Area long led nation in totals for certain species

Experienced bird watchers and novices alike will get a chance Dec. 15 to put their skills to use during the Benicia Christmas Bird Count, part of an Audubon Society effort.

Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) are a tradition that began in 1900 that stemmed from the common holiday practice of families gathering around to see how many birds they could shoot in 24 hours, said Robin Leong, who has been the Benicia Christmas Bird Count compiler since 1989.

Then Frank Chapman suggested counting the birds instead of killing them, Leong said.

Locally, Emerson Stoner introduced the bird count event to Benicians, he said.

“In Benicia, it’s been done since 1930, and we are doing our 68th count, because during World War II and the Korean War, the counts were suspended,” Leong said.

Benicia led the nation for the highest totals for several species for 100 counts, from 1900 to 2000, he said.

During that time, the local bird count grew in popularity, initially attracting a handful of people and more recently getting 100 or more participants, from adults to students to families who are willing to turn out, rain or shine.

“Additionally, Benicia CBC was ranked tied for 39th out of 1,863 counts in North America if number of species were used as a method of ranking a CBC. In past years, we have ranked 15th. So I’d say the Benicia CBC is pretty significant,” Leong said.

Benicia has a coastline, open spaces, plenty of trees and other habitats, including a marshland in the Benicia State Recreation Area that some birds find welcoming. That might explain the success of the local bird count — the Benicia counting area shares those features with other areas in the state, too, Leong said.

“If you look at all of the counts that have the most species, and therefore have the best birders or best habitats or a combination of both, you will see that a lot of them are in California, where the climate is warm and there are many birders and the habitats are extremely diverse.”

But to think of the city as the only part of the bird count is what Leong called “a provincial view.”

He continued, “The count circle is a standardized size circle with a 15-mile diameter. The center is 1 1/4 miles north of the intersection of Pierce Lane and Highway (Interstate) 680.”

In fact, the “Benicia” bird count covers parts of Vallejo, Cordelia, parts of Napa, Fairfield, Suisun and the Suisun Marsh, he said.

Leong is a member of the Napa-Solano Audubon Society, and through that organization he learned about Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count, through which data is accumulated to determine the distribution of birds at this time of year.

It’s the longest-running “citizen science” survey in the world, and accumulates what the Audubon Society calls “critical data on bird population trends.”

Internationally, tens of thousands of participants join in the count each year, and information from more than 2,300 count circles are reported for inclusion in the society’s data and research records.

The count paints a picture of how bird populations have changed throughout the past century, from longtime gradual changes to local changes that could indicate habitat fragmentation or such environmental threats as groundwater contamination or pesticide poisoning.

“One can see that certain introduced species are taking over native populations,” Leong said. Locally, that would be house sparrows, Eurasian collared doves and the great-tailed grackle, he said.

In addition, Christmas Bird Count data has illustrated the effects of global warming, he said.

Leong said the bird count welcomes first-timers who may not be as familiar with area birds as are experienced bird-watchers.

“We always try to pair beginning birders with more experienced ones,” he said.

“Nowadays, everyone seems to have phones that have camera capabilities. These pictures can be shown to experts for proper identification during the compilation party.”

He said counters hike through hills, drive through urban areas, sail out on boats, kayaks and canoes, or even travel by golf cart to catch a glimpse of birds during the count, venturing where property owners and duck clubs allow them to visit.

“As you can see, these modes of transportation allow us all (to) see different habitats, which makes for seeing different species and counting as many birds as possible,” he said.

Others opt for a less adventuresome method of contributing to the count: They watch a birdfeeder.

“The counting process is the same for going out somewhere and birdfeeder counts,” Leong said — except that with the birdfeeder, what’s in the feeder can give a clue as to the types of birds a counter might see.

“If suet is used, it attracts woodpeckers and certain other species,” he said. “If you use sunflower seeds, you will most likely get the seed-eating finches. If you put niger seed, it will get goldfinches and perhaps pine siskins. If you put fruit, some other species.

“The main point of birdfeeder watches is that the birds that show up at the birdfeeder are usually different from those seen on hikes or car birding or out on a boat,” he said.

Once done, counters then give Leong their tallies.

“The number of birds you see or hear are tabulated, as well as the number of hours spent in the habitat and how many hours you spent to attain those species — walking, riding in a car, on a boat, on an ATV,” he said.

“It takes me about two months to get all of the data filed, as I need to obtain the special reports on rare birds seen on the count.”

He may use photographs for documentation or other types of verification. Then he uploads his report to the National Audubon Society website, where it’s reviewed for accuracy.

The results are distributed in November of the next year. “Yes, last year’s data has just been published on the Internet,” he said.

Scientists use the bird count reports to check the numbers of individual species, to see if they are increasing or declining, and where those species have been found, such as if they seem to be traveling north because of global warming or if they’re being seen someplace for the first time, he said.

Trends are examined and corrected based on times of the day and number of people listed in the reports, so the data can be used by scientists, Leong said.

The data isn’t used as a basis for making an area more inviting or less hazardous to birds, he said. “But if a species is on a major decline, other scientists may want to list the species on the endangered species list, and can use DBD data (as) one of the tools to show the decline. Then a plan could be developed to save the species.”

According to Audubon Society records, the 1980s bird counts documented a decline in the winter populations of the American black duck. That information led to a reduction in hunting of that species.

In 2007, bird count information was used to develop two Audubon State of the Birds reports; one, “Common Birds in Decline,” showed that populations of some of the most popular birds were falling dramatically in the past 40 years.

The other, “WatchList 2007,” identified as imperiled 178 rarer species in both the continental United States and Hawai’i.

Threats to the birds and their habitat were identified, and the reports were used to promote broader awareness of the need to address those threats, Audubon said.

The 2009 bird count noted range shifts in various species that was used in “State of the Birds 2009,” a joint report by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency included Audubon’s bird count data as one of 26 climate change indicators in a 2012 report.

Those who want to participate in this year’s Benicia Christmas Bird Count may call Leong at 707-643-1287 or email him at robin_leong@netzero.net.