Audubon clubs prep for Christmas Bird Count

Bird watchers are gearing up for the Christmas Bird Count, an annual census that gives experienced birders a platform to involve newcomers in citizen science.

Organized by the National Audubon Society, the 116th CBC will kick off next week across the country and beyond with numerous count sessions scheduled by local birders in the Inland Northwest.

The 115th count set records for turnout – 72,653 volunteers participating in 2,462 group counts between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5 across North America, Latin America, Bermuda and the Pacific Islands.

They tallied a total of 68.8 million birds of 2,106 species – roughly one-fifth of the avian taxa on Earth, Audubon statisticians say.

Inland Northwest birders are in the thick of the action to help scientists get a snapshot of winter bird distribution.

Local Audubon chapters have scheduled programs this week to help birders understand birding trends and to identify and understand birds that frequent this region in winter.

They also invite newcomers to join the groups of birders that survey 15-mile diameter circles on designated days.

The Spokane count is one of more than 40 in Washington. More than 30 are scheduled in Idaho, including three organized by the active Coeur d’Alene chapter.

All of those eyeballs scouring the landscape through binoculars turn up something new every year on local counts as well as rare sightings, according to reports filed by group leaders.

Birding groups out for a day compile impressive numbers in seven hours, said Spokane count organizer Alan McCoy.

“Scientists tend to be more interested in the trends rather than the numbers and species of a single count,” said Gary Blevins, Spokane Audubon member and biology professor a Spokane Falls Community College.

Because the circles that are surveyed aren’t moved once they’re established, surveys over decades help chart trends in those circles, such as the impacts of urbanization, he said.

For example, birds that need bigger expanses of forest land, such as the white-breasted nuthatch, appear to be declining in the Spokane count, he said.

Meanwhile, the red-breasted and pygmy nuthatches are doing better, indicating that they better suited to tolerating the urban development that’s fragmenting habitat at the outer reaches of the survey area.

While trends intrigue the scientists, the thrill for the counters boils down to being out there counting ducks and robins and knowing that you have a shot at seeing a rare bird that will really make your day.

Programs prep birders

Local Audubon Society chapters will present special pre-Christmas Bird Count programs this week.

• Coeur d’Alene Audubon, cookie exchange and program on winter bird identification by Kris Buchler, Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey Road.

• Spokane Audubon, program on bird identification and local trends in wintering birds by Gary Blevins, SCC biology professor, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., at Riverview Community Building, 2117 E. North Crescent Ave. Driving directions: tinyurl.com/SASmeeting.