Citizen science takes flight in Leavenworth’s Christmas Bird Count

LEAVENWORTH — Bundled in winter coats and armed with binoculars, local community members took to the trails on Dec. 23 to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count, an international community science survey that has tracked bird populations for over a century.

The Wenatchee River Institute (WRI) led one group of Leavenworth area counters, observing 27 species and 248 individual birds on a near 4-mile walk. WRI Community Programs Educator Virginia Shoup said the group saw more Dark-eyed Juncos than any other bird, with close to 100 individual sightings. The total bird count for the Leavenworth area was not yet available at the time the article was written.

“We participate because it is an amazing way to contribute our communities' bird knowledge and interest to an international community science project, and also as a fun way to connect to the natural world — whether you are an experienced birder or brand new!” said Shoup in an email to Ward Media.

From Dec. 14 to Jan. 5 each year, Christmas Bird Counts are organized into geographically bound “circles” throughout the Western Hemisphere; for each circle, one lead compiler is in charge of dividing it into sections and assigning leads. The goal for the circle is to have people travel the same routes at the same approximate time each year to not only obtain a bird count, but to compare the data from year to year. According to Shoup, the Leavenworth circle is divided into 11 sections, centered around Peshastin and stretching into Cashmere, Icicle Road, and up Chumstick Highway.

Leavenworth compiler Tucker Jonas provides a paper list of typical species to look for, with an option for counters to record their observations by hand. The group also uses an app called eBird, managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which helps birders accurately identify species and record sightings, photos and sounds. Following the count, Jonas submits all of the information to the National Audubon Society; data specific to Leavenworth is archived in a historical log.

Shoup said her favorite moment of this year’s count was when Jack, a Field Educator, told the group he heard a Bald Eagle as they walked from Blackbird Island towards Enchantment Park. When the group looked, all they saw was a Canada Goose flying by.

“As we all turned to Jack with raised eyebrows, an eagle also appeared, tearing after the flying goose! As the goose honked and fled, the eagle flipped upside down and grabbed the belly of the goose. They both disappeared behind the brush on one of the islands in the river. All that was left was a puff of feathers. A second eagle followed about 15 seconds behind. The honking stopped. I can't recall if we counted that goose in our report…” said Shoup.

Birders of the Leavenworth area have done a Christmas Bird Count for about 25 years, but the tradition is much older. According to the National Audubon Society, who organizes the annual count, it was first established on Christmas Day, 1900.

Prior to the turn of the century, hunters would engage in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt.” The winner was whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered and furred quarry. With conservation beginning to take hold at the time, concerns about declining bird populations arose among scientists and observers. Rather than hunt birds on the holiday, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new tradition: a “Christmas Bird Census.”

According to the National Audubon Society, the first count was led by 27 dedicated birders ranging from Toronto, Ontario to Pacific Grove, California, with many located throughout northeastern North America. The original 27 counters tallied around 90 species combined.

Now, the counting tradition is said to be the longest running citizen science project in the world, with tens of thousands participating every year. Last year marked the Audubon’s 125th Christmas Bird Count, with over 83,000 participants across 21 countries and territories. Participants counted over 44.2 million birds and approximately 2,500 species.

The longstanding community bird survey has provided a snapshot of how the continent’s bird populations have changed in time and space over the past hundred years. This data has enabled Audubon researchers, conservation biologists, and wildlife agencies to study birds’ long-term health and status, inform strategies to protect birds and their habitat, and identify environmental issues that have implications for humans.

According to Audubon, the information collected has been used in Audubon’s 2014 Climate Change Report, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report, the State of the Birds report by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Audubon’s Common Birds in Decline report.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media