The Question:

“Dear Scientist,

I am interested in learning more about the Christmas Bird Count. What is it, and why is it important? Can anyone participate?”
– Sincerely, a rookie birder

What a great question! To answer it, I got help from biologist Milo Burcham. Milo is Vice President of Prince William Sound Audubon and leads Cordova’s Christmas Bird Count each
year.

The Answer: 
What is the Christmas Bird Count? When did it start?

The Christmas Bird Count is an annual bird census that gives us a better idea of bird populations, where they are located, and how they are doing from year to year. By conducting this count annually, Audubon is able to monitor trends in bird populations from this long-term data set. The Audubon Society started the annual Christmas Bird Count back in 1900. Since then, it has grown from 25 locations to over 2,670 locations, including Cordova, Alaska. The Cordova Christmas Bird Count started in 1972. Milo and a team of volunteers just successfully completed the 53rd year of the Cordova Christmas Bird Count.

The Christmas Bird Count must occur between December 14th and January 5th and take place within a 7.5-mile radius Count Circle. The Cordova Count Circle encompasses a large area, including Whitshed Road almost to Hartney Bay, the Copper River Highway to just past the airport, Power Creek Road, and Orca Road. It also includes waters of Orca Inlet north of Hartney Bay and north to Shepard Point, including North Island and Salmo Point. To cover this vast area, we have a variety of volunteer observers, from the more serious birders to those who have made a tradition of spending the day outdoors with us, observing the natural world.

How many birds were spotted?

54 species were counted on Count Day. This year, several waterbird species were spotted, including waterfowl, seabirds, and even a few shorebirds. The landbird species were largely jays, ravens, crows, finches, chickadees, and nuthatches.

54 species of birds is a slightly lower number than the average 60 species usually counted. The data is variable. There have been counts with fewer than 50 species dating back to the 1980s. The highest counts were made in the first ten years of the Count, but there have been no
specific trends since then. The highest recorded number of species was 83, which took place in1979.

According to Milo, weather can drastically affect the number of birds counted. Mild winters give more diversity, and severe winters give less diversity. The weather on Count Day also makes a huge difference. “Imagine how many birds you might count if it was raining and blowing gale,”
stated Milo.

Did any species surprise you by seeing more or less of them than expected? The White-throated Sparrow was spotted by Trae Lohse and is one of the rarest finds for Cordova. It has only been observed two previous times on our count. The Black Scoters seen in Orca Inlet were somewhat unusual. Western Screech Owls and Spruce Grouse are always present but very difficult to observe in winter, so we find it very lucky if we can count them. In 2023, we had a new species, the Rock Dove, but thankfully, it disappeared this year as it is a non-native species. Finches–redpolls, crossbills, and siskins– were primarily absent for the 2024 count, but in 2023, there was a record number of finches with the bumper cone crop.

Is there a location in the Count Circle that is most productive?

In order for us to cover such a large Count Circle, there are eight different routes for the Christmas Bird Count, including North Orca Inlet, South Orca Inlet, Orca Road, Whitshed Road, Eccles Lagoon, Town, Power Creek, and Copper River Highway. The Town Route spotted 29 species, more than any other route. This route includes freshwater, saltwater, and terrestrial habitats. There are a number of possible reasons this route is so successful, including the number of bird feeders near this route, the number of observers on this route, or possibly the route leader, Aaron Bowman, “who is arguably the best birder in town!” according to Milo. The South Orca Route often has the greatest number of birds counted due to the large number of mallards, buffleheads, scoters, and/or mergansers encountered in the shallow waters. In his closing thoughts, Milo, on behalf of the Prince William Sound Audubon, thanks all 27 participants who volunteered to participate in this count. He also noted that it was great to see so many kids, including Hasan Bowman, Peter and Leif Solberg, Anja Arduser, and Lianna Towle, get involved in the count this year.

“While we always enjoy large numbers of birds or species of birds, the count is not a competition. It is meant to reflect what is present from year to year and document those changes.” For instance, last year, during our bumper cone crop, a large number of finches were in Cordova, including a record-high number for Red and White-winged Crossbills in our count. This year, those species were absent, and the count reflects that, which is the purpose of the count.

Thank you, Milo Burcham, for consulting with us to answer this question. We are currently seeking out more Ask a Scientist questions. Whether you are out in the Sound or Out the Road, if you have a question, please email it to creo@pwssc.org