Annual Christmas Bird Count at Schrader Center This Saturday

Annual Christmas Bird Count

8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday, December 22
Schrader Environmental Education Center, Oglebay

Love birds? Want to see how many you can locate around Oglebay Park? Join the Schrader Center staff and participate in the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday, December 22 at the Schrader Center in Oglebay Park. The longest running Citizen Science survey in the world, the Christmas Bird Count provides critical data on bird health and population trends. We’ll be scouting the area for all types of birds and then submitting our collective data to the Audubon Society’s census.

Help make a difference for science and bird conservation. Participate in the Christmas Bird Count this year. We’ll even provide the snacks and coffee! For more information, contact Greg Park at the Schrader Center, 304-242-6855. You can also visit the National Audubon Society’s website.

Winter Birding — Less Foliage, Better Spotting

By Jake Francis, Director of Environmental Education — Have you ever tried to start birding only to be overwhelmed by the shear number of field marks, shapes, and calls of the spring migration? I know that in my case keeping track of every possible spring bird is a huge task to say the least, and one that seems insurmountable to novice birders.  On the other hand, the winter is a spectacular time for beginning birders to hone their identification and spotting abilities on a smaller set of familiar birds.  The lack of foliage and the fact that birds congregate in mixed flocks around fruit-bearing plants makes finding birds and getting a good look at them particularly easy.

Black Cherry

Start by searching out black cherry trees (Prunus serotina), poison ivy vines (Toxicodendron radicans), and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quniquefolia), and visit them in the early morning.  You should be able to find Waxwings, Thrushes, Bluebirds, Catbirds, and Warblers.  Additionally beginning birders should look for coniferous trees which attract many northern birds that prefer their seeds.  Some of these northern birds are only in our area during the winter (e.g. Siskins, Crossbills, and Kinglets), and add some challenge throughout the winter.

Cedar Wax Wing

Finally there are many winter bird counts that occur during the month of December that give novices a chance to interact with, and learn from more seasoned ornithologists.  This year the Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is free to all participants   There are many circles in our area to be surveyed including Oglebay Park (December 22)  and Buffalo Creek (December 16).  Interested parties can contact Greg Park or Jake Francis at the Schrader Center, 304-242-6855, for more information on the counts and birding in general.

Nature Notes with Greg Park: Red-shouldered Hawk

Is the Red-shouldered Hawk making a comeback in Oglebay Park?

Christmas Bird Counts Past:  In 1950 , there were 2 (where recorded), in 1954 there was 1, in 1988 1 was recorded. Then none for 22 years. Now we have been seeing them in Oglebay Park all year round. CBC records indicate that in 2010 and 2011 respectively, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk was recorded.

Is this is another example of a bird more southern than the Red-tailed Hawk expanding its range north with the milder temperatures?  Tell us what you think.

~Greg Park, Senior Naturalist, Schrader Environmental Education Center

Counting Crows

Counting the American Crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos, which converge between Wheeling Island and Bridgeport, OH has been a Post-Christmas Bird Count tradition for over two decades.  The tradition began when Carl Slater and Greg Eddy, Brooks Bird Club members, decided it would be an interesting challenge to try to quantify this impressive phenomenon. The two birders attempted almost every counting technique imaginable throughout the years; from counting individual birds per tree and estimating the population size multiplying by the number of trees, to estimating the number of crows arriving per minute. Getting a precise count of the crows proved nearly impossible. 

More recently Ryan Tomazin, a Junior Nature Camp alumnus and Brooks Bird Club member, has joined the effort. This year he recorded HD videos of the thousands of crows flying into the roost, and counted the individuals while playing the videos back in slow motion. While he was not able to get a precise count, this year’s estimate places about forty thousand crows in Bridgeport on December 17, slightly less than last year. ~Jacob Francis, Director of Environmental Education at the Schrader Center

Christmas Bird Count Update

A note on the Christmas Bird Count from Greg Park, Senior Naturalist with the Schrader Center:  The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count from December 14, 2011 to January 5, 2012 has concluded. Results will be posted on Audubon’s website after the counts are tabulated. Locally, in Wheeling, we had 15 volunteers counting birds on foot within Oglebay Park, driving the backroads and watching feeders of the WVWH Circle (the Wheeling Circle). Our efforts totaled over 150 miles by car and more than 15 miles on foot. The total species count was 53 with some notable sightings: 1 Long- eared Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Red -shouldered Hawk,  1 Bald Eagle,  1 Bufflehead,  2 Black Duck,  2 Raven,  4 Hooded Merganser,  4 Swamp Sparrow,  13 Yellow-rumped Warbler,  1 Winter Wren,  4 Brown Creeper,  46 Golden-crowned Kinglet,  and 57 Eastern Bluebird. Plus, 40,000 American Crows and plenty of common species were sighted. The weather was tolerable, and everyone had fun.  Thanks and hope to see you next year! ~Greg Park