Citizens tally Sisters Country birds

Four days before Christmas - the day it was raining cats and dogs - you may have noticed a few very wet people with binoculars and spotting scopes wandering around Sisters Country stealthily looking into forest, field, and people's backyards. They were participants in the annual 2014 Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

Tom Crabtree, Teresa Wicks (a graduate student at Oregon State University-Bend), and Courtney Jett - all of East Cascade Audubon Society - were the ring-leaders that organized the Sisters count.

Keith Mischke, Bob Stites, Glen VanCise and Cort Vaughan took on the bird count in downtown Sisters.

Courtney Jett has years of CBC trips behind her and had this to say about the National Audubon Society's annual project: "The Christmas Bird Count - which now takes place internationally-has been conducted in America for over 100 years. This historical data has been the best source for scientific bird population studies.

"The CBC is a celebration of the joy of birding, bringing together expert birders to inspire novices and beginners. Inspiration is important to passing on the love and concern for birds and habitats to our next generation of conservationists."

Over in the Camp Polk/Indian Ford Meadows neck of the woods, Brad Chalfant (his first time on a CBC), Lee Davis, Jake Schas and Kevin Smith were checking every bird they saw.

Kris Falco and Ashley Clary were searching for birds around Panoramic Estates and Aspen Lakes, and about 11 a.m. they spotted the only golden eagle of the day. Ken Hashagen, Sherrie Pierce and Mary Yanacanlin were counting birds in the Cloverdale countryside.

David Braunschweiger, Judy Meredith and Darwin Wile were doing Black Pine Springs and Three Creek Road. Trout Creek Butte was under scrutiny of Kris Knoernschild, Steve Shunk and Teresa Wicks. It was this group who saw one of the rare birds of the day in another area - a western grebe - the first to be observed on a Sisters CBC.

Indian Ford, Black Butte and Glaze Meadows were left to Steve Dougill and Don Harker, while Tom Crabtree and Courtney Jett took on Black Butte Ranch itself, and it was in the marshy grass of BBR that Tom spotted another first for the Sisters CBC, a female wood duck.

A total of 64 species were recorded, including Sisters Country's white-headed woodpecker - a rare bird in most of the U.S., but a common species in this area. The woodpecker draws birders to Sisters from all over the world.

Over the 115 years that the CBC has been conducted in the U.S., it has provided researchers with data on population trends.

The species total for 2014 on the Sisters count is below average. Also, the 4,848 total birds counted was below the average of 5,797.

As anyone who is aware of the bird life of Sisters knows, the invasive Eurasian collard dove population has been going up and up, and this year's count put them at 162, while last year there were only 12.

The American robin usually runs around 1,300 in winter.

There were only 17 seen, which may be because of very poor juniper berry production this year.

To get involved in next year's CBC, visit http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count. Learn more about local birding by going to: www.ecaudubon.org to get involved with the East Cascades Audubon Society programs and projects.