Annual Bird Count
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Each year the National Audubon Society conducts a winter bird census. During the census birders count every bird and every species they encounter during a 24-hour period. The census is known as the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Over a period of time, the data from the CBC can provide valuable insight into the long-term health of bird populations as well as the overall health of the environment. This venture is part of the National Audubon Society's efforts to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity.

In the annual bird count, each census area is a circle 15 miles in diameter (about 177 square miles) and as much of the United States as possible is covered. Count circles are broken up into sectors and each of these parts is covered by three to five observers. Species can be counted by sightings or hearing, but all observers should agree on the species seen or heard. The count is generally limited by the number of observers and count coordinators available.

People will often ask, "How can you be sure that you are not counting the same birds twice?" This is always a difficulty. Observers count only those birds within their well-defined areas. Generally, rare species are quite well known and they are not a problem. However, species that are abundant may indeed fly from one area to another during the day and get counted again. Since this is not an exact science that can be controlled, it is subject to small discrepancies. Other factors may have a much greater impact such as weather, number of participants, familiarity with the region, etc.

Over 54 million individual birds were counted in 1,880 count circles last year. (In the count last season, Bird Studies Canada, a leading and respected not-for-profit conservation organization also became involved, enabling a new record high in counts.) A total of 2,485 species of birds was tallied in the Western Hemisphere, with a total of 689 in North America alone.

Count results from 1900 to the present will be available soon through Audubon's website www.audubon.org, and are available now at BirdSource www.birdsource.org, a collaborative project of the Audubon Society and the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology.

As to the history of the Carefree Christmas Bird Count, it's now in its tenth year. It began with a holiday visit to this area by Richard Beidleman from California. He organized a small bird counting group from among friends and family, including his in-laws, Jack and Betty Havighurst. Walter Thurber from Scottsdale took over as compiler in 1995. Gradually, and with additional local planning, the count expanded to involve 75 people in 2000. The center of the Carefree circle is three miles north of Carefree Airport.

Typically, 100 species are counted in the Carefree CBC. Last year numbers of individual birds counted were down substantially in the Carefree CBC as well as in other circles nearby. This probably was because of dry weather the preceding year which caused a reduced cone crop in the higher terrain and resulting bird migrations to areas with better food sources. Another theory is that possibly the dry year caused birds to produce fewer eggs, reduce the number of nestings, or delay or abandon nesting, having waited unsuccessfully for conditions to improve. It is hoped that better rainfall conditions this year will reveal a recovery in numbers in the 2001 CBC.

Following is a quote from the summary of the 2000 Carefree CBC:

"We did manage to set record high totals for Great Horned Owl, Anna's and Costa's Hummingbird, and 14 other species. The most abundant species this year were Mourning Dove, Gambel's Quail and White-crowned Sparrow. Several species that alternate between high and low years were up this year, including Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Spotted Towhee and Dark-eyed Junco. We had four junco forms for the first time. Also a partial albino House Finch with a white head was seen and photographed.

"Our species total equaled the average for the past five years. Four species were listed for the first time: Hooded Merganser, Barn Owl, Violet-green Swallow and Mountain Bluebird. The biggest surprise was the flock of 20 Violet-green Swallows observed over Desert Mountain. This species normally winters in California, Mexico and Central America. Our cumulative total now stands at 139 species.

"I will conclude with some noteworthy results from last year. Carefree had the highest totals for Curve-billed Thrasher and Sage Thrasher out of 1,823 Christmas bird counts conducted across the Western Hemisphere and in the Pacific islands. We took second place with at least seven other species. There were 29 counts in Arizona. Ours ranked first not only with the above mentioned thrashers but also with Canyon Towhee and Northern Cardinal. In addition, Carefree was second in the state in terms of number of participants."

Counts are open to birders of all skill levels. Audubon calls upon volunteers in the Desert Foothills to join with birders across the Western Hemisphere and participate in the 2001 Christmas Bird Count to be held in our area on December 28. Adult birders are asked to pay a $5 participation fee. For more information or directions to the Count, contact Walter Thurber at 480-483-6450.