Christmas Bird Counts
The Audubon Society sponsors this counts every year around Christmas time, hence the name. A knowledgeable birder and a group of wanna be birders team up and count birds all over the country. these counts serve as a guideline on bird migrations, flux in populations, disease speculations, etc.
I've done four Bird Counts and they were all so different.
Chesapeake Bay Area- there were just two of us on this count, the expert and me. He knew everything and I knew nothing. He spotted and counted and I recorded his findings. It was bitter cold and we met at 6:30 AM. We worked for about five hours and I was beat. My arthritis kicked in and I was stiff as a board. We stopped for lunch around 11:30. I went home after that. He went and hooked up with another group.
San Francisco- I talked my friend, Sam, in going to this event. There was one bird expert and seven or eight female birding enthusiasts. The had guide books and small binoculars. They spotted the birds and debated the species. But the bird expect had the final call on classification. We walked all over Fisherman's Wharf and counted pigeons, sparrows, and crows. Apparently, I jaywalked too much for their California souls. They complained to Sam and concluded, "she must be from the east coast the way she just walks out in the middle of the street."
Bermuda- there was one expert and his young daughter, an elderly British couple and me. I was so excited to be with this group because I had seen lots of unusual birds the day before and I was hoping to find out what I saw. The birder was outstanding. The British couple brought a picnic basket with them and we stopped to have tea. The little girl was motivated to spot as many birds as possible and I just enjoyed every one's company. I had been traveling by myself for the last three days so it was fun to be in this very civilized activity.
Reading, PA- there was the expert and four couples, who were out for a fun morning, and me. Mostly, the expert saw the birds and counted them. We nodded in agreement with everything he said. Someone took notes but I wasn't sure who was doing that. I just know it wasn't me. And the rest of us just chatted each other up. It was such compatible group that the birds became secondary to the conversations at hand.
Every November, I search out dates and locations of that year's counts. I vow to join one of the groups. But then, time slips by and I miss the event. Maybe this year, I'll make it again. I hope so. They are lots of fun.
The Audubon Society sponsors this counts every year around Christmas time, hence the name. A knowledgeable birder and a group of wanna be birders team up and count birds all over the country. these counts serve as a guideline on bird migrations, flux in populations, disease speculations, etc.
I've done four Bird Counts and they were all so different.
Chesapeake Bay Area- there were just two of us on this count, the expert and me. He knew everything and I knew nothing. He spotted and counted and I recorded his findings. It was bitter cold and we met at 6:30 AM. We worked for about five hours and I was beat. My arthritis kicked in and I was stiff as a board. We stopped for lunch around 11:30. I went home after that. He went and hooked up with another group.
San Francisco- I talked my friend, Sam, in going to this event. There was one bird expert and seven or eight female birding enthusiasts. The had guide books and small binoculars. They spotted the birds and debated the species. But the bird expect had the final call on classification. We walked all over Fisherman's Wharf and counted pigeons, sparrows, and crows. Apparently, I jaywalked too much for their California souls. They complained to Sam and concluded, "she must be from the east coast the way she just walks out in the middle of the street."
Bermuda- there was one expert and his young daughter, an elderly British couple and me. I was so excited to be with this group because I had seen lots of unusual birds the day before and I was hoping to find out what I saw. The birder was outstanding. The British couple brought a picnic basket with them and we stopped to have tea. The little girl was motivated to spot as many birds as possible and I just enjoyed every one's company. I had been traveling by myself for the last three days so it was fun to be in this very civilized activity.Reading, PA- there was the expert and four couples, who were out for a fun morning, and me. Mostly, the expert saw the birds and counted them. We nodded in agreement with everything he said. Someone took notes but I wasn't sure who was doing that. I just know it wasn't me. And the rest of us just chatted each other up. It was such compatible group that the birds became secondary to the conversations at hand.
Every November, I search out dates and locations of that year's counts. I vow to join one of the groups. But then, time slips by and I miss the event. Maybe this year, I'll make it again. I hope so. They are lots of fun.
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