Well, another year has come and gone, and with it the annual Christmas Bird Count. I'm actually quite proud of the little count up here, and although I had hoped that it would grow this year (it almost did) it still was a success anyway you look at it.
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is in its 109th year, and is one of the largest citizen science projects there is. Basically the counts consist of a number of circles, 24 kms (15 miles) in diameter, each circle its own entity. The counts take place over a 24 hour period (usually less) and teams attempt to count every bird and every species that they find within that circle.
This is the only active count in the High Arctic (I believe) although there have been others. And up until last year there has only ever been one species counted in the High Arctic counts, the Raven (Corvus corax). Last year I managed to find a couple of Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) but no such luck this year.
The dawn broke clear, cold and windy. Well, actually, it didn't break and won't for a few more weeks but you know what I mean. It has been very windy here of late, and though it wasn't as bad this morning, it was freaky cold. I had anticipated at least one other participant but it wasn't to be. Fortunately I had a last minute replacement lined up, Travis joined me. We got into some Ravens right away, and it set the tone for the morning as we came up with a great number. It was actually very difficult to get a good handle on the number at the dump, and after three attempts I eventually settled on the lowest number. The final count for Ravens was 217, which is the highest total yet for the count here.
The ptarmigan were another story. I had, I thought, a line on some, as some tracks had been seen above town near the Co-op. Heading out on the snowmobile unfortunately didn't result in my finding the tracks, or more importantly the birds. Perhaps next year.
One thing I discovered while getting the information on the ptarmigan was there was an unofficial CBC here in the early days. Apparently it was run by one guy, who unfortunately disappeared while out on the count one Christmas. Legend has it that his ghost still does the count every year. Yeah I know I didn't believe it either, until I downloaded my photos this afternoon, and saw this…
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Ooooo, creepy! Congrats on your CBC. 217 Ravens. That’s pretty impressive especially as I’ve been assured by local experts that Ravens never gather in large numbers (this was after I saw a large number but didn’t have my camera with me). I have seen as many as 12 at my school. Anyway . . .
Hi Clare, I admire your dedication to this count and always look forward to your report to see if you get any new species.
Hi Liza, apparently your experts have never been to a dump. I do believe that they are somewhat solitary birds though but they do tend to congregate where there is food.
Thanks Patrick.
I saw a murder of over forty ravens on the main drag through Beaver Creek, Yukon (not close the local dump). It was about -40oC and they were all sitting on the power lines. It was an amazing sight that turned into a frightening experience when they all descended in front of me, hoping to get a nibble at the pastry I was eating. There’s more to the story than that, but I’ll save it for another day.
Looking forward to it Michael. And just for correctness sake it is an “unkindness” of Ravens, a “murder” of Crows.
Clare, I agree with you on the local experts. I can tell the difference between ravens and crows when I’m within 10 feet of one. 🙂 Anyway, I’d love a chance to visit your dump and see that many. I agree about the ready food source. At my school, we get ravens and crows together on the playground after recesses — they eat all the kids’ leavings quite happily.
Ah! Thanks!