species that they see, and collect other data such as species abundance, diversity and estimated size. And it's of great aid to the science community, as population ecologists are able to use data about the shifting population sizes to better establish baseline data for their own research.
Though sold to the public as something the general birder is capable of doing, the Christmas Bird Count is not like normal bird watching. Asking individuals to find birds often involves going off trail, wading in marshes, walking through woods, being up before sunrise and going home long after sunset.
And it's also a polling method that has a very specific methodology that ensures the efficacy of the information gathered in the public study. Counts are held on different dates in different locations, and individuals may participate in many counts. However, all accommodations and official bird counts must go through a regional circle compiler in your specific area. Want to join in on the hunt? Well the National Audubon Society invites all birders, experienced or new to the hobby, to join. Please visit their site for more information on how and where to get started: https://www.audubon.org/
