On a windy winter solstice, volunteer birders in Bethel assembled their binoculars and settled in for a day of observation as part of an annual nationwide Christmas bird count.
The count is part of an initiative put on by the National Audubon Society, and it is facilitated locally by the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.
The count is the longest-running community science project in the world, calling on volunteer birders to record the birds they observe in a set window of time — in this case, the daylight hours of Dec. 21.
Bryan Daniels is the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge’s wild fowl biologist in Bethel and coordinator of the event.
“It helps, because you can't be everywhere at once, right?” Daniels said. “And so if everyone is doing the effort at the same time, you're less likely to double count birds. It’s to get a more accurate number. If everyone is surveying the different part of town at the exact same time, you're counting the bird, theoretically, only once.”
A group of 12 birders tallied birds in natural areas, backyard feeders, and even the landfill, where any Bethelite knows the ravens are plentiful.
Due to high winds, Daniels said that there were fewer birds out and about to be spotted this year compared to previous years. They tend to hunker down and become less visible in windy weather.
But amid the expected squabble of pine grosbeaks, black-capped chickadees, redpolls and ravens, Daniels said that there were two main standouts. Volunteers spotted two bald eagles, as well as one red-breasted nuthatch — a first for the 21 years of Bethel’s Christmas bird count.
Daniels said that it’s not just about collecting data. Birding is a way to bring people closer to the world they live in, a way of stopping to pay attention. In the harshness of the Alaska winter, Daniels said, it can even brighten the spirit.
“You know, when people have seasonal depression [it] just gets you outside and gets you to see the life that is around you, and the birds that are around you, and then you can come together and talk to other people about what you saw,” Daniels said.
Though the annual count has passed, Daniels said that anyone who wants to can become a birder. Folks interested in the Bethel area can join the Birds of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Facebook group to get connected, and Daniels has assembled a guide to help new birders identify winter fowl.
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