Christmas Bird Counts set for Sunday and Jan. 1

MAT-SU — The Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is Dec. 18 in the Valley and Jan. 1 for the communities of Trapper Creek and Talkeetna.

Volunteers in all 50 states will record as many birds as possible in a 15-mile diameter circle during this 24-hour period.

Last year, there were 38 counts held across Alaska. Many end with a social gathering to tally lists and crow over the best birds spotted.

First organized in the Lower 48 and eastern Canada with 27 birdwatchers in 1900, this season marks the 112th Christmas Bird Count. In Alaska, volunteers have carried out Christmas Bird Counts since before statehood.

“Aside from working off some holiday feasting, the Christmas Bird Count is a great way for volunteers of all ages to participate in one of the longest running citizen-science projects in the world,” said Nils Warnock, executive director of Audubon Alaska. “With more than a century of data nationwide and 70 years in Alaska, this is a powerful tool that helps scientists look for changes in Alaska’s bird populations and ranges.”

There are more birds than you might expect in Alaska in the winter. The 1,009 observers who participated last year tallied 152 species and 134,016 individual birds (although the number of species was near record, the number of birds was below the five-year average). One of the most surprising results was the expansion of Eurasian Collared-Doves. This species appeared for the first time on Mitkof Island in Southeast on the Christmas Count two years ago. Last year, observers found a total of 41 of the birds on six different counts: Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Mitkof Island — and one bird as far north as Cordova.

Alaska Christmas Bird Counts welcome volunteers of all skill levels. For more Christmas Bird Count dates and contacts in Alaska communities, see the Christmas Bird Count Calendar on the Audubon Alaska website, or contact Beth Peluso at (907) 276-7034 or bpeluso@audubon.org.