The Christmas bird count: The tradition that shocked America into saving wildlife

Based on a tradition of the past, this event provides critical data to wildlife experts
While participating in the annual Christmas bird count at the Aullwood Audubon Center, Ray Corder and his daughter Carrie are approached from behind by a bull that is cared for at the Aullwood Farm. STAFF FILE PHOTO

While participating in the annual Christmas bird count at the Aullwood Audubon Center, Ray Corder and his daughter Carrie are approached from behind by a bull that is cared for at the Aullwood Farm. STAFF FILE PHOTO
AVERAGE GUY OUTDOORS | COLUMN
By Devin Meister – Contributing Writer
1 hour ago
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Knowing is critical. Actually wanting to know is the most critical - and to care. At the end of the 19th century, wildlife conservation was barely a thought. Many people thought that animals couldn’t go extinct or be eliminated by humans. Until they were.

In the late 19th century there was a common family Christmas tradition called a “side hunt” which was essentially a body count of dead birds. Families would divide in half and tally their total at the end of the field. It was consistent with many prevailing attitudes of the time, when market hunting was legal and feathers treasured accessories. As more and more people noticed the dwindling populations of birds, groups started to form for their advocacy. That ultimately led to the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty act, the forming of the Audubon Society, rising interest of the general population and one of the longest and largest running citizen science events, the Christmas Bird Count.

The first Christmas Bird Count happened in 1900, proposed as an alternative to the “side hunts” by Frank Chapman, an early officer of what would become the Audubon Society in 1905. The thought was that the birds could actually be counted without bringing all of them to bag. The interest was immediate, including 25 locations from California to Canada documenting 90 different species. Today there are bird counts in all 50 United States and 20 foreign countries, involving tens of thousands of participants and counting millions of birds.

The Gift of Data

“If we had not had a Christmas Bird Count in those early years we would not have as strong an understanding of long-term bird trends. Many of these changes take place gradually,” said Chan Robbins, retired United States Fish and Wildlife Service employee and creator of the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

Over the years this consistent data from across the world has combined with other information to provide invaluable insights. Just a few trends realized through the counts, according to audubon.org include:

Broad-tailed Hawks: Migratory raptors that historically didn’t over-winter in North America, save for the extreme southern tip of Florida, now stop their migrations short of previous destinations.

House Finches: Introduced into New York City in the 1940s, counts show them spreading into the southeast every year, extending their range rapidly both northward and westward.

Northern Bobwhite Quail and American Kestrels: Both species have been reported for the past several years as universally in decline.

Irruptions

In some winters, large numbers of select species of birds extend their migration much further south than in typical years. Whether in search of food or territories, these mass movements are often documented in the Christmas Bird Count. From snowy owls native to the northern tundra to Canadian boreal forest-dwelling evening grosbeaks, these irruptions can bring these birds of the far north to Southwest Ohio.

Get Out, Get Involved

The first Christmas Bird Count was actually on Christmas and for just that day. In the 1960s the Audubon Society standardized them to single-day coverage of 15-mile diameter circles to more accurately compare areas. Today, the Christmas Bird Count runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. There are several locations set up for counts throughout Southwest Ohio. If you’re not actually in a circle, you’re certainly within an easy drive of a location. If you want to participate in this ongoing citizen science effort, go to the Audubon website. There you’ll find simple steps to follow as well as contact information for the different count areas. Some counts are group efforts at specific times, others are individual activities in specific areas.

Devin Meister is a local outdoors and wildlife enthusiast and has a blog called “Average Guy Outdoors.” He is an Ohio University graduate. Reach him at meister.devin@gmail.com.

Devin Meister, Average Guy Outdoors columnist

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MORE ONLINE

fws.gov/story/tis-season-christmas-bird-count

audubon.org/content/cbc-data-bird-trends

gis.audubon.org/christmasbirdcount

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About the Author

Devin Meister