Christmas Bird Count: Citizen Science at Work

Joe Meche is a member of the board of directors of the North Cascades Audubon Society and has been the editor of the chapter newsletter for the past six years. Joe has been photographing birds and landscapes for over thirty years and has been watching birds for more than fifty years.

You might have noticed more birdwatchers than usual out and about on December 15, prowling alleyways, peering into trees and shrubs, with binoculars around their necks and notepads in hand. If you did, you were probably seeing a few of the more than fifty participants in the 36th annual Bellingham Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The Bellingham CBC is the local version of the annual bird count that began in 1900 as an alternative to the traditional Christmas Side Hunt. Up until the turn of the century, sides were chosen and teams would go into the field to see who could shoot the most birds. The team that had the biggest pile of feathers at the end of the day won!

In 1900, conservation was in its early stages and many people were becoming concerned with the wholesale, indiscriminate slaughter of wildlife and the concurrent decline in bird populations. On Christmas Day of 1900, Frank Chapman, an officer of the fledgling Audubon Society, called for an end to the madness that was the Side Hunt. He suggested that people count the birds instead of shooting them.

This was the beginning of the annual Christmas Bird Count. Chapman put together the first CBC with twenty-seven enthusiastic, dedicated birders in twenty-five locations ranging from New Brunswick in eastern Canada to Pacific Grove, California.

Today, the National Audubon Society sponsors and oversees more than 55,000 observers participating in CBCs in all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and on some Pacific islands. In the two-week period around Christmas, those observers count birds in over 1,900 count circles. The individual counts have designated circles that are 15 miles in diameter—roughly 177 square miles—where participants cover as much ground as possible in a 24-hour period and count all the birds they see or hear.

What this whole CBC business amounts to is the largest citizen science effort in history. This volunteer-based bird census, spanning over a century, has provided invaluable data for studies monitoring the status of early-winter bird populations, as well as for monitoring the overall health of the environment. Needless to say, if the Side Hunt had continued, more bird species might well have gone the way of the passenger pigeon.

The Bellingham CBC began in 1967, primarily through the independent efforts of Terry Wahl and Jim Duem-mel. The Bellingham CBC predated the arrival of the North Cascades Audubon Society, the local affiliate chapter of the National Audubon Society. In the interim, local birders have also participated in a separate CBC aboard the international run of the Washington State Ferry between Anacor-tes and Sidney, B.C. Both of these counts, along with three CBCs in Skagit County, have contributed significant data for the wintering bird populations of northwest Washington.

Like good, old-fashioned football games, CBCs take place on a specific day and weather does not cancel or even postpone a count. In the 36-year history of the Bellingham CBC, temperatures have ranged from a minus three degrees to an almost tropical plus 52. Counters have braved winds as high as 52 miles per hour and every form of precipitation, including the horizontal variety of snow, propelled by strong northeast winds.

Weather, however, often plays a key role in the number of species observed, whether it be in the form of high winds and rain, frozen freshwater lakes and ponds, or borderline cases of frostbite. Species totals have been as high as 139 with as many as 120,000 individual birds being counted. A total of 196 species have been seen on at least one count.

According to John Flicker, President of the National Audubon Society, “Every year, Audubon members anticipate going out in the cold to count birds. Ironically, the World Wide Web has become the greatest tool to link us to the outdoors. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of volunteers, the web, and BirdSource, we can compile data and see results in just a few days instead of months.”

The Christmas Bird Count is more than a much-anticipated holiday event; the results are vital in assessing the status and health of birds, as well as the general state of the environment. Since birds are one of the first groups of animals affected by environmental threats such as pollution and habitat destruction, CBC data provides indispensable information, not only on the long-term health of bird populations, but also on all living things, including humans.

Results from the CBC are integral in assessing the Watchlist, a record of birds that are in decline or in potential danger. CBCs have brought attention to 115 species of birds whose populations have significantly declined and been added to the Watchlist. The 100 percent volunteer-generated CBC database has also become a crucial part of the U.S. government’s natural history monitoring programs. “Volunteers are the heart and soul of the CBC.”

The Bellingham CBC took place this year between storms and counters had only a brisk wind to deal with on count day. An early tally showed the total species number at 122, plus two species seen during the count period—three-plus days prior to and after count day.

The CBC Committee is planning to include more feeder watchers in the next count. Species that show up at feeders could easily be missed by parties trying to cover their territories in the shorter daylight hours of December. The committee is always interested in recruiting new participants, so consider becoming a part of the longest-running database in ornithology. The information is vital for conservation.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does so for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition, and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. To get involved with the Bellingham CBC as a party leader, party member, or as a feeder watcher, contact the coordinator, Joe Meche, at 738-0641, or e-mail him at joemeche@aol.com.

With more than 500,000 members in almost 600 chapters throughout the Americas, the National Audubon Society advances its mission to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity. The primary objective of the CBC is to monitor the status and distribution of bird populations across the Western Hemisphere. As long as there are birds to count, the Christmas Bird Count will go on being the most valuable, fun, and rewarding bird census in the world.