By P. Milliren
When Matthew Schneider was 3 years old, his mother wanted to hide his Golden Guide to Birds book, as she had too many requests from him to read it.
“I really enjoy looking at birds. It is a great way to connect with nature, and birds are one of the easiest animals to watch. They have bright colors, incredible songs,” Schneider said.
Schneider, now 18, said his interest in wild songbirds has not diminished. He is the assistant compiler for the Audubon Society’s 111th annual Christmas Bird Count.
“There is some very important scientific data that we learn from this count,” Schneider said.
As an assistant compiler, he helps coordinate how to count birds, adds the data and submits it to the Audubon Society.
“We learn and study the bird population locally as well as worldwide, see if there is an increase, decrease or birds that have moved into different areas,” he said. “There are thousands of people involved in the count in the Western Hemisphere.”
The 25th Silverton Christmas Bird Count is Dec. 31 from sunrise to sunset.
Schneider said more counters are needed, especially people who have active bird feeders at their homes.
Schneider said the area in Silverton is 176 square miles in diameter and is broken into seven sections, with a team assigned to each sector. Private property owners who have a vibrant bird population are asked if counters can visit for a count.
To participate in the Audubon Society’s
Silverton Christmas Bird Count,
contact the Roger Freeman at
[email protected]
by Dec. 25.
People see birds all day but they don’t really recognize that they see them, Schneider said.
“They’re amazing,” he added. “For instance, some birds can crack a very tough cherry pit with their beak, but then delicately remove the paper from around that pit with the same beak.”
The Silverton Christmas Bird Count is the only Oregon group that counts birds in both a portion of the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Foothills, said Roger Freeman, who has been the chief compiler for the local bird count for 25 years.
According to the Audubon Society, “The data collected by observers over the past century allow researchers, conservation biologists, and interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.”
There is a $5 fee per field participant per count. Feeder watchers do not need to pay the fee, and all observers 18 and under may count for free.
The fees fund the program and help to cover the costs of generating materials for compilers, producing an annual CBC summary issue, and maintaining the CBC website and database.
“You do not have to know anything about birds to go on the Christmas Bird Count,” Schneider said. “Even if you are a novice, you will be paired up with at least one experienced birder.”
Bird counters are recommended to bring binoculars, a camera, lunch and water and wear appropriate clothing including raingear and sturdy shoes.
“Oregon has more than 500 species of birds. Our highest number of species counted in one day for the Christmas bird count was 98 species, but we have had a cumulative count of 150 species over the 25 years of the Silverton count,” Schneider said. “It is weather dependant. If it rains hard, we will see less birds.”
