Enthusiastic birders across Alaska are braving wind and snow to be a part of the Audubon Society's 113th annual Christmas Bird Count this holiday season.
From Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, tens of thousands of volunteers across North America contribute to more than 100 years of data. "Last year's count broke records," noted Milo Burcham, vice-president of the Cordova chapter, in the Cordova Times.
"A total of 2,248 counts and 63,223 people tallied over 60 million birds. Counts took place in all 50 states, all Canadian provinces, plus 99 count circles in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands."
Milo writes that prior to the turn of the 20th century, a holiday tradition involved going afield to see who could shoot the most game, including birds. As conservation took root and declining bird populations became a concern for observers and scientists, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed the "Christmas Bird Census" in 1900 to count birds instead of hunt them.
This year, 24 locations across Alaska count birds this time of year.
Redpolls in Fairbanks
"There's a lot of enthusiasm for it," says Gail Mayo, coordinator for the Fairbanks bird count. In Fairbanks, where the count takes place Dec. 29, around 80 people participate in the Christmas bird count.
The most-spotted bird in Fairbanks last year was the common redpoll, with more than 1,255 identified and 1,622 non-identified, meaning some of those were the less-common hoary redpoll. The second most prevalent bird in Fairbanks' 2011 bird count was the raven, with 991 counted.
Participants get off the main roads and into backcountry areas via foot, ski, dog sled and snowmachine, Mayo says. Plus, some people count at home bird feeders. The count's 15 mile diameter, which centers near the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Large Animal Research Station, covers a vast ecological area including low-lying marshland, river beds, hillsides, and windswept domes.
The Anchorage count also covers varied terrain, all the way up the Hillside, through all the coastal trails and down to the Cook Inlet mudflats and Potter Marsh. The center of the count is around Old Seward and Diamond, and with 150 participants, the area is "covered pretty thoroughly," says Sirena Brownlee, area coordinator.
5,000 bohemian waxwings
The Anchorage count was done on Saturday, and unofficial results are in. This year, the most common sighting was the bohemian waxwing, with more than 5,000 seen. As large as that number is, Brownlee notes that other years have seen up to 20,000 waxwings. The common redpoll was the second most-counted bird this year.
Both Brownlee and Mayo emphasized the importance that weather plays in the count, influencing both birds' activity and how anxious volunteers are to participate. "I think a bunch of people won't go out if it's really cold," Mayo says. But "some will go no matter what."
What's prevents different volunteers from double-counting birds? In Fairbanks, people are instructed not to count ravens that are commuting, flying high above ground, and concentrate on those hanging out in a particular area. Participants meet up for a potluck afterwards to exchange count numbers and confer on large flocks.
In Anchorage, Brownlee says less-experienced volunteers are grouped with those who have counted for years. People quickly learn the tricks of the trade in counting a flock of fast-moving birds.
While the Christmas Bird Count has been completed in some communities, other counts are still upcoming in Bethel, Dillingham, Galena, Eagle Community, Denali National Park, Cantwell, Delta Junction, Eagle River and Fairbanks. The schedule, including contact information for each locale, is available in this online PDF.
Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel@alaskadispatch.com