INITIAL CHRISTMAS BIRD count information from two North Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society chapters show a slight dip in overall species counted — but similar to an election, not all canvassing districts have reported in with results.
In its 120th year, the Christmas Bird Count is the longest continuous biological census in the world.
Back in less enlightened times, people held side hunts, in which two groups of hunters would compete to kill as many birds as possible.
Hoping to provide an alternative to the bird counts and draw attention to declining bird populations, Frank Chapman, an ornithologist and officer in the newly formed Audubon Society, organized 25 bird counts in the U.S. and Canada beginning in 1900.
Packing binoculars instead of shotguns loaded with bird shot, citizen scientists in Jefferson County and the Sequim-Dungeness Valley took to the field or eyed their bird feeders intently last Saturday and Monday, respectively.
Bad news for bird species
This year’s count comes on the heels of a couple of disconcerting scientific studies on birds.
A September study published in the journal Science found that nearly 3 billion birds have disappeared on the North American continent since 1970. An October Audubon report found that two-thirds of birds in North America are at risk due to warming temperatures and human impact on the planet.
The more than a century’s worth of bird count data is vital for scientists, said Rick Jahnke, president of Jefferson County’s Audubon Society chapter, Admiralty Audubon.
“If you think about how climate change is impacting wildlife and birds, this is one of the few tools we have to monitor impacts over time.
Jahnke’s wife, Debbie, also participates in the count.
“This also is a great way for citizens to participate in something important,” she said. “No matter how good a birder is, they have only one pair of eyes to conduct something of this size and scale. This is uniquely important because the scientific community could not do this on their own.”
Not every bird counter counts the same way.
“Some people start before sunrise,” Rick Jahnke said. “Some groups try and survey owls, so they are out before sunrise at 5 a.m. in the dark of winter.”
This merlin was discovered atop a branch of a tree in the Morgan Hill neighborhood of Port Townsend during Admiralty Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count last Saturday. (Wendy Feltham)
The Admiralty Audubon group counts in a 15-mile diameter circle centered on docks of Naval Magazine Indian Island, across Port Townsend Bay from the city of Port Townsend.
It includes 15 routes and some of the group’s route leaders cover more than one route.
“We are a small chapter in a large and bird[-heavy] region,” Debbie Jahnke said. Some of our best birders also lend their talents to other count circles, including at Neah Bay and in Olympic Peninsula Audubon’s counts. Some of our neighboring chapters’ best birders help us with our count, as well.”
A potluck followed counting Saturday, and the Jahnke’s reported that the preliminary count was 108 species with nine of 15 routes reporting in.
A water-based route and several other locations that are likely to add additional species numbers remain to be counted. Last year, 75 participants counted 114 species.
“Count Day highlights include a Merlin who was finishing lunch and spent several photogenic minutes posing for photos sporting the bloody evidence from its successful hunt on the route that includes Morgan Hill in Port Townsend, and a group of California Jays that have established themselves near Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park,” Debbie Jahnke said.
For species not seen on count day, the Christmas Bird Count collects count week observations.
Numbers of individuals observed cannot be included but species not observed on count day can be included.
Jahnke said a personal favorite species, canvasbacks, a large diving duck, fits this category.
“Our circle has a freshwater location where a few canvasbacks are almost always present but sometimes they aren’t present to be counted on count day,” Jahnke said. “The day after count day, our route leader returned to find six canvasbacks for wount week.”
Sequim count
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley count held Monday was led by the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society.
Bob Boekelheide, former director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center, has compiled bird count results in Sequim since 1996.
“The average number of species for the last 25 years is about 142,” Boekelheide said.
“This year the number of species is 138, but that could change. But that’s actually low for our count.”
Boekelheide said there are about 120 species that pretty much guaranteed to be seen every year. It’s the final 20-25, what he described as “the rarities and oddballs that may not be there from year to year.”
With realtively mild weather in recent weeks, Boekelheide joked that “maybe nothing new blew in.”
Boekelheide said that counts had yet to turn up “some of the irruptive finches [such as] common redpolls, crossbills [and] wayward ducks.”
“Sometimes we get species like cinnamon teal,” Boekelheide said.
“There were good numbers of owls, but we didn’t see any snowy owls as it’s not a snowy owl irruption year.”
An irruption is a dramatic, irregular migration of large numbers of birds to areas where they aren’t typically found, possibly at a great distance from their normal ranges.
Boekelheide explained that snowy owls have a surge cycle every four to seven years, that among numerous hypotheses may be tied into the population of lemmings in the Artic Circle.
“The owls produce lots of chicks, the lemmings run out, the birds spread and sometimes end up in coastal Washington, the Midwest, and the Northeast,” Boekelheide said.
Finches like crossbills also have irruptive years, and travel to eat cone crops whereever they can find them.
More rare species that were counted this year include redheads, diving ducks that were discovered at Jamestown.
“There are some snow geese around, and there had been an emperor goose here but it was not seen,” Boekelheide said. “And a willet, there’s been one willet here for the last five years.
A willet is a large sandpiper-like shorebird.
“Every year has interesting stories to tell,” Boekelheide said. “Since they stopped releasing pheasants for hunting [off of Voice of America Road] the number of pheasants seen has dropped dramatically in the Dungeness Valley.
Boekelheide said other species have migrated to the area since he’s been compiling the count.
“Anna’s hummingbirds are a good example,” he said. “We didn’t even see them until the 1980s. Then it was one or two a year for the next 30 years. And about 15 years ago, the numbers skyrocketed. We had more than 200 in the count and Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia have thousands.”
Count results
To access Christmas Bird Count results through the years, visit audubon.org.
Locally, the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society has posted records of past counts at olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org.
Upcoming count
Port Angeles’ count is set for Dec. 28.
For more information, email Barbara Blackie at blackieb@olypen.com or call 360-477-8028.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
