I thought dedicated, frozen, wet and fatigued Christmas Bird Count stalwarts
might enjoy this editorial notice from the Wednesday, Jan 1, 2003 New York
Times:
"Taking Harmless Aim Above"
"Imagine the popular mockery in 1900 when the first bird census takers emerged
on Christmas Day to present a pacifist alternative to the grand old "Side Hunt"
— the traditional killing binge in which Americans went festivally into the
woods to compete in shooting as many birds and small animals as they could
within the holiday. The Side Hunt faded, but the vision of the 27 pioneer bird
counters led forth by Frank Chapman, an impresario of an ornithologist, has
persevered unto a third generation. The current annual Christmas bird census
involves a record-breaking 55,000 — count 'em — human participants. They are
out across the nation and hemisphere bagging more than 50 million birds by
eyeball.
"Anyone who has quietly watched these volunteer watchers must admire them as
models of human unobtrusiveness. The personal joy they experience from
patiently spotting and jotting down each flitting fellow creature, exotic or
not, is balanced by a strong pragmatic factor in the management of the census
by the National Audubon Society. This year, the three-week count, which ends
Sunday, has an extra sharp eye out for regional declines in crows, jays, owls
and other raptors — birds considered especially susceptible to the West Nile
virus that can afflict humans. The falloff in songbird populations and
woodpeckers also remains an annual concern. The steady drop in wild turkeys in
the counts of the 1930's sparked moves to protect that bird.
"But this "citizen science" aspect is secondary to the individual birder's
addiction to a cold day of discovery in the woods, serendipitous as star
gazing. Then there is the après-view aspect of swapping tales in a cozy
gathering of census takers, a modern successor to Side Hunt festivity minus the
dead birds underfoot." -30-
Kurt Henschen
Alexandria, VA
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