Can you count? Then you can help scientists analyze birds.
Perhaps you’ve noticed changes in birds at your yard or in nearby parks. And maybe you’ve wondered what that means for the local bird migration patterns or our ecosystem. If so, you might want to take a break from holiday shopping by joining a team to count birds on any day between Friday and Jan. 5.
It’s a tradition sponsored by the National Audubon Society called the Christmas Bird Count that goes back 119-years. It’s also one of the most successful citizen-science projects in history, which means it’s an opportunity to make a genuine contribution to science. If you participate, you’ll be on one of many teams to collect critical data on the winter abundance and distribution of birds. Scientists will analyze the data to determine which birds are faring well and which are not faring so well, and explain changes we all see among our birds.
The data will provide governmental agencies with critical information about the need for policies to protect birds. So you see, participation in the CBC makes us essential players in the conservation of birds and their habitat.
Here’s how the CBC works. Situated across North America and the Western Hemisphere are locations called “count circles.” A count circle for each CBC measures 15-miles in diameter over land, water or both.
Every CBC has a title named for a land feature like the Spring Creek CBC or the Cypress Creek-Katy Prairie CBC. Some are named for a city like the Houston CBC, which began in 1913 and ranks among the oldest of CBCs.
Texas has more than 100 CBCs with more than 20 in the Greater Houston area, including the Buffalo Bayou CBC and the Armand Bayou CBC.
Birders gather at a CBC location on a pre-scheduled date, divide into teams and keep a tally of all the birds they can find. An organizer, called the compiler, will collect bird tallies from all teams at the end of the day and will later send a report to the National Audubon Society.
If you can spot birds, you’re good enough for the CBC. Each team has at least one experienced birder who can identify birds and help sharpen your own identification skills, and help you contribute to science. Gary Clark is the author of “Book of Texas Birds,” with photography by Kathy Adams Clark (Texas A&M University Press). Email him at Texasbirder@comcast.net