Great Horned Owl article written by Susan Colletta & David Wimpfheimer

Magical! That’s the one word to describe our pre-dawn experience in West Marin on Saturday, December 18. We had intended to just count owls for the 35th annual Point Reyes Peninsula Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Our chore turned from successful to enchanting very quickly.

We left our house in Inverness at 4:20 am, since the window of opportunity for owling is limited. The thermometer read 33 degrees at our destination. We grumbled a little at having to leave the warmth and comfort of the car for the icy grasses of pastureland and cold and crumbly remote back roads. It was dark and we could only see our silhouettes and the trees outlined by the brilliant starry night sky. We heard coyotes yelping close by, which caused a few jitters, but the calming moo of the cows settled us down.

Our anxious “listen” quickly turned to relief when the first Great Horned Owl hooted through the darkness. We were delighted to record many of these nocturnal birds along with three Western Screech Owls all along a mile stretch of road. We reached our final destination, a meadow surrounded by hills of oak and bay trees and distant firs. We quietly stood in wonderment, and listened to three different species of owls compete for air-time. First, the deep, muffled hooting of three Great Horned Owls. Then the peculiar chuckling and pweping of two Western Screech Owls talking back and forth. Finally, we were astonished to hear a male Spotted Owl hooting very close by. To hear the dog-like barking whup hoo-hoo hoo of this endangered owl was a life-time first for Starr Saphir, who traveled from New York to participate in the Point Reyes CBC. Through all this hooting and whuping and pweping and yelping and mooing, there was the light show in the sky. The Geminid meteors were coughing up vivid daggers of light with no beginning and no ending. Magical!

Approximately, 40 people rustled themselves out of bed extra early to count owls. Point Reyes Station resident, Mary Ann Flett, added a Northern Saw-whet and a Northern Pygmy Owl to the cumulative total of the Point Reyes Station section of the count circle. She owled an area of private ranch land which was never counted before. Throughout the count circle, which has a diameter of 15 miles, Barn and Burrowing Owls were also heard and seen. This brings the total number of owl species to seven.

Until recently the number of predators in North America, both avian and mammalian, have been declining. Fortunately, this trend is now changing. An area with a large number of predators indicates a healthy eco-system with a large prey base. The presence of 93 Great Horned Owls in our CBC circle indicates an extremely healthy region. Ninety-three is an all-time record and more than twice our average number. This keen predator is an efficient controller of rats, mice and other small mammals, and as such is beneficial to the community. This number also compares favorably with all other bird counts across North America and will likely place Point Reyes near the high for this individual species.

As the sun rose and warmed our backs, we looked down onto the valley which was still shrouded by early morning fog. Soon, that fog was dissipated by glorious rays of sunshine, which lasted the entire day. We explained to participants and Chileno Valley ranchers Mike and Sally Gale that the Point Reyes CBC consistently ranks in the top ten of all North American CBC’s in terms of species observed. This remarkable feat, for such a northern location, is the result of diversely rich parkland and protected ranchland, such as their land. Furthermore, for the entire 35 years of the count an extremely large number of talented, dedicated and conscientious observers have been participating. At that moment, 199 bird enthusiasts were beginning their own census. This astonishing number of volunteers is even more impressive when one considers that of the over 2,000 counts across the country, only 30 have more than 100 field participants.

A period of relatively, mild dry weather, recently, may have allowed some insect eating birds to remain in the area rather than migrating further South. Some of the less commonly observed insectivores included several Barn Swallows, Least Flycatcher, and a Nashville Warbler. These birds usually spend the winter in the tropics. Other rarities found include a Red-naped Sapsucker and Harlequin Ducks.

Nine days before the count date, Jack Dineen of Inverness was thrilled to see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at his feeder. The species normally winters a thousand miles further south. Jack, who has participated in the bird count for 15 years, knew of the bird’s unusual status and importance. He diligently maintained the seed feeder and enticed the bird with top grade sunflower seed. Although it took four visits before the bird was finally observed, Dave Shuford and crew finally tallied its presence at twilight.

By days end, several volunteers remarked that they did not see anything unusual, however they certainly enjoyed the dry sunny weather. The reality is that this was an “average” count. In over two-thirds of all the Point Reyes CBC’s since 1970, the species total has been between 190 and 200. This year we recorded 198 species of birds. The reality is that just an average day in West Marin in the winter, is better than all but a handful of the hundreds of counts across North America. We are very fortunate to live in and count birds in such diversely rich landscapes.

Within the 177 square miles of the count circle there were three boats censusing waterbirds in Tomales Bay and another boat counting ocean birds off the Great Beach. John Kelly, Cypress Grove biologist, remarked on the tranquil bay conditions. It was clear from his group’s totals that they were not just birding, they were conducting a meticulous census of the water birds on Tomales Bay. Included among his observations were 1799 Double-crested Cormorants, 7246 Greater Scaup, and 6275 Bufflehead. Although these numbers were all higher than average, he also reported that the number of Brant, 362, was dramatically below the last few years totals. Subsequently, Drakes Estero reported almost 1,000 of these small sea geese, thus explaining the smaller total at Tomales Bay. This is an example of the analysis that we as compilers must perform.

There was a full house at the Dance Palace for the compilation dinner at days end. Approximately, 165 fatigued, but high-spirited counters arrived to relate the story of their day. The tradition of mingling with other birders and sharing in their camaraderie is as much a part of the bird count as the counting of birds itself. The enthusiasm and energy in the room was magical indeed!

A complete list of all species observed in Point Reyes and through out the country and analytical data can be found at www.birdsource.org.