The local forays that are part of the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count returned last month with varying degrees of success—largely reflecting the weather. According to the leaders of the Point Reyes Christmas Bird Count, the event was a hit thanks to good weather conditions and high participation. Within a 15-mile-wide zone centered in Inverness, 180 volunteers counted over 200 species across 27 zones.
The Christmas Bird Count, a 122-year-old community science project, is locally sponsored by Point Blue Conservation Science and the Marin Audubon Society. Point Reyes is often ranked in the top five zones nationally for the number of species and rarities observed. West Marin sees high traffic from birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, a diverse superhighway used by birds year-round for north-south travel between Alaska and Patagonia. In addition, many birds typically seen in the east seek refuge on the coast during colder months; besides these wintering birds, vagrant birds, or species that stray outside their normal area, often stop in West Marin’s hospitable landscape.
“A huge population of seabirds use Tomales Bay as a resting place—nearly 17,000 visiting birds,” said George Curth, an Inverness resident who has compiled the data from the local count for five years. He and his son, Sandy, led a team from Millerton Point up to Marshall last month.
The Point Reyes count has taken place nearly annually since 1970, when distinguished birders Rich Stallcup and Jon Winter teamed up to combine a Tomales Bay count with a Drakes Bay count. They set a goal of counting 200 species, which was reached in the first year and most years since.
The National Audubon Society analyzes the data, which is essential in identifying declining bird species as well as those species that are expanding their territories. According to naturalist David Wimpfheimer, one of the main reasons for the count is to monitor wintering populations of birds, which he said act as a litmus test for the environmental stability of the region.
The number of raptor sightings in the Point Reyes count has been rising for the last 30 years, Mr. Wimpfheimer said. Bald eagles, for example, are much more common now than they were 20 or 30 years ago; one group last month witnessed a bald eagle decapitating a duck on Tomales Bay. The count has also seen an uptick in peregrine falcons, with more sightings than anywhere else in North America. Mr. Wimpfheimer said this distinction points to the good health of estuaries, as the falcons feed on shorebirds.
On the other hand, most leaders in the Point Reyes count reported low numbers of insect-eating birds like warblers and kinglets. Grassland species such as the loggerhead shrike, a passerine, also declined precipitously in the last 40 to 50 years, Mr. Wimpfheimer said.
The southern Marin count, which includes Stinson Beach and Bolinas and took place just two days before the Point Reyes count, experienced one of its worst years ever after attendance and visibility were dampened by heavy rains. Only 125 birds were spotted—a devastating low given the area’s diverse habitats. “In a place like this, where 12 major habitats or so all converge into one space—marshland, forests, the beach—it’s a hotspot for birds,” said Keith Hansen, who surveyed Bolinas from Wharf Road to Agate Beach. Mr. Hansen usually works with a team of three to five people but said illnesses left him with just one partner in December.
A few highlights emerged from the Bolinas area, however. Dogtown resident Anne Sands heard a northern saw-whet owl, one of the smallest owl species in North America and one that has never been recorded in Bolinas. Identifying a bird by its call is common and often more convenient for the more experienced birder who has the chops to do so, Mr. Wimpfheimer said. Since the count wrapped up, eight black skimmers have been spotted on the Bolinas Lagoon, which Mr. Hansen said has been a small consolation after the unfortunate December count. The tern-like seabird is tropical and highly rare in California, Mr. Hansen said.
Before 2020, birders held a post-count tally and celebration at the Dance Palace, but the event has not happened the last two years. Mr. Curth said he hopes a gathering will be possible next year. He is also hoping to increase participation; this year, newcomers were given the incentive of choosing their area. “We’d love to have more young people,” Mr. Curth said. “The group is aging.”