The Birders Report

White-breasted Nuthatch Waiting To Be Counted photo by Larry Jordan

The longest running citizen science project in the world, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, started Monday, and it’s looking for a few thousand volunteers like you!

Excursions are organized around the country by local bird clubs, and anyone can join in to help simply by identifying the birds you spot.  The data is gathered and analyzed by the Audubon Society, and it forms real scientific conclusions about the state of bird populations across North America.

The annual State of the Birds report, which this year detailed alarming trends in population loss among dozens of U.S. birds, would not be possible without the thousands of citizen scientists who have participated in projects like the Christmas Bird Count over the years.

Last year, more than 59,800 people counted nearly 70-million birds in all 50 states and beyond.  To see last years report go here.

The Christmas Bird Count grew out of a revolution in the way people appreciated birds. It begun in New York Central Park on Christmas Day in 1900, as the American Museum of Natural History scientist Frank Chapman posed an alternative to the traditional holiday “side hunt” (when teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals).  Instead, Chapman proposed they “hunt” birds to identify, count, and record their numbers.

For three weeks thousands of bird enthusiasts like us will go out into nature and have an incredible experience enjoying the great outdoors while we count the birds in our area and help the Audubon, and the rest of the birding world, possibly save some bird species for future generations.

You don’t have to be an expert birder or really know anything about birds to help with the count.  Actually, you will learn so much about the species in your area by doing this count, it will amaze you.  You will be out with experienced people who will teach you many new things to help you enjoy the birds in your own backyard.

For information on bird counts in your area go to Audubon Christmas Bird Count to look up the counting circles near you by state.

If you really love birds and you want to help gather information that may help bird conservation for years to come, join a count circle.  You will be glad you did!

Have a great three weeks!  Go out and count some birds!  I’m a real lucky guy.  We have four CBCs close to where I live.  The Audubon Christmas Bird Count started Monday and goes until January 5th, 2010.

Birdwatchers photos by Larry Jordan

I’m sure many of you have been on a bird watching outing and missed identifying a species because all you saw was the tail end of the bird as it flew away.  Or maybe the only view of the bird you were able to see was from below or obscured by tree branches or leaves.  I call these butt shots.

If you are a bird photographer, I’m sure you have many of these photographs yourself, perhaps being a bit slow on the trigger or attempting to get in-flight shots.  Well, I’ve got plenty of them and I thought it would be fun to have a contest to see who could ID the most butt shots.

The top three correct entries will receive an autographed copy of a great new bird book titled “B is for Bufflehead.”  You can check out this book written and photographed by Steve Hutchcraft on a previous post.  So let’s get started with the butt shots starting with numbers 1 and 2 from left to right..

These two birds of prey are often seen soaring overhead and if you learn their underwing markings, they will be easy to identify.

I’m hoping everyone can identify number 4, the bird on the left, and the birds in the photo on the right are a pair of Dabbling Ducks.

Dabbling Ducks feed by upending in the water to get to the underwater plants. On the left is another pair of common dabblers and on the right, another common water bird, with green legs.

This tiny bird on the left is common on the West Coast and the bird on the right is common all across North America. Is this becoming too easy?

Numbers 9 and 10 are both birds of prey. They are both appropriately named, although you may have an easier time identifying the bird on the left than the one on the right, even though the bird on the right is one of the most common and widespread birds in North America.

Is it getting a bit more challenging now? This duck on the left (number 11) can be identified by the large blue patches on its forewings. On the right is one of the success stories of the Endangered Species Act.

Both of these migratory birds spend their summers in the Western United States. Being orange should help you identify the bird on the left and the bird on the right is showing the narrow white edges on its otherwise black tail.

The very energetic bird on the left is the most widespread of its family and is a common visitor to bird feeders. The bird on the right’s identity is given away by the white “V” on its tail and its orange feet.

This small marsh dwelling bird on the left often sticks its tail up in the air just like this. The more difficult bird to identify, on the right, lives in the west, is the only member of its family and only the female of the species has yellow eyes.

And to round out the butt shots, we have a couple of sparrows. I don’t know about you, but I have trouble identifying some sparrows. They seem so similar to one another. I think many people may know the bird on the left, but if you don’t, you may identify it by its untidy nest.

I saved what I thought was the most difficult bird to identify for last, even though it is a common sparrow across most of North America.

All of these species are found in California which is where they were photographed. To enter the contest for an autographed copy of “B is for Bufflehead” simply send me an email with your ID choices. The three people with the most correct entries win! If there are more than three entries with the same number of correct answers, the person with the earliest entry will be chosen. One entry per person please. The contest ends December 31st at midnight PST.

So, send in some entries! Especially if you have kids or grandkids. This book is great for getting youngsters interested in birds and the photographs are amazing! You have nothing to lose and there are notoriously few people that enter these kind of blog contests anyway. Heck, you might get one of these cool, autographed books with only a few correct answers 😉

Now, go look at some much better bird photos over at Bird Photography Weekly!  And check out IATB #115.

Sandhill Cranes Take Off photos by Larry Jordan

I was lucky enough to catch these Sandhill Cranes taking off from a field near Chico, California last weekend when I went to visit a friend and survey his property for one of my Burrowing Owl habitat installations.  Yes, I was fortunate to be awarded a California Audubon Collaborative Grant to install Burrowing Owl habitat in Northern California!  (Can you see me jumping up and down with delight?)  More on that later.

I was hoping to have time to stop by Llano Seco, one of the units of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge but I was running late.  So, I was thrilled to happen upon this group of Sandhill Cranes along Ord Ferry Road where I stopped to snap a few photos.

Last year Brigitte and I visited Cosumnes River Preserve to see the cranes following the Sandhill Crane Festival that takes place every year in the Central Valley of California, around Lodi.  This is one of the photos I took last year where there were hundreds of cranes foraging the remnants of the corn fields on North Staten Island Road.  Here is a map of the Crane Viewing Sites in this area.

And here is a short video of a pair of Sandhill Cranes displaying their courtship dance.  One of the reasons I picked this video is that the cranes are calling back and forth in the video.  Their prehistoric call, for me, is one of the best reasons to visit these birds whenever you can.  The sound of hundreds of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead, calling to each other, is unforgettable.

Be sure to visit all the other great Skywatch Friday photos too!