Annual bird tally aids science

Calling birds, French hens and partridges in pear trees are not on the Christmas bird count list, but local members of the Audubon Society are checking off plenty of bald eagles, dippers and goldfinches during the annual event.

The society's 108th Christmas bird count began Dec. 14 and ends Jan. 5. Although the primary regions are the United States and Canada, the count includes South America, Bermuda, the West Indies and the Pacific Islands.

"It is the longest-running wildlife census in the world," said Geoffrey LeBaron, the Christmas bird count director for the Audubon Society.

More than 58,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the United States and Canada this year – and that includes novices and experienced counters.

"Involvement is at an all-time high," LeBaron said in a phone interview from his office near Springfield, Mass.

Participation on a local level is also high, said Tim Fitzer, one of the Sacramento chapter members who organizes the local Christmas bird counts. There are about 900 members of the Sacramento Audubon Society, which covers a designated area: north to the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, east to the Sierra foothills, south to the San Joaquin River Delta and west to the Pacific Ocean.

"The Sacramento Valley is in the Great Pacific Flyway, which is the bird-migration route from Alaska to Mexico," Fitzer said. "This time of year, nearly 400 species of birds can be found in the region, so it is an exciting area for bird-watching."

Considering the vast areas and the number of volunteers involved, the count is surprisingly well-organized. The national group divides regions into 15-square-mile sections. Volunteers from chapters divide their sections into small groups of counters, with each group assigned a day and time for their count. Fitzer's group recently covered the east end of the Suisun Marsh in the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area.

"We had a fantastic day," Fitzer said. "There wasn't any wind, which sometimes causes the birds to hide. Coming up one road, one guy saw a great horned owl. Then farther up, we spotted a rough-legged hawk on the ground. He flew up right in front of us.

"Within minutes we saw five short-eared owls flying around. They would run into each other and shoot up into the air. It was really fun to watch them. There were about 2,000 lesser scaup there, too. You never get to see that many at once, so I think they might have come inland for shelter.

"Overall, we saw about 90 species in our area alone. That was a great day," Fitzer said.

One of the Auburn-area counts was led by Deren Ross. His group of nine birders met on a chilly Saturday morning on the east side of Auburn. The group walked along the Western States Trail near Robie Point, then drove to several other locations within its assigned area.

"Early in the morning, we hear more birds than we actually see," Ross said. He and a few of the more experienced birders in the group could single out the calls of many species. The less- experienced could only listen and keep watching the trees and sky, hoping to see something they recognized.

The group found several yellow-rumped warblers, plenty of scrub jays, Western bluebirds feasting on clumps of mistletoe, a couple of downy woodpeckers and one curious hummingbird that put on quite a show and even posed for pictures. Later in the day, the birders came across a large flock of cedar waxwings eating privet berries.

"We include birds spotted at feeders as well as those in wild areas," Ross said. "For the annual count, we always go to the same locations, which gives us a better idea about how bird populations may have changed over the year."

Throughout the day, the nine members of the Auburn group watched bushes, trees and water sites, keeping a careful tally. They cupped their ears listening for peeps and chirps. Occasionally, someone whistled while the group stood quietly, hoping to hear a reply from a bush or a treetop. By the end of the day, with muddy feet and red noses, they had logged nearly 60 species in their small area. Including birds counted by other groups working in the 15-square-mile section, they recorded 118 species that day.

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