Project Feeder Watch

By Coggin Heeringa, Interpretive Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc.

We count birds every day at Crossroads.  So why is the Annual Christmas Bird Count so important? Why are we making it a special event for adults and families? And why are we now expanding our programing to include a community science initiative called Project Feeder Watch?

In spite of the fact we have a few people looking for birds for an hour or so most days, we can’t be everywhere and staff and visitors are not out all the time, so even in our 200+ acres, we’ve surely missed many species and individuals.

Besides that, winter birds are as erratic as December weather. The birds we see any given day depends on local weather. On mild sunny days, flocks of birds are out and about. If the weather is stormy or windy, birds are sensibly hunkered down. Before a storm, birds seem to know (falling barometric pressure, perhaps?) and crowd into the feeders to consume as many calories as they can before the bad weather hits and they disappear.

Furthermore, summer growing conditions in the boreal forests in the north of Canada, and consequently, the availability of seeds and berries, or lack thereof, may often determine which bird species migrate as far south as Wisconsin in the winter.

Sometimes, flocks are here. And then, for no reason, or at least no reason apparent to mere humans, they fly away. (Realize that the flocks of birds at the feeder may or may not be the same flock that was there the week before.) Winter birds tend to be nomadic.

Consequently, counting the birds we see on one Saturday tells us how many birds we identified that day. Numbers and species could be completely different the next day or the next week. Bird populations could change if a few hungry predators take up residence… or if The Cove Estuary freezes or opens up…. or if heavy snow blankets the wildflower seedheads in the uplands.…. or if food in Canada becomes scarce.

So if the counting birds on one day in December doesn’t count for much, why do we do it?

Staff and visitors to Crossroads join some 60,000 birders across the Western Hemisphere in this Audubon-sponsored annual community  science effort. While our individual count signifies very little, our numbers will be combined with other count areas in Sturgeon Bay, and other counts on the Peninsula, and in Wisconsin …you get the idea. Data from thousands of counts made throughout the whole Western Hemisphere, year after year, has been recorded since the first count in 1900.

Using Christmas Count results, the Audubon Society has developed a Climate Change Report which concludes that the range at least half of North American birds has decreased due to climate and habitat change. Their researchers predict it will become even more dire in coming years. The EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency also use Christmas Count data as indicators for their predictions, which are equally alarming.

Are winter birds changing their migration patterns? Are birds wintering farther north than they used to? Are populations declining? Records from 123 years of Christmas Counts will help future scientists answer those very questions.

Those interest in taking part in Sturgeon Bay Count should contact Charlotte and Wendy Lukes clukes@mwwb.net . But for people who want experience this activity with some assistance or who have only a short time, we are sponsoring self-guided outings at Crossroads, and we hope to have volunteers out in the field to help with ID. For more information, visit the Crossroads website. Or stop by the Collins Learning Center to pick up a count schedule.  Reservations are appreciated but not required.

Another bird-related community science opportunity will soon be available at Crossroads. We now are a site registered in Cornell University’s Project Feeder Watch.  We are hoping to recruit volunteers, who instead of counting birds on one day each year, want to participate on Mondays and/or Tuesdays. On those two days, volunteers will count and record the birds coming to our new feeding station. If you would like to learn more or help contribute to this community science effort, stop by the Collins Learning Center or contact Corey@crossroadsatbigcreek,org

The Door County Beekeepers plan to “bee” social this holiday season so their December meeting will include fellowship and Max Martin will offer a special demonstration on making bee candy (which is not to be confused with Christmas candy.) The meeting will be held at the Collins Learning Center at Crossroads.