Audubon bird-lovers count, don't kill

Back in the 1800s, when America’s wild birds and animals seemed to be in endless supply, one favorite Christmas tradition amongst outdoor-lovers was called the “Side Hunt,” where participants choose sides and traipsed into the field with their guns and dogs and at the end of the day, whichever side had amassed the biggest heap of dead creatures won. By the turn of the century it became apparent that numbers of certain species were declining, and even the most plentiful bird of all America, the passenger pigeon, was nearly extinct (“Martha,” the last known bird of the species, died in 1914, of natural causes, at the Cincinnati Zoo). Now, after over a hundred years of conservation consciousness and care, bird-lovers tally their quarry with pencils, not guns.
Sonoma bird-lovers and just plain outdoor-lovers have a chance add their numbers to the Audubon’s annual Christmas bird count, the oldest and largest such event in the world. Thanks to the inspiration of Frank M. Chapman and the enthusiasm of twenty-seven original dedicated birders, who started the Christmas tradition in 1900, some 50,000 people all over the country have gathered each year during the winter holiday season to count birds. Over the years, they have created a vast pool of data which serves science and students and simply interested citizens as source of information on the status and distribution of early winter birds. This data is particularly important now, as changes in bird populations and migration patterns are an early indication of climate change.
Sonoma Valley’s Third Annual Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by SonomaBirding.org, will take place on Friday, December 28, 2007, from dawn to dusk. This is a real opportunity to practice “citizen science.” While there is a specific methodology to counting birds, everyone can participate. Beginning birders can join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher. If your home is within the boundaries of a Christmas Bird Count circle, then you can stay home and report the birds that visit your feeder or join a group of birdwatchers in the field. If you have never been on a bird count before and you want to participate this year, please contact Heidi Carle at 938-4626 ext. 6 for more information.