Our First Christmas Bird Count

Once upon a time, when women were birds, 

there was the simple understanding 

that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. 

The birds still remember what we have forgotten, 

that the world is meant to be celebrated.

~ Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice

See the birds? No? Just wait.

 Should we start with confessions?

1. We like birds but are not experienced "birders."
2. We have never been on a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) before.
3. It was an experiment. [Would we enjoy birding? Would we be any good at it?]
4. We are not terribly detailed or structured people. [Would we be able to remain attentive to the birds? Or would one of us be off looking at other things?]
5. At least one of us is a "challenging personality." [Would we be the most irritating people on the count?]

At our age, we don't usually worry about much, but this was such a new experience and we were a little nervous. We prepared as best we could: dressing for the weather, packing snacks, and bringing talismans (Mom's bird guide and Dad's binoculars).

As we headed out into the dark and cool Texas morning I thought back to early mornings with Dad - stopping at the Steak House for breakfast before a chilly hike to a deer blind or stand. He and Mom were definitely riding along with us today. I said a little prayer of thanks for their gift of a love of the wild.

Our leader for the count, JM, was prepared - he knows what he's doing. What do I mean by that? He knows birds, their dances, songs, and the minute differences between those pesky "little brown birds." JM also knows the area and where to expect (and attract) individual species. He'd covered this area for years and he had been out at the beginning of the week to take a look. He was not too optimistic reporting he had seen little and only one species unusual for the time - a cattle egret. But he had a plan and we were there to execute it.

Most importantly, JM is a patient guy. He taught us quite a bit about birding. He explained differences between birds. He repeated the counts for me if I missed something. He pointed out individual birds. And he encouraged us to go to the compilation at the end so we would see the whole count, start to finish.

DH rode shotgun. I took the clipboard and pen. Once familiar with the list I was to register the count of each species as we went along. 

It was a marvelous trip. We traveled down highways, county roads, caliche roads and a few dirt tracks. We stopped and listened. We called and waited. We checked fields, ponds and creeks. There was even a stop at a quarry for a bird that hangs out in the pallets of rock.

Yes, I did get distracted by grasses, deer, milkweed and such things. But our main focus was the birds and they did not disappoint. We laughed with JM as we prepared to head home. As we thanked him for letting us come along and teaching us so much, DH said, "I hope we weren't too much trouble."
JM assured us it was good to have "extra eyes" and other kind things, I interrupted with, "Well, I guess we will know how well it went by whether or not we get invited to join him next year."

I hope so.

I. The journey:

The guys were in the front seat. I tried to keep the count in back. We did some watching from the car, but got out a good deal as well.

Half the battle was becoming familiar with the list. JM knew where we were going and marked my map so I would know for documenting in some databases.

Down some dirt roads...

...and some caliche roads...

We took care to be good neighbors.

We learned about "pishing" - making a scolding bird noise that sounds like  psh-psh-psh-psh - to draw out birds so we could see and identify them.

By invitation on one large tract of land that included a creek, woods, and prairie.

We were careful along the roadways - here a county road. [Our purple Jeep chariot in the background]

I am relying on DH to have absorbed a great deal of birding knowledge.

II. Water:

Berry Creek

One of our first stops was along Berry Creek. A pickup stopped and a father took his two small children to the edge of the bridge "to see the water." He asked what we were doing and repeated "Christmas birds?" I explained we counted all birds we identified and it just happens at Christmas. Then I talked to the children, telling them they were lucky to have someone to take them out to the wild.

This runoff from a field ran right into...

...this stream that feeds a large willow tree...

Intermittent stream with Bushy Bluestem - All through the day the grasses called out to me. I never even thought about grasses until this fall. Now I'm kind of fascinated. Of course I brought some seeds home. But some didn't make it - shaped like dousing rods they worked their way through my pocket (seed bags left in the car) and it felt like I had a pocket full of fire ants!

We stopped at a few ponds. Some had birds. Some were empty.

After so many years of drought, it is wonderful to see the streams running.

You can just see the creek beyond these trees and undergrowth.

Another view of Berry Creek - one of the boundaries of our area.

III. Birds: (Yeah, I know - this was the point of the trip. I only have a few "OK" photos.)

Great Egret left the pond just after we arrived. See it flying?

At first the day was so grey and overcast - I believe these were some of the ridiculous number of Robins we saw.

Another confession: I was able to call out Cardinal, Turkey Vulture, Mockingbird,  Chickadee (shown here) and Snipe - only because JM told me what to look for in the area where he expected a Snipe. It flew up in front of me. Surprised us all.

Yes, there's a bird here... a cardinal. He posed for a number of photos. Once DH got out of my way, I got some good enough for this trip.

See! It was as if he was addressing us.

And a little profile. Now THIS is a Christmas bird.

We saw few vultures at first, but their numbers picked up as the day grew warmer and brighter.

See the Rock Wren?

JM said they are true to their name. We found 2 at the quarry, among the pallets of rock.

There are sparrows on this fence line. One is a Grasshopper Sparrow. I saw him through Daddy's binoculars.

I got out of the Jeep at one spot and saw this dead tree. I took a photo of it and thought, "It would be perfect if I got a silhouette of a bird on top of this tree." And this Mockingbird cooperated.

You have to love a Mockingbird...

We saw many nests, abandoned in the naked, shivering trees.

IV. What else?

Loads of color!

A banner year for prickly pear - beautiful fruit for someone who wants to mess with it.

Lichen

Lichen

Remains of roadkill - once an armadillo. Reminder to be careful.

A little promise of spring to come. Bluebonnets are coming.

Fungus/bracket of some kind growing on dry piece of Ashe Juniper. The color was stunning.

Tomatoes of the Silver-leaf Nightshade.

Lovely grass - not the demon "pocket full of fire ants."

Field of mostly KR Bluestem (look it up).

Horses observing the bird counters.

At the edge of a field, the milkweed made its presence known.

There it was - the remains of the seed pod. It was a reminder to try and gather some seeds at our hiking spots at home.

More wildflowers making promises.

Thick poison ivy vines grew in may places.

V. The sun broke through eventually, giving us some beautiful moments throughout our day:

The end of the day.

VI. Add 'em up!

JM filled out the final paperwork.

Adding up the totals.

[My goal for between now and the next CBC is to take a detailed look at the birds we saw in the guides.  Compare those pesky swallows, doves, and wrens. Listen to some of the songs and calls. Check a list for the next count and take a look at some of the birds expected there we may not know.]

I used Dad's binoculars to see birds, but also to demonstrate the size of this, um, fungus?

And Mom's guide book.

Technical/Procedural Details (Details, Details)
[I put this at the end in case anyone wants to know more]

A. Getting ready:

Get on a team. We exchanged emails with JM for about a week. We were worried we wouldn't get on a team. But we also wanted any team leader to know we are neophytes... [It is a good idea for newbies to team with a patient expert. We got lucky. JM was amazing and very patient.]

Then we received a few questions from our team leader (my answers are given below each question):

Birding experience?
     BE HONEST! Our birding experience would be rather basic. We are beginners. I come from a family of outdoor people, but have always relied on my parents and brothers who were advanced birders. I can recognize the easy birds - Cardinals, Blue jays, Caracara, Mocking Bird, White winged doves. I cannot tell a Crow from a Raven by call although I have tried. I recognize many shore birds as I grew up on the coast. I know enough to realize I had a rare bird in Uvalde County when I saw a Spoonbill in a pond there. But I didn't know a Red-naped Sapsucker was rare for Uvalde County (I didn't even know it was a Red-naped Sapsucker - my brother and eBird helped there). I know a screech owl when I hear one. Oh, I cannot tell a downy from a hairy woodpecker.
     Does that help? My husband has less experience than me, but he is a quick learner.

Where do you live?
     (Just north of the area for this count) [Be on time. Know where you are going!]

Are you good for the entire day (roughly 7am-6pm) or would you likely want to do half day?
      We are good for the entire day. *

Are you okay getting in and out of a Jeep?
     We are good for the jeep. DH is a cross-fitter (and spent most of his life getting in and out of jeeps). I am not as fit as he is, but will keep up.

B. The Night Before:

Be prepared. I reread the email to make sure I had phone numbers and directions and started working on our gear.** DH is the binocular guy. I take care of most of the other stuff (well, I never really know what he has in his kit until I need something - a hat, a handkerchief, a bandage or a tourniquet. He will reach in and hand me almost anything I ask for). I printed out a bird list, grabbed a guidebook,*** and made our snacks.

C. Day: 

Stop periodically along the roads and streams (and near ponds) on your map. Note the number and variety of birds. Sometimes calls are played.

Stop when you need to and make sure you eat and drink or you will "fall out." 

Total your list.

D. Evening: 

Meet up with the rest of the teams and log in your numbers.****

E. FINALLY - Do not swipe your team leader's snacks. We unloaded our stuff and discovered nuts that we did not buy. Looks like we stole JM's snacks.  We owe him for far more than that.


NOTES:

*I did worry about this - especially because we had another CBC the next day (we cancelled a few days earlier) and an Amphibian Watch after that.

** Gear List:
     cell phones
     binoculars - one pair was Dad's (DH got them repaired last year)
     camera (didn't bring one after all - figured I should pay more attention)
     notebook
     snacks
     water
     bird list
     guide

[I should mention that DH also had folding chairs, ground pads (in case we were to sit on the ground) and one extra pair of binoculars (what happens if someone shows up without?)]

***Not just any guide - my mom's  A Field Guide to the Birds of Texas and Adjacent States. I figured it might bring us luck.

**** Our count: [This is the list for the group. I will edit the version on my eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/) account to only list those I saw. I will also add the few photos I took that are identifiable. I did not see all these individual birds, much less identify what I was looking at. But I can count many. I was concerned about how this works, but eBird has it figured out! Hurrah!]

Georgetown CBC Area 4, Williamson, Texas, US
Dec 16, 2016 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
95.0 mile(s)
60 species (+1 other taxa)

Ring-necked Duck  3
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  1
Black Vulture  18
Turkey Vulture  16
Northern Harrier  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Killdeer  24
Wilson's Snipe  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  12
Eurasian Collared-Dove  18
White-winged Dove  34
Mourning Dove  43
Great Horned Owl  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Ladder-backed Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  2
American Kestrel  13
Eastern Phoebe  8
Loggerhead Shrike  9
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  24
Carolina Chickadee  12
Black-crested Titmouse  18
Rock Wren  2
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  5
Bewick's Wren  3
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  17
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  224
Northern Mockingbird  11
European Starling  135
American Pipit  5
Cedar Waxwing  180
Orange-crowned Warbler  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler  12
Grasshopper Sparrow  1
Chipping Sparrow  12
Field Sparrow  13
Dark-eyed Junco  1
White-crowned Sparrow  3
Harris's Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  4
Vesper Sparrow  15
Savannah Sparrow  13
Song Sparrow  6
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  5
Northern Cardinal  42
Red-winged Blackbird  210
Western/Eastern Meadowlark  98
Brown-headed Cowbird  130
House Finch  4
Lesser Goldfinch  9
House Sparrow  1