‘Tis the Season to Count! Christmas may be over, but for the Audubon Society and amateur b

‘Tis the Season to Count!Christmas may be over, but for the Audubon Society and amateur bird enthusiasts across the globe, the Christmas Bird Count is still in full swing.When it was started in 1900 by the ornithologist Frank Chapman, the Count was just 1 day long, and tallied 90 species. Last year they tallied over 2,400. This year the count will run from December 14 to January 5, 2016. While it might be difficult sometimes for non-scientists to find a role in the scientific community, the real beauty of the Christmas Bird Count is that it’s designed just for those citizen scientists and is considered to be the world’s longest running citizen science project.Interested parties coordinate with local Audubon society chapters to set up a count circle 24 kilometers in diameter that does not overlap or abut other count circles. These circles cannot be moved once established and are counted every year. Each circle is counted for just one day, and 10 observers provide optimal coverage within that circle. In addition, birds that are heard but not seen and birds seen in the circle 3 days before and 3 days after the count day are included as “Count Week” data. These counts are then compared year after year or decade to decade, allowing for statistical sampling of bird populations in those areas.Not suprisingly, these citizens have made an astounding impact.Data from the Christmas Count has helped confirm declines in various bird populations leading to direct conservation action. These counts also catch smaller, satellite populations that traditional nesting surveys might miss.In addition, the Audubon Society has released two Birds and Climate Change studies based on the Count data which provide a clear picture of how climate change is affecting various populations of birds. The long time period over which the data was collected has greatly helped; scientists working in small groups tend to collect smaller data samples, but the cross generational Count allows for a centuries worth of data.If you are interested in joining the Count or would like more info, please visit the Audubon website at: http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-countFor Further Reading: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/top-three-results-learned-115-years-citizen-science-audubon-christmas-bird-count-180953677/http://bit.ly/1TmJSTmPicture Credit: Craig Oneal https://www.flickr.com/photos/craigoneal/11034143124Colter -- source link

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