In this March 30, 2016 file photo, coots sprint on top of the water across a pond toward bread that a passerby threw out on the shore at South County Park in Toledo.
The Christmas Bird Count is back.
Like a faithful snowbird, it returns each winter around solstice time, causing avid birdwatchers to take note. Novice twitchers too.
This year will mark the 117th rendition of the the nationwide bird count. The avian census is organized by the Audubon Society and takes place annually between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, depending on the area. The actual counting is undertaken by average citizens, but the process is highly regulated in an effort to emphasize accuracy. Each designated counting circle, and there are hundreds across the country, has a 15-mile diameter that is scoured by designated teams of birders.
Although there are no counting circles in Lewis County, there are counting circles just a few miles to the north and south. The Olympia area Christmas Bird Count will take place Sunday, Dec. 11. Organizer Bill Shelmerdine said that he usually has between 70 and 90 birders team up each year and that space on the counting roster is nearly full.
“If they live inside the count circle, which is a 7.5 miles radius circle, and they want to count their property or count their feeders, that’s easy to set up. If they want to join a count team and go out and count with other folks, that takes a little bit more logistics,” said Shelmerdine, who encouraged interested bird enthusiasts to check out the Black Hills Audubon website for detailed information.
Shelmerdine reiterated that all birders who want their tallies to be included in the official census must register with him, or another circle organizer, in advance.
“They have to be in the count circle so that we can eliminate things like people double counting birds and counting in the same areas,” said Shelmerdine. “They are in specific locations and then registered with the National Audubon arm that does the Christmas Count.”
Shelmerdine added that there is no particular experience requirement to participate, so long as there are enough old birds to help out the fledgling counters.
“We take both,” said Shelmerdine. “Our county area is broken down into 16 areas and each area has its own individual area leader and they coordinate the team that’s counting and how to count that area and kind of match up experts and novices.”
Ken Burden, of Chehalis, has flown all the way around the world to count birds. While he would like to see a counting circle develop in Lewis County, he obviously has no problem traveling to see birds on the wing. In fact, for the past 43 years, he’s made his way to Olympia to take part in that Christmas Bird Count.
Burden is an area leader for the section of south Olympia and Tumwater that straddles Interstate 5. It is the southernmost section of the Olympia counting circle.
An experienced birder, Burden knows that birds can be as fickle as the weather and that predicting the patterns of either can be a fool’s errand. He said weather can greatly impact the quality of birdwatching, but he refused to guess what Sunday would have in store.
“I wouldn’t venture a guess. We’ve already had a record three snowfalls in half a month,” said Burden. “Some years you have lousy weather and you wind up with a lousy bird count. But you can always hope.”
Anyone interested in joining the Olympia area bird count on Sunday should contact Bill Shelmerdine by email at georn1@hotmail.com or by phone at 360-866-9106. Additional information can be found online at http://blackhills-audubon.org/christmas-bird-count/.
Like a smart snowbird, the Christmas Bird Count will simply move south in the coming weeks with counting circles organized in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties.
The Wahkiakum Christmas Bird Count will take place on Dec. 30, and birders can get involved by contacting Andrew Emlen at 360-795-8009.
The Cowlitz-Columbia Christmas Bird Count will take place on Jan. 1 on both sides of the lower Columbia River. That count will include a family-friendly walking tour of Longview’s crown jewel, Lake Sacajawea, that is organized by the Willapa Hills Audubon Society chapter. That lakeside walk will begin at 9 a.m. and will cover four miles over the course of two or three hours.
Birders wishing to join the general Cowlitz-Columbia CBC should contact Bob Reistroffer at 360-636-5125, and those hoping to join the Lake Sacajawea branch of the walk and watch should contact John Green by phone at 360-430-8569.
Additional information on the Christmas Bird Count can be found online at http://www.audubon.org/join-christmas-bird-count, or on the Willapa Hills Audubon Society website at http://www.willapahillsaudubon.org/.
