The Natural Perspective

Vic Leipzig and Lou Murray

At this time of year, the air is filled with anticipation. For some, this

time of year signals the annual Audubon bird count!

Over the last two weeks, people joined their local Audubon Society

chapter to count the local bird population. Bragging rights went to

whichever group saw the greatest number of different species.

Dedicated birders spent all day doing their counts. In order to count

owls, some spent half the night trudging through the woods.

Weather is usually no obstacle. Across the northern states, birders go

out in the snow and sleet on their appointed rounds. Birders like us who

live in Southern California are the envy of the nation at this time of

year. Although some years we slog through drenching downpours, count day

around here is usually mild and clear.

This is a centennial year for the count, since the very first one

occurred in December 1900. The first bird counts were done in protest to

the then-traditional Christmas bird hunts, when teams went out to kill as

many birds as possible.

The modern bird count is not just fun, it is an important scientific

undertaking. The numbers generated by the counters are used by ecologists

and ornithologists to study trends in bird populations. They can watch

populations of some species shrink as urbanization replaces fields and

woods. Species that thrive in urban environments -- such as house

sparrows, starlings and pigeons -- are increasing. Some species are

expanding their ranges northward as global warming continues.

While we’re dismayed at many of the changes these counts have uncovered,

we’re proud to have taken part in this annual ritual for more than 30

years.

Don’t get the idea that the census counts every bird in America. That

would be physically impossible. The count is based on sampling. The

Audubon Society has delineated count circles all across the nation.

Audubon chapter members organize local bird-watchers to count all the

birds within their local circle on a specified day. Similar counts occur

in other countries.

Our local count area is a circle with a 7 1/2-mile radius centered at the

Adams Avenue bridge across the Santa Ana River. This particular circle,

known as Orange County Coastal, takes in Huntington Beach, Fountain

Valley, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. These are places with nice weather

all year long. These are nice places to live, and these are great places

to bird watch.

As a matter of fact, Orange County Coastal has the greatest species

diversity of any count circle in the state of California. Last year, we

were the third-highest nationwide. We consistently get darned good

bragging rights.

Why are our numbers so high? Good weather is certainly part of the

answer. An ample supply of dedicated birders is another. But the main

reason is that our area includes the Bolsa Chica and Upper Newport Bay

Ecological Reserve, and the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Not many

count areas contain wildlife magnets like those.

In last year’s count, Orange County Coastal tallied 214 species. North

America has about 600 bird species, and we got to see a third of them in

one day!

Last year, an area on the coast of Texas beat us by a few species. In

contrast, count circles in the Midwest came in with numbers below 100.

When we lived in New England, we were lucky to get 25 species in a day.

The poor birders who counted the circle near Nome, Alaska, reported just

a single bird species, the common raven.

So we count ourselves very lucky.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at o7 [email protected] .