Next Yosemite Christmas Bird Count: Dec. 18, 2011 (details below)

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Tens of thousands of volunteers across the Americas join together annually during the Christmas Bird Count. The event provides a full day to celebrate birds. Since 1932, Yosemite's participation has contributed more than 90,000 observations to the conservation event.

During the somewhat rainy 2010 Yosemite Christmas Bird Count, 20 participants counted and identified 1,333 birds of 57 species across six zones in Yosemite on Dec. 16. Highlights included a turkey vulture observed above the rim of the Merced River Canyon, two merlins in Foresta--with one of them in the same viewshed as a Northern pygmy-owl. There was also a Williamson's sapsucker oberved in Foresta, and a California thrasher observed on the Foresta Road above El Portal.

Sandwiched in-between very soggy rainy weather, 2010 participants were delighted to spend the day under a blue sky immersed with sunshine. Bird watchers saw some species that were missed in 2009--including the American kestrel, band-tailed pigeon, mourning dove, varied thrush, and pine siskin. Determined participants were astounded how hard we had to look to find American robins! Only 17 were observed in two zones; the big flocks of robins observed in the past were competely absent.

To compare with the previous year, 2009's participants identified 59 species including a Williamson's sapsucker along the Old Big Oak Flat Road Trail; an orange-crowned warbler in East Yosemite Valley; three Cassin's finches up on Turtleback Dome; and four wren species (canyon, Bewick's, house and winter), all in El Portal except for the winter wren observed on the Old Big Oak Flat Road Trail. Other species found included the great blue heron, Northern pygmy-owl, white-headed woodpecker, and cedar waxwing.

Highlights of the 2008 count were a northern goshawk in the west end of Yosemite Valley, a merlin in Foresta, a northern mockingbird in El Portal, and two red-breasted x red-naped sapsuckers--in El Portal and Foresta. Nine raptors, including sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and peregrine falcons, were on the list, too. And, more than 500 band-tailed pigeons and American robins plus almost 400 Oregon dark-eyed juncos were spotted.

In years past, highlights included:

• A record 1,100 band-tailed pigeons counted in 1971
• A record 560 mountain chickadees in 1972
• A record 483 golden-crowned kinglets in 1953
• Two rare hooded mergansers spotted in 1940
• Great gray owls observed during past five annual bird counts

When bird-watching, experienced birders confidently identify birds by just a glimpse. (See illustrations of Yosemite's most common species.) Remember that a bird’s feathers change as an adult molts into its winter plumage. For many species, a male bird’s winter plumage is dull compared to his colorful plumage in the spring when he is interested in attracting a female with whom to mate. Also, note subtle nuances in a bird’s song or call—long trills or short chips. In the winter, birds rarely sing but make call notes to defend a territory, announce the presence of a predator, or to keep up with a mixed-species foraging flock.

The next Yosemite Christmas Bird Count is Dec. 18, 2011. To attend the full-day event, bring binoculars, a field guide, lunch, plenty of warm clothes and sturdy shoes. A small fee typically exists to support the publication of count results in National Audubon Field Note, which will give the highlights of the International Christmas Bird Count. Plan to be outside all day, from around dawn to dusk. An annual compilation potluck dinner closes the day to allow participants to share Yosemite birding highlights. To participate, you must register in advance. Contact the Yosemite Christmas Bird Count Organizer, Sarah Stock, by e-mail or by phone at 209/379-1435.

• For bird counts in your area, contact your local chapter of the National Audubon Society for details.
• Download a complete Yosemite bird checklist in two sizes: 8.5 by 11-inch format (seven pages at 210 kb PDF) or 8.5 by 14-inch format (one page as a tri-fold at 271 kb PDF). If you choose to print the 8.5 by 14-inch legal paper size, you will need to click on "Properties" to select "2 Sided Print, Flip on Short Edge" and scale page to "Shrink to Printable Area."
• E-mail bird sightings, seen any time of year, with location details to a park ornithologist. Or, fill out a Wildlife Observation Card to report sightings. [37.83 kb PDF]