As the holiday season continues, birders are turning out across the state for the nation’s largest citizen science project.
The Christmas Bird Count includes thousands of events across the country, including seven in the First State. While volunteers have been combing the state’s lands already this month, there are still three more opportunities to join in.
Joe Francis is President of the Delaware Ornithological Society, which organizes six of the state’s seven annual bird counts. He says birders of all experience levels, even first-timers, are welcome - and needed.
“People worry about going out on Christmas counts because they can't identify these rare things - they can't tell the different sparrows apart," he says. "It doesn't matter. An accurate count of robins or blackbirds is very important for citizen science.”
The data is a rich source of information for researchers looking at bird populations, habitat, and climate science.
Jim White is the ornithological society’s Christmas Bird Count coordinator, and has been participating for 44 years.
“You can infer whether the species tends to be declining or increasing. You can also infer where the species wants to be, in other words, the habitats that are important," he says.
Sometimes, that news can be worrisome, but Joe Francis says it’s important to find hope in the experience.
“The purpose of the Christmas count is actually to get out and have some joy and celebrate the fact that the birds are still there," he says. "There's still a lot to see.”
