A seasoned group of Wrangell birders will be the primary volunteers for this year’s Audubon Society Christmas Bird count on Saturday, Dec. 14. Coordinator Bonnie Demerjian has developed a group of experienced volunteers for this essential reporting, which samples the variety and number of land and seabirds in the area.
The bird count is an annual event nationwide.
While there is often a call for wider participation among community members in Wrangell, this year the reporting teams are set, including two boat teams, captained by Dan Rak and Bruce and Susan Wise Eagle, for seabird population counts.
The timing of the count is particular to capture resident bird numbers — after migratory populations have flown out of town.
Annual counts can help measure the overall increase or decrease in bird populations and provide a window into the spread of invasive species which have taken up residence. Demerjian noted increased sightings of Eurasian collared doves, a non-native species that can affect local bird populations and can carry and transmit respiratory viruses to other species.
It is possible for interested people in Wrangell to participate in the work through bird feeder counts, also tracked on Dec. 14. Demerjian asks volunteers to contact her ahead of time as she needs to coordinate all of the reporting locations and will provide a species checklist.
After registering, people can track and count the birds that visit their feeder throughout the day and report those totals. Contact Demerjian at bonniede@aptalaska.net or at 907-796-9632.
The Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is a tradition that began in the early 1900s to counter a long-standing practice called the “Side-Hunt,” in which teams would compete to kill as many birds and animals as they could in a day. Ornithologist Frank M. Chapman proposed a different perspective, counting and recording the varieties of birds rather than hunting them.
The first 27 participants across North America tallied 90 species of birds; today over 500 species have been identified.
For people interested in honing their own birding skills in general, there are local and online resources available. The U. S. Forest Service office has a guide of birding hot spots around Wrangell, and Demerjian recommends areas around the golf course, with its variety of habitats including a shore, a pond and the greens.
She also recommends a variety of phone apps to help identify birds, including “The Sibley Guide to Birds” and the Audubon’s own guides. The Merlin Bird ID app allows people to record bird songs on their smartphone for identification.
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