Christmas Bird Count

From December 14, 2007 to January 5, 2008 birders will be out counting and reporting every feathered creature they see during the 108th annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

The Christmas Bird Count provides critical information on wintering bird population abundance and trends, distribution, and changes over time. In addition, the CBC is the oldest and largest wildlife survey in the world. The National Audubon Society sponsors the survey and publishes results.

The count territory is designed as a series of circular areas, where birders count birds within these "circles" each year on a prespecified day before and after Christmas Day. With lots of circles (over 1,500) and a long history (the CBC was started in 1900), it is hard to dispute it is the "oldest" and "largest" bird survey.

The CBC is also the biggest event in the birding year, with over 40,000 participants nationwide. All these eyes observe (and count) a lot of birds, and that's what makes the CBC so important. This is a golden opportunity for old-time birders to take young birders under their wing and start them out on a project that has the utmost value as scientists consider population trends in bird populations.

The Biological Resource Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, compiles the data that flows in from all over the US. Coupled with the last 100 years of information, scientists will attempt to draw conclusions as to the welfare of bird species nationwide.

Last year's count can be viewed on the USGS Web site, http://www.usgs.gov, and the National Audubon Society Web site, http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.

There's a long list of counts you might like to join.

Send me an e-mail at [email protected], and I'll send you a schedule and contact information for all the different counts across the region.

The list can be printed out and placed alongside your calendar, field guides, binocs, camera, cooler and gasoline credit card. At $3.25 a gallon this is sure to be an expensive CBC to attend - when the first CBC was held, gasoline was about 18 cents per gallon; so do your best to carpool it.

Besides it's more fun that way: "That's a mute swan..." "No it isn't; it's a tundra swan..." "No it is not; it's a domestic goose." "No it isn't it's a..."