BY FRANK MCKINNEY
Crack! Ice broke under
someone’s foot.
Crunch! More ice.
Someone muttered
in the back.
“Shhhussh!”
We were being as
stealthy as six city
people could be
in an ice covered
swamp in the middle of winter. Even spring could hear us coming and it was months
away.
A flutter of bright red wings and a short “chip!” brought everyone to attention. Six
binoculars rose to six pairs of eyes; confirming what most of the group already knew. A
cardinal. Gorgeous male. Which meant his less flashy mate was probably nearby. An
answering “Chip” meant that she was here, just not as easy to find.
Question: Why was I here? Answer: Because I love nature. Or I’m crazy. The two are
sometimes not far apart.
On a freezing December morning, I gave up my warm comforter; grabbed layers, a
thermos of coffee and a pair of binoculars to traipse around the middle of nowhere in the
early morning looking for birds for a cause. The Christmas Bird Count.
Every year, since 1900, birdlovers, naturalists, students and their friends and families
have gathered outdoors around the Christmas holiday to help count the birds. This year’s
count will take place throughout North, Central and South America. And anyone can join
in on the effort.
The Christmas Bird Count helps keep track of fluctuations of bird populations as well as
highlight the ranges of different species and how those have changed over the years.
And the best thing is it’s fun. Almost anybody can participate. You just need a desire to
enjoy some time outdoors and find a group to join.
There is even a backyard bird count for those without the means to travel.
The Christmas Bird Count is broken up into wide circles with a leader choosing hotspots
within the circles to visit and count the birds.
Pete was the leader of our merry group of smiling frozen ice men and women. Pete and
members of the Watchung Nature Group volunteered to cover a corner of the Great
Swamp in rural New Jersey in search of the rare as well as the common. Wood Ducks,
and Canada geese. Bald Eagles and woodpeckers. During the Christmas Bird Count,
each and every one of them is a find. Both quantity and variety. Each one telling us more
about the state of our environment.
Our fun goal today was to try to find a golden eagle who had recently been released by a
local bird rehabilitation center named The Raptor Trust. One eye was always on the
lookout for the big predator, and everyone was hoping we would get to add that feather to
our list. Figuratively speaking, of course.
A morning filled with tufted titmouse, blue jays and downy woodpeckers kept us on our
toes, but it was the predator birds that often brought out a hushed excitement in the
group. While we were looking for waterfowl by a marshy woodland, our approach startled
a hawk who took off through the trees.
Was it a sharp-shinned hawk? Or another similar species? The subject would take up
the next five minutes with strong opinions on either side and all eyes studying the
paperback field guides that were carried for just such an occasion. Was the wingspan
too narrow or too long for a sharp-shinned?
Hmmm... Me? I was happy with seeing it fly.
Finally, a decision. Sharp-shinned. Definitely. Maybe.
I’ve always felt that if you want five opinions, ask four people the same question.
And just because the day wore on, didn’t mean we gave up looking for nighttime raptors.
It seemed that every time we came across some densely packed brush and an old tree
someone in the group tried to their best owl call.
Wait for it. Wait. No answer. On to the next. Good thing no one normal was watching.
For birders around Arkansas, the one big story is the return of Ivory-billed Woodpeck-er.
Last seen more than 50 years ago, it was rediscovered last year in Arkansas. But that
discovery is still being disputed and the search is continuing.
So this year, birders in southern forests will undoubtedly be hoping for an Ivory-bill
spotting, a bird count Christmas present.
At the end of the day, most of us crowded into our cars for the ride to the dinner to
compare notes with the other groups in our area. More groups who braved weather in the
teens to find something that no one else had been lucky enough to spot. Every group
carried their list like a trophy. Proudly calling out their prize sightings. For one group, an
owl for another a thrush. I wonder what your group will find this year.
For information about the annual Christmas Bird Count and historical results from
previous bird counts, visit the National Audubon Society at www.audubon.org.
| A CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT |
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