Natural History Wanderings

Snowy Egret at Aquatic Park in Berkeley, CA by Sandy Steinman

Updated 12/01/11

This year’s Christmas Bird Count is December 14, 2011 through January 5, 2012.  Local counts will occur on one of these days. This year will be the 112nd bird count.  Beginners are welcome to take part. The Count is organized in “Count Circles,” which focus on specific geographical areas. Each count circle will have at least one experienced birder, who coördinates the count for that area.  The information collected during the count is useful to researchers, conservation biologists, and interested people who study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.  It is helpful in developing conservation strategies.

The Audubon Society description of the history of the Bird Count:

“Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt”: They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.

Conservation was in its beginning stages around the turn of the 20th century, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then budding Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition-a “Christmas Bird Census”-that would count birds in the holidays rather than hunt them.”

For more information about the Christmas Bird Count and to get involved go to: http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count

Bay Area birders can get information about the local bird counts which take place in San Francisco on December 27  and Oakland on December 18 counts from the local Golden Gate Audubon Chapter at  http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/birding-resources/christmas-bird-counts/ .

California Bird Count Schedule  for all of California : http://natureali.org/cbcs.htm