# Christmas Bird Counts



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

The Christmas Bird counts start in a couple of weeks across the Western Hemisphere. Here's the Evanston WY/UT count newspaper article:

Volunteers wanted for Evanston Christmas Bird Count

Count provides essential data for conservation: 
Tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.
2011 marks the 31st year of the Evanston Christmas Bird Count and the 112th anniversary of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) held throughout the Americas. The CBC began over a century ago when 27 hunter/conservationists, led by ornithologist Frank Chapman, changed the course of ornithological history. On Christmas Day 1900, the small group of conservationists initiated an alternative activity to the "side hunt," a holiday practice typical of the time period. This "side hunt" was an activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead of this hunt, the group, made up mostly of hunters, would put down their firearms for a day and identify, count, and record the birds that they saw. This started the tradition of what now is considered to be the most significant citizen-based conservation effort - and a more than century-old institution.
The data collected by observers over the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years.
Each of the citizen scientists who annually brave snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action. 
From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition, and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. 
This year, about 2,200 individual counts are scheduled to take place throughout the Americas and beyond from December 14, 2011 to January 5, 2012. During last year's count, over 61 million birds were tallied by over 62,000 volunteers, that number of observers representing a record level of participation.

Count event is a 24-hour census:
Each count group completes a census of the birds found during one 24-hour period between December 14 and January 5 in a designated circle 15 miles in diameter-about 177 square miles. Participants sit, walk, fly airplanes, boat, cross-country ski, snowmobile, ride horses, and drive all manner of vehicles to tally birds on count day. Last year Utah enjoyed 25 counts, with 180 different species documented - Antelope Island, Bear River, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Bryce Canyon, Cedar City, Dead Horse Point, Dinosaur N.P., Evanston WY/UT, Fish Springs, Grand Staircase/Escalante, Heber Valley, Jordan River, Kanab, Logan, Moab, Morgan, Ogden, Ouray NWA, Payson, Provo, Salt Lake City, Silver Reef, St George, Torrey, and Zion N.P. There were 20 counts in Wyoming last year and 115 different species of birds found.

Local count started in 1981:
The Evanston CBC, held since 1981, is centered north of Evanston at the Utah-Wyoming border on Highway 89. It would not be considered a success without the cooperation of the private landowners within the count circle allowing the group access to their property to tally the birds. The Deseret Land and Livestock, and Martin Ranch properties, according to the local count organizer Tim Gorman, are particularly valuable for wintering hawks, eagles, rosy-finches and sage grouse, as well as waterfowl species.

35 species seen last year:
Last year's local Christmas Bird Count had mixed results. 10 hardy field participants and one person attending a bird feeder spent part or all of a snowy and gloomy day observing birds. A total of 41 species and 1943 birds were counted. 253 Greater sage-grouse were found. Even though sage-grouse sightings were low on count day, good numbers were seen in the weeks before and after the count. Cinnamon Teal were sighted for the first time. A Loggerhead Shrike was reported and a flock of Bohemian Waxwings was a welcome sight. Eurasian-collared dove sightings continue to rise. Noticeably absent were Barrow's Goldeneye, owls, woodpeckers, snipe, Belted Kingfisher, Townsend's solitaire and blackbirds. Raptor numbers were down overall, reflecting what appeared to be a bad year for mice and voles.

Together the group logged 5 miles on foot and 270 miles by truck, ATV or snowmobile. The Evanston count, held since 1981, is nationally known for its Greater Sage-Grouse numbers. Most of the 253 Sage-Grouse were counted by Deseret Land and Livestock employee Rick Danvir.

Last year's tally:
The 1,943 birds from 35 species tallied during the 2009/2010 Evanston Christmas Bird Count were:
Canada Goose 1, Mallard 257, Gadwall 19, American Wigeon 4, Cinnamon Teal 3, Green-winged Teal 32, Common Goldeneye 86, Bufflehead 3, Common Merganser 2, Eared Grebe 1, Greater Sage-Grouse 253, Bald eagle 22, Northern Harrier 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Ferruginous Hawk 1, Rough-legged Hawk 4, Golden Eagle 7, Prairie Falcon 1, Rock Pigeon 29, Eurasian Collared-Dove 124, Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker 2, Northern Shrike 1, Loggerhead Shrike 1, Black-billed Magpie 308, American Crow 2, Common Raven 22, Horned Lark 42, Black-capped Chickadee 5, Mountain Chickadee 2, American Robin 1, Bohemian Waxwing 30, European Starling 240, Am. Tree Sparrow 54, Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco 6, Snow Bunting 10, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 13, Cassin's Finch 4, House Finch 120, American Goldfinch 11, and House Sparrow 215.

Nationally, the Evanston count is highly regarded for its bald eagle, golden eagle and sage grouse tabulations. The local CBC holds the all-time record sage grouse count - 698 in 1986. 253 sage grouse were tallied last year. Typically, 40-50 other bird species are also sighted during each count. During mild winters, when the Bear River, Woodruff Narrows Reservoir and the Neponset Reservoir are not frozen, as many as 8,000 individual birds have been seen.

Evanston count Saturday, December 17:
The Christmas Bird Count serves as an up-to-the-minute bird census. Growing in popularity since its inception, the count serves as an important scientific function as well. Birds are one of the first groups of animals to be affected by environmental threats like pollution and habitat destruction. The CBC data provides indispensable information, not only on long-term health of bird populations, but also the status of the environment that birds share with all living things.

In addition, historical count results from 1900 to the present are available through Audubon's website: www.audubon.org/bird/cbc where the 107th count results will be available in real-time. Explore the bird tallies for this winter, 2011-2012, or visit a count from the past. See if and how the state of your local birds has changed during the last 25...50...or even 100 years.

Persons interested in participating are asked to meet at the Hornet's Nest gas station, 8 miles north of Evanston on Rt. 89, at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 17. Horses, snowmobiles, cross-country skis, and ATVs are welcome. For more information about the count, contact Tim or Patti Gorman at 789-3833 or 679-0656.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I wrote the article, so there's no copyright problems.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

The Evanston CBC numbers are in. It was a great year. On December 17th 9 field participants braved the cold to spend part, or all, of a beautiful blue-bird winter day observing birds. A total of 31 species and 1669 birds were counted. 445 Greater Sage-grouse were found, 258 in one flock alone! Eurasian-collared Dove sightings continue to increase. Noticeably absent were snipe, shrikes, Townsend’s Solitaire and blackbirds. Bald Eagle numbers were down from historical levels. A small flock of Cedar Waxwings was a welcome sight. 20 Am. Crows were found. 

The count circle is split down the middle by the WY/UT state line.

This was Evanston’s 31th CBC and a good one. Here are the birds:

Green-winged Teal 7
Mallard 29
Gadwall 4
Common Goldeneye 68
Barrow’s Goldeneye 2
Northern Harrier 2
Bald Eagle 15
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Ferruginous Hawk 1
Rough-legged Hawk 7
Golden Eagle 12
Greater Sage-Grouse 445
Eurasian Collared-Dove 149
Rock Pigeon 25
Short-eared Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern (red-shafted) Flicker 2
Horned Lark 64
American Pipit 1
Black-billed Magpie 285 
Common Raven 9
American Crow 20
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Cedar Waxwing 5
European Starling 389
Am Tree Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco 2
Snow Bunting 10
House Finch 35
House Sparrow 70

31 total species
1669 individual birds


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

Nice Goob!


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

That sounds like fun. Learning to identify bird species is one of the things I’d like to do but haven’t. I currently use the Rancid Crabtree method.
Are that many magpie residents or are they passing through?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks Naturalist, nice to see ya on the Forum.

The magpies are residents Cooky.

Our humble little count usually picks up 40 - 45 species, this year was an off year and we worked hard to find the birds we did get. The different Salt Lake valley counts average around 65 species and tens of thousands of birds. There's lots of friendly competition with those counts too.

Our humble count had 445 sage-grouse this year. One flock of sage grouse numbered over 250 birds; quite a sight. 

The Evanston count is covers the same 15-mile diameter circle on the same weekend of every year. Our annual Greater Sage-grouse tallies have become important historical data to the birding community.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Good stuff, Goob.

Have the crossbills shown up again at your house this winter?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Good stuff, Goob.
> 
> Have the crossbills shown up again at your house this winter?


No sir. It's not been a very good year for small perching birds.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Haven't ran this one since 2011, wow.

The Evanston WY/UT Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be Sunday, December 14th. We don't have a lot of perching birds around here in December but have good numbers of eagles, hawks and sage grouse on our count. Everyone is welcome to participate.

The count takes place one day a year around Christmas on a 15-mile diameter circle centered on where Rt 89 crosses the UT/WY state line....uh here:

Uinta County Sheriff Dept photo 

Last year's observations:


This will be Evanston's 34th consecutive CBC. It's a blast and I think I get more of a kick out of seeing all the wintering elk, deer, and antelope as I do the birds.


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

My students have participated with Cornell U. Project Feederwatch for the past 15 years. It is amazing how little today's youth know about birds/nature in general. I'd say about 85% of my students really enjoy getting out of class for 20 minutes every other week throughout the winter to go count/ID birds to send to Cornell. Plus the fact that it is an ongoing legit scientific investigation makes fit right in with AP Enviromental Science.

I would encourage any and all to participate!


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

wyogoob said:


> The count takes place one day a year around Christmas on a 15-mile diameter circle centered on where Rt 89 crosses the UT/WY state line....uh here:
> 
> Uinta County Sheriff Dept photo


Totally makes sense now why you chose "12 Gauge" as your "if you can only have one hunting weapon" pick. :mrgreen:

Very cool pict. I run a similar one on the 'nut as our Merry Christmas front page.

-DallanC


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Totally makes sense now why you chose "12 Gauge" as your "if you can only have one hunting weapon" pick. :mrgreen:
> 
> Very cool pict. I run a similar one on the 'nut as our Merry Christmas front page.
> 
> -DallanC


There's a little pull-off at the UT/WY border north of Evanston. A Uinta County Sheriff just happen to be there when a herd of about 75 mature bull elk decided to cross back and forth, in and out, of the DLL. He took about 25 really cool pictures.

The elk are a traffic hazard and the Ranch tries to keep them back away from the highway.

.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

It would be pretty amazing to witness it first hand. There is a video on youtube of a elk migration across a road that was caught on video elsewhere ... hundreds of elk running past for a long time.


-DallanC


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