Thinking and Counting Beyond Boundaries

NPS

It’s that time of year to slow down a little and appreciate the good things in life like opportunities to connect with nature – yes even in the winter. One of those activities is the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). It’s an international event and involves many parks in the National Park System.

It all started back in 1901 when Frank Chapman asked members of the Audubon Society to volunteer to count birds in a census on Christmas day. Chapman thought it better to count birds than to hunt them as part of the “side hunt” that was popular back then. The original census included 27 volunteers and a log of 91 species. In 2021, there were 2,621 counts in the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 77,000 volunteers logged over 2,000 species. Audubon and other scientists use the CBC to illustrate trends in bird populations and to talk about those trends when creating other reports.

NPS

A Small Count Can Make a Big Impact

National Park Service wildlife biologist Dave Treviño said, “The Audubon Christmas Bird Count has been happening for 123 years and while we do more of our population studies at other times of the year, the Christmas Bird count can inform us about species longevity by giving us a 100-year snapshot of what’s happening with bird populations nationwide. It’s pretty special to be part of that tradition.”

Staff and volunteers at North Cascades National Park have participated in the CBC for the last 33 years. Biologist Jason Ransom said, “As I look back over the counts, there were new species reported each year. That says something about the changing story of wintering birds in the North Cascades.”

The CBC goes beyond the usual scope of monitoring birds in National Parks and can add to data NPS scientists use when considering the effects of a changing climate on park landscapes and to expand thinking and research beyond park borders to a larger ecosystem.

Stellar's Jay

NPS/Peter Densmore

National parks will be increasingly critical sanctuaries for birds seeking suitable climate in new places. Birds in national parks will change as some birds colonize new habitat like the forests of Denali National Park, and others are forced to leave habitat that is no longer suitable. The National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy encourages a holistic approach that the CBC complements. Not only does the CBC help scientists in the park with the monumental job of monitoring birds in a time of change but it is a great opportunity to reach out and bring in people from the community, to provide transformational experiences alongside rangers.

Vermillion flycatcher

NPS/Cookie Ballou

Death Valley National Park is hosting its 58th bird count this year, almost as long as Death Valley has been a national park. “It’s the excitement that I’ve felt birding for 44 years,” said park wildlife biologist Bill Sloan. “It’s seeing the excitement in someone looking at their first Vermillion Flycatcher or showing them a Sandhill Crane! It’s all about instilling that excitement in people coming to Death Valley and hoping that they’ll continue to watch birds!”

At Great Sand Dunes National Park, biologist DeWayne Mosher said, “we are going to record in a newly acquired section of the park that has a lot of Piñon forest and some areas of Cottonwood so we should see quite a few species to add to the wintering birds that we normally see.”

Mosher said that around 20 community volunteers show up each year. It’s a great way to engage the community and introduce people to data and conservation methods. The count at Great Sand Dunes National Park goes back to the early 1990’s giving the park 30 years of data to compare to nationwide data from the CBC.

Christmas Bird Counts take place at many parks throughout the National Park Service

NPS

Here are just a few:

• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Colorado National Monument
• Congaree National Park
• Cuyahoga National Park
• Death Valley National Park
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• Great Sand Dunes National Park
• Indiana Dunes National Park
• North Cascades National Park
• Pipestone National Monument
• Pinnacles National Park

At Bryce Canyon National Park staff reach out to local schools at Christmas Bird Count time. They have even brought feeders so that students could participate without a field trip to the park. Peter Densmore, a visual information specialist who organizes the CBC at Bryce says, “We do outreach and try to attract first timers. We want to make birding accessible to all ages and levels. You don’t have to be a wildlife biologist to be a birder. The idea is to provide a positive experience with birding in the park to create memories.”

All these parks are using the CBC to engage citizen scientists and to educate visitors about birding and about the methods of science and conservation. Parks are joining in and offering one of the best community based science experiences around. For Christmas Bird Count and other birding events in National Parks check here:

Find Birding Events Near You

If you can’t participate in a national park, you can participate at home or in your community. The idea of the Christmas Bird count is for people everywhere to become involved in the conservation of birds in the places that they love. See more about what you can do at home:

Connected Conservation

Conservation at Home