Christmas Bird Count gets help from citizen scientists

The results of the annual Christmas Bird Count for the Mat-Su Valley are in as of Dec. 24, and locals who want to participate in one of the U.S.’ longest-running citizen science projects can still do so on Jan. 1 in Eagle River.

The 117th annual count started on Dec. 15 and runs through Jan. 4 in Alaska. Participants in the annual bird count go on a walk outdoors on the appointed day for their area, and note the time, place, and bird species of their sightings, before submitting results with their local Audubon Society bird count compiler.

The project not only helps keep track of changes in American bird populations and ranges, but also involves ordinary citizens in the work of observational science and helps educate the public about the birds in their neighborhood.

Bob Winckler, the compiler for the Mat-Su Valley, said that during the Dec. 18 count, “Field Teams and Feeder Counters at home counted all the birds they saw within the Matanuska Valley CBC Count Circle, a 15-mile diameter circle centered on the old Four Corners intersection of Old Trunk Road / Stringfield Road and the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.”

By far the most common sighting in the valley was for the bohemian waxwing, which came in at 2,462 counts. Other common sightings were for the black-capped chickadee, at 776 counts, and the common redpoll, at 449.

Rarer sightings included the great horned owl, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, brown creeper, and white-winged crossbill, at just one sighting each.

Total birds counted: 6,186.

“Although counts for almost all species were way down,” Winckler said in his count report, “there were three exceptions. We set a new high record count of 31 for Common Merganser, and tied previous high counts for Common Goldeneye and Northern Flicker.”

For those who want to participate in the Eagle River count on Jan. 1, but are unfamiliar with Alaska’s bird species, a few good guides exist: “Guide to the Birds of Alaska,” by Robert Armstrong and Nils Warnock, and “Birds of Alaska Field Guide” by Stan Tekiela. Fireside Books in Palmer currently carries both guides, and some others.

Readers looking to participate in the upcoming Christmas Bird Count can contact compiler Liza Sanden, at liza-s@rocketmail.com.