Fri Jan 05, 2024 | 10:55am
In 2022, Santa Barbara’s annual Christmas Bird Count took place in pouring rain, and with just a few days to go, it appeared like this yr’s rely was going to undergo the identical destiny. Fortunately, the rain arrived the night time earlier than, leaving only a few lingering showers on the morning of the rely. The objectives of the rely are twofold: To see what number of species may be seen in a day inside the rely circle, and to take a pulse on the numbers of birds wintering in Santa Barbara.
We used to at all times have one of many highest counts within the nation for the variety of species noticed, however sadly, for quite a lot of causes, we are able to now not boast this distinction. Ten years in the past, 222 species have been tallied; this yr, the preliminary complete is 196 species. One of our large misses on December 30 have been the seabirds. The rely circle extends out into the channel, and intrepid birders exit by boat to search for jaegers, shearwaters, murres, and different ocean specialtists. This yr, due to the massive swells that put a smile on the surfers’ faces, the boat needed to be canceled, which means we missed out on an enormous chunk of potential birds for the listing.
[Click to enlarge] The hooded merganser is among the few wintering waterfowl that’s really rising | Photo: Hugh Ranson
Then there have been the birds that have been round simply earlier than rely day however have been nowhere to be discovered on December 30. I’ve seen a wintering warbling vireo every year for the previous 11 years in Bohnett Park on the Westside. It’s a uncommon chook wherever within the United States in winter, and I at all times managed to see it shortly after dawn on the day of the rely. I’d seen the chook within the weeks main as much as the rely and figured it might be a slam dunk, but it surely wasn’t to be. During the day, I visited the park 3 times, spending a number of hours searching for my old buddy. Had it moved out of the park and into the neighborhood? Or had it lastly given up the ghost? After all, 11 is a grand old age for a small chook.
It will take a while to tally up the numbers of every species seen to have the ability to evaluate totals to earlier years, however on the night rely compilation, one of many themes of dialog was the low numbers of birds. Waterfowl and shorebirds have been in brief provide. It seems that local weather change is permitting many species of geese and geese to winter additional to the north than they used to. Usually, considerable birds corresponding to lesser goldfinches and sure sparrow species have been few and much between. The similar phenomenon has been famous in birding listserv posts up and down the state. It stays to be seen whether or not this can be a short-term decline, a shift in populations, or if one thing darker is afoot.
On a extra cheerful be aware, what higher solution to introduce young folks to the fantastic thing about birds than the Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s Bird Count 4 Kids. Now in its tenth yr, the occasion might be held on Saturday, January 20 at Lake Los Carneros Park from 9 a.m. until midday (register earlier than 9:30 a.m.). The lake is among the premier birding spots on the south coast with a fantastic number of birds often current. The first 75 youngsters get a free t-shirt with a terrific new design — I preferred it a lot that I requested for one.
The morning is designed for these aged 8-16 (accompanied by an grownup). There might be a binocular boot camp, and optics available to borrow. Experienced naturalists will lead small teams of youngsters across the lake. I can’t consider a greater means to assist foster the subsequent era of nature lovers.
Another occasion to mark in your calendars is a presentation by writer Jennifer Ackerman titled What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Bird. Ackerman will describe outstanding new findings about owls’ brains and conduct. This free multimedia presentation might be held at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Fleischmann Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16.
Hugh Ranson is a member of Santa Barbara Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization that protects space birdlife and habitat and connects folks with birds by schooling, conservation, and science. For extra info on the Audubon Society and the packages talked about, see SantaBarbaraAudubon.org.
