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Bird Counts
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: Bird Counts
- From: MJWESTPHAL@unca.edu
- Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 09:38:53 -0500 (EST)
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Just a comment on Christmas Bird Counts. Although I strongly disagree
with the plan to discontinue publishing the full report, I can't get angry at
the Audubon Society for making this decision nor for charging $5.00 per person
to participate. Science costs money and it isn't always easy to find it. I
did find it strange that participants paid for doing the work when I first
started doing counts, but I have been involved in trying to find financing for
scientific research in recent years and now realize every dollar comes hard. I
now see that $5.00 as a donation to research.
As for the purpose of the count, to me it is a simple census, not a
scramble to be top dog on the species numbers list (although I plead guilty on
that one myself) nor to find as many aberrants (species outside of their normal
range) as possible. The census tells us what and how many birds reside in each
area during the winter. It gives us an idea of bird movement and changes in
populations. With over 100 years of data, this is great information. Weather
patterns have and always will affect the data. Scientists always try to take
into account the variables when analyzing data and one year of low numbers will
not be significant in the larger picture.
Citizen science is gaining greater recognition as time passes. I hope
count participants are not discouraged by recent changes in policy and keep in
mind the real contributions they are making to the study of birds.
Marilyn Westphal
Hendersonville, NC
mjwestphal@unca.edu