"From the Barrens to the Bays"

Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, Inc.

A New York Chapter of the National Audubon Society

Serving the communities of Southampton, East Hampton, Western Riverhead, Brookhaven

Christmas Bird Counts and Winter Waterfowl Censuses

As the holiday season approaches, it is once again time to think about the winter bird counts. Each year, ELIAS members participate in a series of ten counts — five Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) sponsored by the National Audubon Society and five winter waterfowl censuses sponsored by the NY Ornithological Association.

If you would like to participate as either a field observer or a feeder watcher in any of the listed CBC’s, or as a participant in any of the waterfowl censuses, please contact the compiler for the count(s). A fee will be collected from all observers over 18, to defray the cost of compiling the data and publishing for the CBC results. There is no fee to participate in the Waterfowl

Censuses. Usually the compilers are very flexible and participants can bird with the group until they need to go. So…please do not hesitate to ask if you can participate.

All help is welcome.

Experienced birders are needed for each of the counts, but beginners are most welcome. If you are not an experienced birder, field parties who are familiar with the territory will help you learn your way around. We hope that new observers will find the counts to be as exciting as experienced birders find them to be, and that they will continue to participate in the future. This is the way we can we develop an adequate pool of skilled, committed observers to continue the tradition. Feeder watchers who live within the count circle are needed to provide additional coverage by recording the number of individuals and the variety of species that appear at the feeder during the count day.

For the most part, counting begins as soon as it is light enough to see (around 6:30 to 7:00 am) and continues until it is too dark to see anymore (around 5:00 pm). However, to hunt for owls, some observers start a few hours before daylight and continue for a while after dark. At least eight hours of field observation during daylight hours in a CBC circle is required for acceptance of a CBC report.

Field coverage is primarily done by some combination of walking and driving, but bicycles, boats, motorcycles, and other modes of transportation may also be used. The Winter Waterfowl Censuses have been compiled throughout the state of New York since 1955. These too are done in assigned territories, but only birds such as ducks, geese, swans, cormorants, grebes, and coots are counted. These censuses are usually done in mid-January by the same CBC compilers. If you would like to participate please contact a compiler.