OHIO OUTDOOR NOTEBOOK
By Laura Jones, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
November 2007

Annual Christmas Bird Count is good fun and good for science

Grab your binoculars and boots; it’s time to take part in North America’s oldest and largest wildlife survey.

The 108th National Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins December 14 and ends January 5. On any given day during those three weeks, groups of volunteers across the country record each bird and bird species they see or hear within a defined 15-mile radius. This means tromping through a variety of habitats, including wetlands, woodlands, fields and even some urban neighborhoods.

Each year, results of this “citizen survey” are added to a database featuring more than a century’s worth of unbroken data. In turn, this rich resource helps the scientists who study birds to evaluate how changing environmental conditions impact population numbers and migration patterns of early winter birds.

A tradition begins
During the 1800s it was customary for communities across America to sponsor unregulated wildlife hunts on Christmas Day. The practice caused concern among conservation-minded individuals of the time. In response, New York ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed a new tradition in which people ventured into the woods and fields to count, not shoot, birds.

On December 25, 1900, he and a covey of 27 volunteers counted birds at 25 locations across the United State and two Canadian provinces. Ninety bird species and more than 18,000 individual birds were counted that auspicious day.

Ohio has been part of this holiday tradition since that first count, when a volunteer in Oberlin recorded a total of 14 species, including a red-shouldered hawk, 14 purple finches and just one northern cardinal.

Last year, Ohio’s 59 count circles tallied 153 species, which came out to be more than one million individual birds.

Anyone with an enthusiasm for birds is invited to participate. Those new to the count or with limited experience are always paired with more knowledgeable birders.

To find a circle in your area, visit ohiobirds.org or audubon.org/states