Christmas Bird Counts (2014) in the U.S.: 1,888.
In Canada: 460.
In Latin America, Caribbean, Pacific Islands: 114.
In Snohomish County: 2.
Number of volunteers: as many as possible! Don’t be shy about raising your binoculars and joining the fun of a local Christmas Bird Count. It’s free and no experience is necessary. The Edmonds-area count is Dec. 19 and the Everett/Marysville count is on Jan. 2. Both events are sponsored by the Pilchuck Audubon Society.
This year is the 116th Christmas bird count, now a tradition sponsored by the National Audubon Society. The count is the nation’s longest-running citizen-science project. Before it started, the holiday tradition in many places was the Christmas side hunt. Folks would grab their guns and compete to see who could kill the most birds (and other creatures).
If you like numbers, a CBC is for you. The 115th count, including feeders, was 68,753,007 birds of 2,106 species (655 species in the U.S.).
The original count had 27 birders and 90 species.
Each CBC takes place on one day from Dec. 13 to Jan. 4. Volunteers head out on foot, in cars, on bikes and even boats and kayaks. In each area, there are experienced birders who are familiar with the terrain, so there’s no need to be an expert birder.
If you’re interested, contact Scott Atkinson (425-210-2716) to count in the Everett/Marysville area, or Bob Schmidt (425-273-1579) for the Edmonds area.
Pilchuck Audubon’s information will be combined with data from all other count areas. The combined results of decades of counts allows researchers, conservation biologists, wildlife agencies and others to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. The Christmas count, when added to the Breeding Bird Survey and other counts, provides a look at how bird populations have fared in numbers, whether their territories have changed and how.
The CBC numbers have been used in a study that predicts how climate change can affect bird ranges, and the EPA has included Audubon’s climate change work as one of 26 indicators of climate change in its 2012 report.
A CBC outing is a chance to contribute to the collective knowledge of birds and enjoy the company of other birders. What’s not to like?
Hummingbirds: Michael Reid asked about the article on bird feeders and the diseases they can spread. “Nowhere in the article did it say anything about hummingbirds. Should these birds be treated like any other bird?”
No birds are immune from all avian diseases, so keeping hummingbird feeders clean is a priority, too. If not cleaned often, mold can grow in the sugar water. Hummers are tiny and it doesn’t take much contamination to harm or kill them. Any discoloration should ring the Clean Me bell.
Take apart the feeder, use water, bleach and soap, and soak. I find it a challenge to clean hummingbird feeders. It usually takes a combination of bottle brushes and tooth brushes to do the job. Clean out the feeding holes. Rinse well with hot water and dry the pieces before putting the feeder together.
Some birdwatchers put the parts in the dishwasher. I haven’t tried that, so if anyone has, let me know the results.
A natural gift: Give the gift of an outdoor educational experience with the North Cascades Institute. Send you friend or family member to a one- to three-day class. January to May’s classes include winter night photography, winter ecology of the North Cascades, birding the greater Skagit delta, winter tracking, exploring Ross Lake by canoe, Skagit canoe adventure, exploring Yellow and Jones islands by boat and boot, snakes and amphibians of the Methow Valley, and exploring Sucia Island.
For more information, go to www.ncascades.org.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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