Christmas Bird Count In January of 1997, I read an article about the results of the Bexar County Christmas Bird Count that had just taken place. I had no idea what that was at the time but I asked a birding friend and he told me it was an annual survey of the birds found in South Bexar County. I was disappointed that I had not learned of it in time to participate but resolved to take part of it the following winter.
Before I get into more detail about the Bexar County Christmas Bird Count-or CBC as it is referred to--let me give you some historical background on the CBC. In the waning years of the last century, hunters in the eastern United States staged an annual event called the "side hunt." The object of the hunt was to see which team could shoot the most birds and small animals. The team with the largest pile of dead wildlife was declared "the winner." Any beast or fowl was fair game. An ornithologist named Frank Chapman, along with many other conservationists, was disturbed by this "side hunt" and decided that for one day hunters should count birds instead of shooting them. He organized 27 friends to survey the birds in 25 locations on Christmas Day in 1900. And, as they say, the rest is history.
Currently, over 45,000 people participate in this all-day census of bird populations in the early winter season. The bird species and population data they collect is combined with other surveys and provides a clearer picture of how bird populations change over time in various areas. Today, CBC's are held within two weeks of Christmas Day in all 50 states, every Canadian province, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Hawaii. All of these are areas where North American birds spend the winter month.
Each bird count is held in the same designated area at the same time each year. This area is a circle having a 15 mile diameter and encompassing approximately 177 square miles. The circle is divided into segments and teams (or individuals) are asked to cover as much of their designated segment as possible, counting each individual bird and species they see. At the end of the day the team reports are compiled into the annual CBC for that area.
The Bexar County Annual CBC takes place the Sunday before Christmas in south Bexar County. It is divided into 11 unequal segments. Teams of two to four people are assigned to each segment as the number of volunteers permits. For the past several years the number of participants has been about 40 people and not all segments have been counted each year. Last year was my first year to participate in the CBC. The leader of my team was very good at sparrow identification and I learned some of the finer points on identifying the 12 species of sparrows that we find here in the winter months.
Not only did I get in a day of birding, I made some new birding friends, saw some new territory, and learned some of the finer points of bird identification. What a day! It takes a lot of volunteers to cover an area this large. The more eyes that are looking the more birds that are seen and counted. Each team is comprised of people of all skill levels so you don't have to be an expert or even very good at bird identification. If all you can do is point and say, "What's that bird?" you are wanted and needed to join us.
There are a number of CBC's taking place in this part of Texas and Sue and I have volunteered for the one at Choke Canyon Lake as well as the one here. The Bexar County Christmas Bird Count this year will be held on December 20th. If you can help, call Ernie Roney, the Bexar County CBC coordinator, at 656-4239. Come on out and spend the day with us. Just a reminder: You can get information about the San Antonio Audubon Society at (210) 308-6788 and the Bexar County Audubon Society at (210) 822-4503. Merry Christmas to all, and Happy Bird Watching in the new year.