My alarm went off promptly at 5:00 am. I tried to hit the snooze, but then realized my watch did not have a snooze, and I knocked it off the night stand. It landed somewhere in the darkness of the bedroom, still sounding the steady, soft beeping. I opened my door, stumbled toward my sister Cathy’s room to gently yell to her to get up, but she was already headed toward the coffee pot in the kitchen. It was time to get up. It was owling time!
Believe it or not, we were probably part of thousands of volunteers that were getting ready to head outdoors well before sunrise in search of a few nocturnal birds. We were participating in National Audubon’s Annual Christmas Bird Count-the longest running citizen science project in the world. The 2014 count marks the 115th year of collecting bird data that tracks long term population changes. Cathy and I volunteered to help in our home area, as part of the Bloomsburg Christmas Count.
What is a Christmas Bird Count? It’s just as its name implies-a bird count that occurs during the Christmas season (not actually on Christmas Day). Small groups of volunteers travel in assigned areas within a pre-determined, 15-mile diameter circle and record every bird they see or hear. The one day count happens between December 14, 2014 and Monday, January 5, 2015. Why do we do this? It’s fun, it gets us outdoors, we see lots of birds (and other critters), we meet new people and we’re contributing to a very worthy project!
If you decide to participate in a Christmas Bird Count there’s a few items you should have in your “toolkit.” First, a bird book and a decent pair of binoculars to see the birds. They shouldn’t have double vision or you’ll be counting every bird twice! Also, if they come with caps to cover the eye pieces, it usually helps if you remove them first, or everything you try to view will look like an extreme close-up of a blackbird! Next, is coffee and snacks. Coffee keeps you warm and keeps you going! When it comes to snacks, don’t be too picky. Apples, granola bars, peanuts, cookies, banana muffins, chips, pretzels, beef jerky and anything else you can pick-up at the local convenience store or get a sister to bake! For some unknown reason, counting birds makes you hungry, and you find yourself nibbling just as often after seeing a Red-tailed hawk for the first time that day, or seeing your 850th European Starling. Next, you should bring lots of water to drink. You get very thirsty eating all those snacks. Also, if you’re covering an area that’s fairly rural and with no public restrooms nearby, I would recommend a roll of toilet paper. Why? Coffee, granola bars, peanuts, cookies, banana muffins, Doritos and beef jerky! Need I say more?
We only managed to see 29 species of birds, but counted almost 1000 (many Starlings and Pigeons)! We were fortunate to find a small flock of Horned Larks after much looking, had good looks at Bluebirds, Mockingbirds, American Kestrels and lots of juncos and sparrows. Sister Cathy spotted a Northern Harrier taking off just in front of us. A good find in any count! It really didn’t matter how many birds we observed, we had a great time, saw lots of critters, traveled through some beautiful areas and had the opportunity to spend some time with some old friends, and many dedicated volunteers. It was a great, early Christmas present, and I can’t wait until the 2015 “count season!”
