The 125th Christmas Bird Count

The Audubon Society is currently engaged in its 125th year of data gathering, with the volunteer-driven annual Christmas Bird Count. Many regional chapters around the world—including Western North Carolina—are hosting local events for birding enthusiasts looking to support wildlife conservation. 

The well-organized and strategically orchestrated project, which runs from December 14 to January 5, enables scientists to study our feathered friends’ population trends. In part, the data enable federal agencies to craft policy for conservation efforts.

According to EarthSky, “each count provides a snapshot of the birds at a given time and place. It’s hard to draw conclusions from one year to the next, because changes happen gradually. To understand trends, scientists do a statistical analysis of data taken over several years.”

Because of Western North Carolina’s expansive biodiversity, it’s heralded as a fantastic region for birding. Resident expert John Koon, with the Blue Ridge Audubon chapter, helps keep one of our region’s annual events on track.

He explains that the count is conducted in a 15-mile diameter, with some volunteers tallying bird numbers by foot, while others proceed in cars to specific locations.

“While it is still hard to cover all the area, this method, with a wealth of knowledge of the good habitats in each section, allows us to get a good representative knowledge of the numbers of birds of each species that are present in the area each year,” Koon explains.

This year, Hurricane Helene’s destructive path is posing a challenge in some vicinities, but is not insurmountable.

“The Buncombe circle, being centered on Swannanoa and basically bisected by the Swannanoa River, has a huge amount of disturbed habitat in the wake of Hurricane Helene. At first, we were concerned that we might not be able to conduct our count this year, but it now appears that most sections are at least partially accessible,” Koon notes. 

The closing of certain sections of the Parkway and other areas of the “circle” is not an anomaly, as construction zones and inclement weather in addition to other unplanned factors can disrupt the count. But nature has a way of balancing things out.

“The flooding that destroyed many of the ponds and marshes along the Swannanoa River, including Owen Park, will likely suppress numbers of waterfowl, for example, and the flooding also washed out many of the fruiting and seedy plants that wintering thrushes and sparrows depend on,” Koon states. 

“But other bird species like American pipits, killdeer, and horned larks excel in gleaning food from bare earth and sandy flats, so we may see numbers of these birds that Western North Carolina rarely sees. And woodpeckers should have a field day in the next couple of years with the surfeit of downed and stressed trees in the area!”

The experienced counters and scientists are able to determine changes in the bird populations by comparing statistics with those gleaned in past years.

“We have over 100 years worth of count data for many of our circles (although the Buncombe CBC count only goes back to 1971), so scientists can spot long-term trends in populations that are local or widespread in nature,” Koon notes. 

“This data has been used to demonstrate dangers to bird populations caused by loss of habitat, climate change, and other dangers like pollution along migratory routes, and can also be used to identify the habitat areas that are most valuable to protect to ensure these bird populations remain healthy and viable.”

Anyone can join in the Christmas Bird Count as long as they work with an official CBC compiler like John Koon. Visit the Audubon Society’s website for a complete list of participating WNC chapters, and a step-by-step guide on how to get involved. 

Carolina Bird Club also has a detailed list of Christmas Bird Counts in the Carolinas. 

Fast Facts

• The 2023-2024 Christmas Bird Count saw 83,186 volunteers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands, resulting in a total of 2,380 bird species identified and tallied.
• The very first bird count took place in 1900, with fewer than 30 birders tallying numbers at 25 sites, resulting in the observation of roughly 90 species.