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Audubon Society Prepares For Christmas Bird Count

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By RONNIE BLAIR, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 23, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Hummingbirds tend to be no-shows when the West Pasco Audubon Society holds its annual Christmas Bird Count.

This year could be different, though.

The organization has been participating in a winter hummingbird project, with several members hanging hummingbird feeders in their backyards in hopes of luring the species into their domain.

So far, not so good. Just one hummingbird has visited a feeder, and there's no guarantee that bird will show itself Saturday, the day of the official count, though Ken Tracey, president of the West Pasco Audubon Society, remains optimistic.

"Hopefully, we will get one on our bird count," Tracey said. "We haven't given up yet."

Even if the birders strike out on hummingbirds, they should encounter dozens of other species as they fan out over a circle 15 miles in diameter and centered at the Magnolia Valley Golf Course clubhouse in New Port Richey.

Last year, participants in west Pasco County encountered 167 species. The year before, they spotted 171.

Tracey and his binocular-bearing pals are likely to spy short-billed dowitchers, laughing gulls, black skimmers, mourning doves, red-bellied woodpeckers and yellow-rumped warblers, among numerous other species.

Weather Is A Factor

The total number of birds counted last year in west Pasco was about 55,000, roughly double the previous best year.

Weather is always a factor, Tracey said. A lack of rain lowers the water level in ponds, causing fewer ducks to show up. A mild winter in the north can delay the need for some birds to migrate this far south.

Development also has an impact on the count.
Baltimore orioles used to congregate in orange trees on a piece of property in west Pasco, Tracey said. When a Home Depot was built on the property, the orioles quit coming.

The birders have been doing some advance scouting, figuring out where the species are ahead of time so they will know where to focus their attention come Saturday.

They will head out on their designated day, regardless of the weather, because only the birds spotted within a 24-hour period can be included in the count.

"It will probably be cool again," Tracey said. "It's always a cold day; not always the perfect day."

He said 44 people have signed up to participate in the count. Last year, 54 birders took part.

Count From Your Backyard

The count circle they cover extends from the Pinellas County line north to Hudson Beach and east to encompass Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. The western edge of the circle stretches into the Gulf of Mexico.

The society encourages people who live within the circle to count birds in their backyards and report their findings by sending an e-mail to Tracey at kftracey@verizon.net or by calling (727) 372-9640 and leaving a message. Include the location.

Tracey offers this advice to backyard bird counters: When counting, report only the highest number of a species seen at any one time. This removes the possibility of counting the same bird twice.

Last year, 22 backyard birders participated in the count.

This year marks the 108th Christmas Bird Count, though the Pasco group didn't start participating until the 1970s.

The first count took place when 27 birders, protesting an annual hunt, decided to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them, according to the National Audubon Society Web site.

The society says birds are indicators of the overall health of the environment and that the data collected during the annual Christmas counts can provide insight into the long-term health of bird populations and the environment.

Although the event is called the Christmas Bird Count, it doesn't have to take place on Christmas Day. Each Audubon chapter can choose when to hold its count, as long as the date falls sometime from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5.

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com.

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