My First Christmas Bird Count
Toward the end of December, a notice went out stating that if anyone was interested in participating in the Carters Lake Christmas Bird Count, they should reach out to Josh. I did.
I participated.
I want to do it again.
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is citizen science. Thousands of volunteers in the Western Hemisphere team up for a day of counting every bird they can find in a circle with a diameter of 15 miles. These one day events are held annually between December 14 and January 5. A team of volunteers, under the direction of the local Compiler, are organized to hit the various birding hotspots within the circle.
Joshua Spence, a Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, is the compiler for Carters Lake CBC. Josh has led this event each of the 18 years it has been held, organizing over a hundred volunteers since its inception. There were [24] of us this year, including some of the top birders in Georgia, who scattered across the north Georgia circle in small teams on a cold and windy January morning. We birded farmland, forests, wetlands—some topped with a thin sheet of ice, Carters Lake, roadsides, and hidden birding gems nestled in southern Murray County and northeastern Gordon County.
I had several reasons for wanting to participate. First, I wanted to experience the event and see why so many birders gravitate to the CBC each year. I also wanted to use the CBC to learn from more experienced birders, become more familiar with birding hotspots in areas where I rarely go, perhaps gain a lifer or two, and for one more important reason.
I formed WellBirds to showcase how birding can enhance our wellbeing, and I had heard that the CBC contributes to one of the most potent wellbeing aspects of birding—Social Wellbeing.
A few days prior to the Carters Lake CBC, I was listening to an American Birding Podcast where Nate Swick interviewed Jennie Duberstein and Mikko Jimenez. While not the subject of the episode, they veered into talking about the tremendous value the CBC plays in helping birders connect with one another. Birding, particularly as a part of an event like the CBC, can bolster social connection. I went to my first CBC event with this anticipation and was delighted with the result.
Yes, I enjoyed seeing the birds and experiencing an unfamiliar part of the state, but the best part was the people. Throughout the day, I was paired up with various birders, many who were much more experienced than me. We shared birding stories, favorite birding trips, and tidbits about our families and work. Those who make this CBC an annual event were able to reconnect with friends. Since this was my first CBC, I didn’t have the history with others as some of the participants did. Yet, that did not prevent me from meeting new birders, like Vernon, who not only had years of birding behind him, but who took delight in identifying the trees and painting a picture in my mind of the beautifully grained wood that laid beneath the bark of a twisted tree that stood along our trail.
The final stop of the day was a group meeting where the volunteers came together for dinner of warm soup, sausage balls, jalapeno corn muffins, sweet tea, and desserts, (Thank you Theresa!), and to compile our final list. Josh led us through a compilation of the day’s sightings. It was the lowest count of species in the 18 year history of the Carters Lake CBC. Perhaps it was the cold and wind. Perhaps it was other factors. Perhaps it was because I participated.
While we may not have seen as many birds as we had hoped, we enjoyed the day. The soup warmed the body; the interaction with one another warmed the heart.
To learn more about the CBC, see the Audubon website at https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count
Jack W. Bruce is the founder of WellBirds, an organization dedicated to sharing how birds, birding, and nature contribute to our wellbeing. Invite Jack to speak at your next event.