Counting is for the birds in annual event

For more than a century, dedicated bird lovers have focused their eyes on the skies during the Christmas season to tally every bird species they could see.

The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count is a venerable effort by “citizen scientists” who systematically document which birds are where in America.

That’s what those guys with binoculars were doing near Waterford and La Grange on Saturday. And they’ll be at it again during the next two weeks near Merced, Los Banos and Westley.

More volunteers – rookies included – are invited to take part.

“We have people on every team who know birds,” assured Salvatore Salerno, president of the Stanislaus Audubon Society. While those local experts can identify the bird species they see, less-experienced wildlife enthusiasts can assist with tallying and searching for anything that flies.

Each year between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, bird watchers spend a full day counting birds in specific locations. There are more than 100 Christmas Bird Count sites in California. What they find is reported in ways that can be used by researchers.

“In general, the numbers of birds are down,” said Salerno, who has been counting them for 14 years. “The chief culprit is habitat loss, and we are concerned about that.”

Particularly in eastern Stanislaus County, Salerno is worried about the rapid conversion of rangeland into orchards. He fears the loss of open land is negatively impacting bird populations.

Salerno said grasslands support nesting for the Valley’s year-round bird species and provide wintering grounds for some species of migratory birds that need open lands on which to live and feed.

“But now the grasslands are disappearing,” Salerno said, “and birds can’t hunt in orchards.”

Despite that, some impressive birds were spotted during Saturday’s count, which attempted to cover a 15-mile radius between Waterford and La Grange.

“We had a flyover by an adult bald eagle,” Salerno reported. And a female lark bunting – “a rare bird here” – also was seen near Tim Bell Road by Audubon member John Harris.

A female northern parula – a tiny yellow, white and black warbler from the eastern United States – was spotted near Basso Bridge outside La Grange by Jody Hallstrom. It is only the second such bird ever recorded in Stanislaus County.

“It should be wintering in the West Indies or Florida right now,” Salerno said. “It’s a lost vagrant.”

Even common birds get counted during the annual event, including starlings.

“We don’t like them, but we count them,” Salerno assured.

There will be additional bird counts near Merced on Friday, near Los Banos on Dec. 29 and in Stanislaus’ Caswell-Westley region Jan. 4.

This story was originally published December 20, 2014 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Counting is for the birds in annual event."