Point Reyes CBC 2005: the aftermath

written by Susan Adele Colletta

The 36th annual Point Reyes Peninsula Christmas Bird Count (CBC) held Saturday, December 17 went off with a hitch. One enormous hindrance! The weather.

As coordinators, David Wimpfheimer and I watched the weather forecast like Red-shouldered Hawks intently focused for prey from its perch. The prediction is usually dependable from five days beforehand. This year was uncharacteristic. Each day, the envisage changed through the Internet sources. Prediction of rain and cloud coverage percentages and wind speeds changed like the many moods of the Raven.

We fretted over the marine forecast as the count includes an ocean watch from a boat. At first reassuring; our worry and disappointment increased daily when the wave height, swell and wind knots changed from promising to unbearable.

195 field participants went to sleep Friday night, satisfied that the weather, while not optimal, was acceptable. It promised to be slightly breezy and chilly with medium cloud coverage. The meteorological forecast predicted rain would not appear until 7:00 pm. Unfortunately, a rebellious Mother Nature decided to speed up her time frame. Across the count region, you could hear the collective gasp of utter disbelief at the unexpected arrival of rain that arrived nine hours early.

Miss Nature was courteous at first, an unexpected visitor who dropped by to have a cup of holiday cheer. We pretended her early arriving 7 mph sustained winds and 16 mph wind gusts were not bothersome. She gifted us with a few plunky raindrops. We were suspicious but denied any atmospheric change.

An hour later, our unwanted guest presented us with a lousy holiday fruitcake and spent the day making sure we choked on it. She hammered the birders with a steady downfall of a heavy, misty rain. Wind gusts increased. She must have been in an abysmal mood, as her temperature lingered around 43 degrees. The 177 square miles of our official count circle became cold, blustery and drenched.

What does all this mean for our hearty group out in the field? Some regretful birders were caught off guard and did not bring their fowl weather gear. Most were soaked and cold. Binoculars and spotting scopes became wet. Numbers tallied on paper streaked. Shoes became mucky, hands became inflexible. Birds were more difficult to hear and see. Communication was hampered.

A quick analysis of the 31 sections proves that people took their contribution to the oldest, volunteer, citizen science project in the world seriously, and continued counting diligently. Participants of the Point Reyes CBC are a unique, vigorous, devoted group of birders.

Of course, we were disappointed but most people persevered with great fortitude despite the difficulty. Many birds hunkered down. Although we tallied nine species of owl, the individual numbers will show a decrease. One spectacular exception was the continued presence of a communal roost of 30 Short-eared Owls in Creamery Bay.

The Point Reyes CBC prides itself on historical accuracy. Our first priority is strictly defined coverage of counting the common species. Finding a rarity is a bonus. An historical find for our CBC would have been an official sighting of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that has been roosting in Inverness since October 11. This crab eating bird has only been counted on a California CBC four times in the last 105 years. Unfortunately, this species was not located on Saturday. Instead of squandering people power to “stake-out” this bird, we strategically searched for it at various times and continued counting ordinary birds.

One hundred fifty tired and hungry people, many with stiffly dried and dirty clothes attended the annual compilation dinner. Most had been up since 4:00 am and many traveled some distance. There is a special ambiance that surrounds the compilation dinner. It is difficult to explain in words. It is a unique holiday happening that many birders look forward to all year long. Many people only see each other through this official Audubon period of Christmas bird counts. It is their gift to themselves and to the birds. We all have different reasons for participating beyond the obvious, social, personal and professional. The Point Reyes Peninsula is blessed with incredible nature and bird enthusiasts, both professional and amateur.

Our night began with a remembrance of a friend. Mike Ezekiel was a robust individual in the prime of his life. His six- foot-six-inch frame and gruffy-looking exterior belied his child-like love of birds. On his last CBC his enthusiasm at seeing the Artic Loon off in the Pacific Ocean was contagious. One year later his soul had left this earth and transferred into his favorite bird, the Green Heron. We honored his memory by acknowledging his dedication to citizen science. All attendees wholeheartedly raised their glass and toasted our bird-count soulmate to his birding life in the sky.

The people who count are the foundation of the Point Reyes Peninsula CBC. Without them, Citizen Science is just science; a Petri dish in a sterile environment. Ours held in this beautiful diverse land, abundant in wildlife; both avian, mammalian and other creatures of the earth hold a certain draw that is unparalleled.

The CBC volunteers should be validated as treasured sentinels of the environment. We extend our gratitude for their continued diligence and contribution.

A testament to our rich, undeveloped and protected lands is the high number of species sighted. This year, despite our unwanted visitor’s frenzy, we tallied 195 species.

The success story of nature’s swiftest and most beautiful birds of prey, the Peregrine Falcon continues its upward battle from endangered status. We counted sixteen, which included one dark morph. Merlins were also out in force. In Bear Valley, one was seen devouring a Dark-eyed Junco.

Uncommon species spotted were Eastern Phoebe, Yellow Warbler, Palm Warbler and Barn Swallow. A Bald Eagle and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were tallied for count week.

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

A huge thank you to our "extra" volunteers. The people who counted all day, then worked at the Dance Palace. First and foremost I cannot convey how very appreciative I am for the gracious Christine Koundakjian. She does a fabulous job as the area leader packet intake coordinator. She has allowed me (Susan) to coordinate all other aspects of the compilation dinner and share the MC job with David. I also thank her husband Ted, who puts up with all this. Thank you to Elizabeth Ptak, Frank Binney and Linda Nicoletto for being your lovely and welcoming greeters. We have tried to make the intake process as quick and pleasant as possible and they do the job. Gene Ptak also serves as a greeter, and comes to our rescue when we need him for an electronic emergency and anything else that might come up. Jan Langdon and Judith Corning ladled marinara sauce over your tortellini. This saves a bundle of time. Imagine if everyone had to put down their hot plate to ladle their own sauce? Efficiency through out means all of the participants can relax faster. Another thank you to Darcy Curth. She is not a counter, but her husband George and son Sandy are, so she helped out wherever she could. Staying after everyone else went home to help David clean up. Due to the rain, the floors were sloppy and had to be cleaned and mopped, instead of just swept. Pam Ferrari Catering provided another lovely meal and cleaned up afterward. There were also a handful of gentleman who helped set up the tables and chairs and a few who stayed after to help David put it all back. I was in too much of a rush to remember everyone's names. Thank you so very much to all of you!