Bigfork bird count reveals rare species

Birders were out on the hunt Saturday, not for Christmas dinner but to tally all the birds and each of their species in the Bigfork area as part of the annual Christmas Bird Count by the National Audubon Society.

The history of the Christmas count stretches back to the early 1900s by the National Audubon Society, but the Bigfork bird count was initiated in 1974. The count sprang up as an alternative tradition to going out and shooting birds on Christmas day, said Dan Casey, compiler of the data for the Bigfork count.

Roughly 2,000 counts are done across the continent between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. The Bigfork count is usually the first Saturday in that time period.

Residents attempt to count all the birds in a 7.5-mile radius. For the Bigfork count, this radius goes out from Streeter's Corner near the intersections of Montana Highways 35 and 83.

Approximately 32 people showed up for this year's count, dividing into 10 groups to scout out the area. Counters go out armed with several field guides and data forms from Casey to work with.

This was a record year for seven species, including Harlan's Red-tail Hawks, Great Gray Horned Owls and Eurasian Collared Doves.

Bohemian Waxwings saw one of the largest increases with nearly 4,000 birds counted. This is up from less than 2,000 in 2008.

Other highlights in Saturday's count were a yellow-headed black bird, which is usually seen in the summer but rarely in the winter for this count. Also seen was a Red-naped Sapsucker, which has never been seen on the count and Casey is still verifying.

Places in Texas and Florida usually have more species, but Bigfork is usually one of the best, if not the best, in the state in terms of variety, averaging about 80 different species.This year, birders were only able to record 75 species, a little lower than average, but this also included some new sightings.

Casey was encouraged by an upsurge in the wild turkey populations, which came in at about 460, the highest since 2002.

As a trend, the Bigfork wild turkey population, which was introduced in the 1960s, has been decreasing since it peaked at 800 birds in the mid-90s. In 2008, only 160 of the birds were spotted.

Through these standardized annual counts, Casey and others have been able to observe trends, including seeing more species move further north as the climate appears to warm.

The Northern Flicker woodpecker is one of those species and its population grew again this year as it has been increasingly wintering further north.

There are other factors that play into changes in counts. For instance, a lot of species erupted in numbers last year because of increased pinecone crops.

Weather on the day of the count can also play a role.This year, it was nearly 50 degrees warmer than the –17 degrees at the 2008 count. That meant more waterfowl, since the Lake was less frozen, and birds overall since in 2008 more birders, even the most passionate, spent more time in their cars.

But, the fog and wetness this year also meant fewer sightings of other species. Waterfowl numbers were still lower than average this year, aside from the more than 3,000 Canadian geese.

Missing a flock or two can also dramatically change numbers, but Casey tries to make sure the numbers are as accurate as possible.

If he gets reports of rare birds, he asks for details to make sure counters ruled out other options. He also gets descriptions of where flocks were and when they were spotted to make sure a group that was on the Lake in the morning and in a field later didn't get counted twice.

Casey has a long history as a birder in the area, taking over as the compiler of data from local counts in 1986.

"This is always one of the best," Casey said.

Casey and his wife live in Somers and have done the north Flathead portion of the Bigfork bird count for nearly 25 years and so they know where to go and what to look for.

He tries to make sure people covering other areas have knowledge or background in their sections.

He and his wife also did the Nine Pipe count on Sunday morning. This count is often a leader in hawks, which Casey said makes it enjoyable.

"My wife is still hanging in there," Casey said. "Sometimes she thinks, 'Why do we do it when there are so many other things to do the weekend before the holiday?' But it's a really nice tradition."

Casey has been birding at Christmas since he was 12 in New Jersey, inspired by a junior high science teacher who was also a bird watcher. Later it became his career. Aside from compiling data for the National Audubon and doing the write up for the state's results, Casey also does this for a living with the American Bird Conservancy as the Northern Rockies Bird Conservation Region coordinator.

"I do it as my job as well as my hobby," Casey said. "It's been a lifelong interest."

Casey encourages people who have never scouted birds before to join in. He says he never gets bored.

"It's just a wonderful way to learn about the local environment," Casey said. "It's also a good way to meet neighbors and see what winter is like for wildlife in the Valley."

Casey said it's worth trying, even if it doesn't become a tradition. It can be a way to get some fresh air and a break from holiday chores.

Casey is also the compiler for the Kalispell bird count, which will take place Jan. 3.