By Christian Woodard
Warmer temperatures and clear weather led to one of the most successful Audubon Christmas bird counts in years. Forty-four bird-watchers participated, more than double last year’s participation. Pam Randles of the Takshanuk Watershed Council reported that volunteers spent more than 60 cumulative hours in 21 survey areas between Haines and Mosquito Lake.
Fair weather apparently also brought out the birds. The Haines winter bird list includes 38 common species, but observers reported 55 species and 4,849 individual birds. “It was a lot of the usual suspects, but we also saw a high concentration of irruptive species,” which travel in large flocks and consume all the food in an area before moving on, Randles said.
It’s been a very good pollen and cone year, so birds that eat conifer cones like redpolls, crossbills, junco and pine siskins were abundant. One observer reported a single flock of over 1,000 siskins. Predator species like sharp-shinned hawks, peregrine falcons and merlins followed the flocks.
It was a good year for eagles, too. Mario Benassi, who counted in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, said that warm weather, open water, and salmon mean higher-than-average eagle numbers. The highway count found 379 adult eagles.
Additionally, Benassi identified species that are late in migrating, like a pair of red-wing blackbirds and a red shafted flicker. Grebes, kingfishers and thrushes are also here later than normal. Resident Mike Denker even spotted an Anna’s hummingbird, here a full month later than they’ve been recorded.
All the obscure species can be overwhelming, Randles said, but the upshot is that birds can teach residents about a changing ecosystem. Warm temperatures and abundant food mean that more birds of more species were wintering in the area.
Randles pointed to the Eurasian Collared Dove, which has slowly expanded its range from the southeastern United States. The doves overwintered here for the second year in a row, and were recorded as far north as Delta Junction during the bird count.
The National Audubon Society, which organizes the Christmas Bird Count, keeps close watch on species like the trumpeter swan, which are important indicators for conservation management. This year, observers counted 32 trumpeters, including families overwintering with their cygnets.
Randles said more counts are necessary. “We would love to gather more data. There’s a migratory flyway here, but we have to document it to prove it.” Randles is looking for volunteers to help in a springtime count, which she does twice a week between mid-April and mid-June. “A lot of the identification is by sound, so you have to know your bird songs.”
To learn about upcoming counts and birdsong training opportunities, contact Randles at 766-3664.
Haines Circle: Total species reported, 44; individual birds, 4,189; participants, 39; total hours counting, 50.65. Bird: mallard, 55; Harlequin duck, 8; surf scoter, 193; black scoter, 3; scoter sp., 12; bufflehead, 157; common goldeneye, 120; Barrow’s goldeneye, 214; goldeneye sp., 335; common merganser, 34; red-breasted merganser, 41; merganser sp., 1; duck sp., 20; common loon, 2; loon sp., 1; horned grebe, 6; bald eagle, 131; sharp-shinned hawk, 2; mew gull, 12; herring gull, 5; glaucous-winged gull, 33; glaucous gull, 3; gull sp., 82; pigeon guillemot, 2; marbled murrelet, 5; rock pigeon, 106; belted kingfisher, 2; downy woodpecker, 1; Steller’s jay, 19; black-billed magpie, 64; Northwestern crow, 78; common raven, 74; black-capped chickadee, 11; chestnut-backed chickadee, 100; red-breasted nuthatch, 2; American dipper, 3; golden-crowned kinglet, 17; American robin, 1; varied thrush, 8; dark-eyed (Oregon) junco, 84; dark-eyed (slate-colored) junco, 33; dark-eyed junco, 68; white-winged crossbill, 29; common redpoll, 175; pine siskin, 1,822; Arctic loon, 1; western grebe, 4; peregrine falcon, 1; Eurasian collared dove, 5; Arctic tern, 1; merlin, 1; Anna’s hummingbird, 2; golden-crowned sparrow, 1. Chilkat Circle: Total species, 18; individual birds, 660; participants, 5; hours in field, 10.5. Birds: trumpeter swan, 32; mallard, 6; common merganser, 20; duck sp., 82; bald eagle, 379; glaucous-winged gull, 4; Steller’s jay, 2; black-billed magpie, 25; common raven, 26; black-capped chickadee, 8; American dipper, 3; golden-crowned kinglet, 4; pine grosbeak, 1; red crossbill, 4; white-winged crossbill, 10; pine siskin, 51; great horned owl, 1; red-shafted flicker, 1; red-winged blackbird, 1.