Joining Christmas Bird Count can help save threatened birds
No doubt you’ve heard about a scientific study documenting the dramatic decline in bird populations across North America.
Scientists used rigorous analyses of data spanning 50 years to arrive at their conclusions. Among their data were Christmas Bird Counts that have been conducted continually for 119 years.
The annual Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running and most successful citizen science project in history. It started with a group of 27 volunteers who set out on Christmas Day 1900 to count birds among 25 North American locations.
They wanted people to count as many birds as they could on Christmas Day, instead of participating in the Christmas Day side hunt in which shooters killed as many birds and furry mammals as they could. Subsequent bird counts “killed off,’ so to speak, the once-popular side hunt.
The first Houston Christmas Bird Count, conducted on Dec 25, 1913, was among many others that had begun throughout North America. The increasing number eventually led to the counts being held on any 24hour day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. Meanwhile, Christmas Bird Count were collecting reams of data about the dis
tribution and population of birds.
Never has the count been more urgent and more in need of your participation than now. Readers have been telling me about the diminishing birds in their yards. If you have noticed this, join a Christmas Bird Count to help document which birds are in dire decline and which birds are thriving.
Choose among more than 20 counts within the Greater Houston area. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an armchair birder, amateur, or expert. CBCs need your eyes and ears to detect birds, regardless of expertise.
Here’s how it works. Each Christmas Bird Count encompasses 177 square miles of land and possibly water within a
“count circle” that is 15 miles in diameter. A count may be named for a city, such as the Houston and Galveston Christmas Bird Count, or for a land feature, such as the Cypress Creek-Katy Prairie Christmas Bird Count or the Spring Creek Christmas Bird Count.
Each count has a compiler who organizes the count, assigns volunteers to specific areas, and compiles the data for bird sightings. The compiler puts together teams that include at least one experienced birder who can validate bird species spotted by less experienced team members.
You’ll get better at bird identification by being on a Christmas Bird Count team, and you’ll have a great time to boot. Not to mention doing real science for the benefit of birds.