Friday, November 15, 2013
kitsapweek
page 7
Bird watchers are out for the count this season Bainbridge Island west to Seabeck. These annual counts are part science n 1900, ornithologist and part social. It’s a great Frank Chapman and way for new birders to a group of Audubon hone their skills, learn friends decided to remake more about birds and an old Christmas Day share the pure joy of seetradition. ing the amazing variety of Sportsmen competed marine birds that winter in what was called the here. “Christmas Shoot” to see Many of our songbirds who could kill the most head for the tropics as birds and small game the days get shorter in a single day. Instead, and temperatures dip. Chapman decided to But for many birds that count birds in a given breed in the Arctic and area. the northernmost forests The new tradition took of Canada, Washington root, and the annual is tropical enough. Mild Christmas Bird Count winters keep our waterways ice-free all year. Sheltered bays and estuaries offer protection from harsh weather and provide endless food for nimble divers, dabblers and waders. The protected bays along Kitsap County’s 250 miles of saltThe population of Western Grebes has decreased in Washington state in water shorerecent years, but their numbers have increased in California. Don Willott line team
By Gene Bullock Kitsap Audubon
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has been an Audubon tradition ever since. Today, thousands of bird watchers participate each year in some 2,000 count circles throughout the western hemisphere. On Dec. 14, Kitsap Audubon will host its 40th annual bird count as more than 50 volunteers in eight field teams flock to designated areas around the county for this annual census of winter birds. Kitsap Audubon’s assigned count circle is 15 miles in diameter and stretches from Manchester north to Poulsbo, and from
A Hooded Merganser is one winter bird to see in Washington’s waterways.
Don Willott
with marine birds from November to May. Flocks of American Wigeons, Surf Scoters (sometimes referred to as “skunkheads”), Red-breasted Mergansers, Barrows and Common Goldeneyes, Greater and Lesser Scaup, four kinds of grebes, and up to four species of loons mingle happily with such year-round residents as Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets and Marbled Murrelets, providing exceptional viewing opportunities all winter long. The best viewing times depend more on tidal activity than the time of day. Upwelling nutrients churned by the tides
stimulate the forage fish and other life forms that marine birds feed upon. High tide and dead low tide are siesta breaks for feeding birds and a good time for birders to go elsewhere and have a cup of coffee. The annual bird count may be fun, but it’s also serious citizen science. The data is compiled and entered in the National Audubon database, where it’s used to monitor migration patterns, population trends and the health of individual species. It’s also used to measure the effects of climate change. As weather patterns moderate, some species extend their ranges
further north. In Kitsap County, Western Scrub Jays were considered rare just a decade ago. Now they’re known to nest as far north as the Yukon. Collared Doves are another newcomer that is becoming more common. While wintering flocks of Western Grebes have declined in Washington, they’ve increased along the California coast, and nobody is sure why. Winter birding is for the hardy and adventurous. It may not be for everyone. But the rewards can be soul-satisfying for people who love Nature and savor those fleeting glimpses of living color and beauty.
Solarize Kitsap!
Spin Your Meter Backwards with Solar Group Purchasing Program for Grid-tied Solar PV Rebates of $500/kw and Level II Electric Vehicle Charging Option Enrollment open until Mar 31, 2014 Upcoming Free Orientation Workshops:
This Bainbridge residence is one of the 30 participants in Solarize Kitsap 2012-2013, generating rebates exceeding $120,000.
Power Trip Energy Corp
83 Denny Ave, Port Townsend, WA Phone: (360) 643-3080 WA Lic # POWERTE964JN & POWERTE934QE
www.powertripenergy.com
Saturday Nov 16th, 10am-11:30am, Silverdale Silverdale Community Center, 9729 Silverdale Way NW Wednesday Nov 20th, 7pm-8:30pm, Poulsbo Poulsbo Library, 700 Northeast Lincoln Road
www.solarizekitsap.com