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Sonoma Valley Bird Count Ranks With The Best in America |
The U.S. rankings for last years (106th) Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) were formally published this month in America Bird Magazine. Sonoma Valley ranked 17th nationally in the categories of total number of participants and 76th in species count. There were 2,060 total counts in North America. Despite the weather, over 130 people participated in Sonoma’s first ever count with 150 species officially recorded and accepted by the CBC regional editors before the results roll up to National Audubon.
Formal documentation is required for unusual sightings. Sonoma Valley became the 114th CBC in the state of California. In its first year, Sonoma Valley joined the top ranking California bird counts; Pt. Reyes Peninsula and Oakland, CA which are both long established popular area counts that also include bird species associated with the tide waters of the Pacific Ocean. The Petaluma Wetlands are a critical part of this successful bird census. Throughout the U.S. 652 species were accepted into the overall census.
The 106th CBC attracted 57,156 observers in North America dispite the challenging weather across the continent. This is the most ever, according to National Audubon. The observers capture “citizen science” data on the hundreds of species and millions of birds that vacate Canada and the United States each fall, bound for South America. Many are long-distant over water migrants, while others make their journey southward over land. Twenty two new CBC's in America, 17 in Canada and 3 in Mexico added depth to the effort. Last year’s count was also historic weather wise. Half of the 114 California birds counts reported rain or snow. According to National Audubon, millions of migrating neotropical birds were greeted by the aftermath of U.S. storms with five category five hurricanes for the first time in recorded history.
The destruction of both human and natural habitats was catastrophic. Sonoma Valley's count was seriously effected by the unexpected local storms and flood waters.
This year the 107th CBC will again be on the first Friday after Christmas - December 29, 2006 from dawn to dusk. Tom Rusert and Darren Peterie, co-founders, are the official compilers for this Audubon event. A 15 mile diameter circle center off Arnold drive officially defines the Sonoma count, which includes the spectacular marshlands lands and two mountain ranges. To register, phone 707-939-8007 or visit www.sonomabirding.org. Everyone is most welcomed, Rusert says,” we hope even more birders join this great annual holiday tradition. It’s fun, challenging and one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year!” Team leader Peter Colasanti said “this bird count was about as much fun as I have had in 30 years of doing them”. A participant fee of $5.00 supports the national database and the annual magazine summary report. This year, the Sonoma Ecology Center (www.sonomaecologycenter.org) is once again hosting the event, which will include a covered dish dinner celebration and a special art show at Andrews Hall (Sonoma Community Center @ 276 E. Napa St.) at approx. 5 PM following the count. Both the Ecology Center and Sonomabirding.org invite the public to access the birding database on line and the official bird list for Sonoma Valley.
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