January 16, 2004

And The Weather Gods Took Mercy

For over one hundred years birders throughout the U.S. (and now the New World) have celebrated Christmas by counting birds. The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), sponsored by the National Audubon Society, is the granddad of birding events. In 2003 (the 104^th consecutive year of CBCs), over 2000 counts were expected involving around 55,000 volunteers. And for the first time, birders organized a CBC in the northeastern corner of the Texas Panhandle.

Of course we were there. Last summer I decided that the Texas Prairie River region needed a CBC (trust me, the idea seemed appealing in July). Working with Remelle Farrar of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (and the Texas Prairie Rivers Initiative) we were able to collect a group of birders who were willing to spend a day in the Texas Panhandle counting birds in winter. Deciding to conduct the count late in the period, we all sifted into Canadian on Friday, January 2, and prepared for the count on the following day. We all arrived in Canadian equipped with our Antarctic survival gear and the expectation that count day would thrust us into a subzero landscape.

The weather gods took mercy. Count day began near freezing and quickly warmed into the mid-50s. The wind calmed and the birds performed. By day’s end we had tallied 101 species, a count unprecedented in the Texas Panhandle and an enticing omen for years to come.

For those not familiar with the Texas Panhandle, the new count is centered in the northeastern corner of the state. The epicenter is within the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area (WMA), and includes the towns of Canadian and Glazier, the Canadian River, Gene Howe WMA, Lake Marvin, and several private ranches.

Species of interest seen on the count included Tundra Swan (2 on count day, 6 on Lake Marvin on Friday, January 2), Hooded Merganser (84), Lesser Prairie-Chicken (14 at 3 locations), Burrowing Owl (2 lingering at Gene Howe WMA), Eastern Towhee (3 at 2 locations), American Tree Sparrow (315 at numerous locations), Lark Bunting (1), and White-throated Sparrow (4 at one location).

Although I have participated in CBCs for nearly 30 years, I cannot recall one that I enjoyed more than the Canadian River CBC. Amarillo birders and Hemphill County ranchers spent the day together on the prairie, watching and celebrating the birds whose interest they hold in common. Already plans are being made for next year’s count, our next opportunity to celebrate prairie birds and their winter haunts together.

The detailed results of the Canadian River CBC are available at the following URL:

http://www.fermatainc.com/high_plains/bird_count.html

Trip du Jour, January 16, 2004
And The Weather Gods Took Mercy
by Ted Eubanks

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