Critter Geek

Christmas Bird Count is a gift to critter geeks who prefer tromping around the outdoors instead of the local mall.

The Christmas Bird Count was founded in 1900 as an alternative to the “side hunt” — a Christmas day activity where people would split into two teams and see which one could bring back the most number of carcasses. Now, count circles with a 15-mile diameter are established and birders “hunt” with binoculars and scopes. As a citizen science project that’s been running for over one hundred years, it provides an annual snap shot of bird populations during winter in North America. As an annual holiday event, it’s my favorite: spending the day outdoors getting fabulous looks at birds, trying to strategize to maximize the species and birds seen, and the camaraderie of the day and the evening’s dinner…what could be better?

On Saturday I counted with the Point Reyes Peninsula count circle, one that is regularly among the top ten in the country for number of species recorded. To be able to participate in a count with such a rich abundance of birds and birding luminaries really feels like an honor. We had a terrific time, the weather was great this year, and our little team picked up 80 species in our area of the count circle.

Here’s a slide show of photos I took on Saturday; click on each one to pause the show and read the caption.