Tis the Season…for Birds

By JACK THIGPEN

Posted Dec. 15, 2014

Each year the National Audubon Society sponsors the Christmas Bird Count to collect data on bird populations around the country. The 115th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the longest running citizen science survey in the world and provides critical data on population trends.

Data from the more than 2,300 circles across the U.S. are entered after the count, and become available to researchers and the public. This year the count is being conducted from Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014, through Monday, Jan. 5, 2015.

Tens of thousands of participants also know that it is a lot of fun. If you would like to help, go here to locate a count near you. There are seven or more sites on the North Carolina coast. And you don’t have to be an expert. If you are a beginning birder, you will be able to join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher. And you can spot some cool birds, or even learn some interesting facts.

Last year, it snowed owls on Ocracoke. The island hosted a couple of snowy owls. A downturn in the rodent population in the Arctic created what is known as an irruption. Many of these spectacular birds flew south in search of food. Peter Vankevich, an Ocracoke resident who is a writer and newspaper publisher, spent a lot of time following these owls and helping locals and visitors find them. So far, no snowy owls this year, but Christmas is coming.

Sometimes, the skies above the Outer Banks seem like busy highways for migratory birds. Many species of birds migrate this way — south in the fall and then back north in the spring of the year. The Hawk Migration Association is a group of enthusiasts who collect hawk-count data from almost 200 affiliated raptor monitoring sites throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Last year, two very active members of the association, Gil and Jann Randell, spent several hours a day in September and October to record raptors migrating over Ocracoke Island. The Randells — who hail from Mayville, N.Y., and have a second home on Ocracoke — counted 290 peregrine falcons and numerous other raptors on the island.

To find out more about the hawk count project, read this article in the Ocracoke Observer by Vankevich. Consider adding hawk counting to your fall and winter Outer Banks activities.