Tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission — often before dawn. For more than 100 years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

This year’s count marks the 36th year of the Evanston Christmas Bird Count and the 118th anniversary of the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) held throughout the Americas. The CBC began over a century ago when 27 hunter/conservationists, led by ornithologist Frank Chapman, changed the course of ornithological history.

On Christmas Day 1900, the small group of conservationists initiated an alternative activity to the “side hunt,” a holiday practice typical of the time period. This “side hunt” was an activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals.

Instead of this hunt, the group, made up mostly of hunters, would put down their firearms for a day and identify, count, and record the birds they saw. This started the tradition of what now is considered to be the most significant citizen-based conservation effort — and a more than century-old institution.

The data collected by observers over the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America. When combined with other surveys, such as the Breeding Bird Survey, it provides a picture of how the continent’s bird populations have changed over the past hundred years.

Growing in popularity since its inception, the count serves an important scientific function as well. Birds are one of the first groups of animals to be affected by environmental threats including climate change, pollution and habitat destruction. The CBC data provides indispensable information, not only on long-term health of bird populations, but also the status of the environment that birds share with all living things.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition, and with the knowledge that their efforts provides valuable data for science and bird conservation. 

During last year’s count, more than 56 million birds were tallied by over 73,000 volunteers.

This year, more than 2,560 individual counts are scheduled to take place throughout the Americas and beyond from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, 2018. 

Count event is a 24-hour census

Each count group completes a census of the birds found during one 24-hour period between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, in a designated circle 15 miles in diameter — about 177 square miles. Participants sit, walk, fly airplanes, boat, cross-country ski, snowmobile, ride horses, and drive all manner of vehicles to tally birds on count day.

Nineteen CBC counts were held in Wyoming: Albany County, Bates Hole, Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Crowheart, Dubois, Evanston, Green River, Guernsey-Fort Laramie, Jackson Hole, Kane, Lander, Pinedale, Sheridan, Story-Bighorn and Sundance. 104 different species were sighted in Wyoming last year. Utah enjoyed 26 counts, with 191 different species documented.

Check out the CBC website   

Historical count results from 1900, to the present are available through Audubon’s website: www.audubon.org/bird/cbc — where this year’s count results will be available in real-time. Explore last year’s tally, or visit all the counts from the past. See if and how the state of your local birds has changed during the last 25 … 50 ... or even 100 years.

Deep snow

Last year’s local Christmas Bird Count was a success. Five field participants and one person attending a bird feeder spent part or all of a beautiful winter day observing birds. Together, the group logged three miles on foot and 220 miles by truck, ATV or snowmobile. A total of 35 species and 1907 birds were counted. Eurasian-collared dove numbers continued to rise. Noticeably absent were Wilson’s snipe, waxwings and greater sage-grouse.

The winter of 2016-17 was unseasonably warm and much of the Bear River and the Woodruff Narrows Reservoir were frozen and covered in deep snow, accounting for minimal variety and low numbers of waterfowl tallied.  Rough-legged hawk numbers were high, typical when the snow is deep in western Wyoming.  

American crows continue to spend the winter in the vicinity of the Evanston city dump and 14 were sighted on this count. Magpies and starlings seemed to be everywhere. The number of active bird feeders within the count circle was declining.   

No greater sage-grouse were found — only the second time in the history of the Evanston CBC. The Evanston count holds the all-time tally for greater sage-grouse, 698 on the 1985-86 CBC. The Evanston CBC 10-year average for sage-grouse is 302 per year, and many times sage-grouse are the most numerous type of bird observed.  

The Evanston Christmas Bird Count has been held since 1981, and the 15-mile diameter circle is split down the middle by the Wyoming/Utah state line. The event would not be successful without the cooperation of private homeowners and ranchers within the count circle.

This year’s count will be dedicated to the late Patti Gorman. Patti participated in 34 of the 35 Evanston Christmas Bird Counts and she will be sorely missed.

Those interested in participating in the Evanston count are asked to meet at the Hornet’s Nest gas station, 8 miles north of Evanston on Highway 89, at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16. Horses, snowmobiles, cross-country skis and ATVs are welcome. For more information about the count, contact Tim Gorman at (307) 679-0656 or (307) 789-3833.