By Dick Gunn
What am I doing here? It is incredibly cold morning and I am crouched here in the dark in the willows on the banks of the South Canadian River with a few stalwarts indulging in an activity called "owling." It is one part of a strange masochistic activity called the Christmas Bird Count. I am here with long-time birding buddies, John Raeside, Angie Holt and Brian Davis, staring into the icy gloom. Most folks wouldn't do this for pay and we have been standing here for half an hour absolutely convinced that we are having a good time. We are trying to entice an owl or two into responding to recorded calls with no success -- then a splashing noise in the dark.
"What was that?"
"A beaver."
"I thought we were looking for birds."
This morning, the four of us were hunkered here in the cold listening for one of the three owl species native to the area. Ice clicked in the swirling river and the 22 degree cold seemed to seep into every nook and cranny of our cold weather gear. The owls never sounded off but when enough weak winter sun leaked through the cold overcast, Brian, the youngest of our group and gifted with the best eyes, called out, "Right across the river, in the tallest cottonwood-- two eagles." Sure as the world, two dark-bodied, white-headed adult Bald Eagles huddled together near the trunk came into focus. Minutes later, a flock of crows spotted them and sent them flying down stream.
A triumph in the face of defeat. That is what Christmas counts are all about. Our failure with owls became instant success with two hard-to-find and very charismatic birds looming right in front of us. The folly of rising at 5 a.m. suddenly became a worthwhile enterprise. Fulfilled, we trudged a long, cold mile back to the car, birding on the way as the darkness lifted and the day began. Ducks began to fly up and down the river--mostly Gadwalls and Mallards and then a flock of sleek, elegantly shaped ducks came whistling by--Northern Pintails--a species known to be in low numbers nationally--was added to our list. We were on our way.
We were soon joined by a few other stalwarts at a designated spot just up the road from our owling adventure. Our group, loosely known as the South Jenkins Irregulars, split into other areas to cover our assigned part of the count circle. Usually we bird together but given our questionable expertise, Mark Howery, the esteemed count coordinator, suggested that we split up and expand our efforts. An important part of a Christmas count is that expertise is not a requirement for participation. Many of the 31 folks on this year's count were rookies or new to the fun. We all started out somewhere. Brian has only been birding for a couple of years and I have been doing it for over forty years, but when we bird together it is a case of the tail wagging the dog.
We were joined by Anais Starr and Greg Overall, who donated his photographic services as well as his birding expertise, and moved on to take a run at our usual beat on South Jenkins. Angie and her husband, Ben, headed for a huge area north of Franklin Road. We checked the river again in the daylight and the sewage treatment plant outfall creek and the fields and woods along the way. The outfall water is warmed by the well- treated sewage effluent and never freezes. We picked up some warm weather birds, including a Common Yellowthroat and Eastern Phoebe, that would not be seen easily elsewhere.
Raeside and Starr peeled off to attack the southwestern corner of the count area along river and then on to survey some of the area around the dam at Thunderbird -- collecting one of the most unexpected finds of the count. Angie and Ben took off for their huge area. They got to scope lots of farm ponds and fields seeing birds that could not be found along the river. Brian and I (linking the best eyes with the worst) ran our usual course along South Jenkins.
At noon, we all rallied while my wife Sally fixed us a carb-heavy, but delicious lunch to tide us over for the rest the day. Though not leaving the warmth of the kitchen, my daughter, Sarah, had seen one of the day's best birds, a Brown Creeper, on the feeders in back of the house. In fact, rookies and feeder watchers contribute a number of good birds than the more mobile birders never see.
All during the day Christmas counters drove and walked and counted. This is not just a pastime for expert birders. Anyone who can beg or borrow a pair of binoculars can take part. Even without glasses, a complete novice can go along as an observer or serve as a recorder as we record every bird we see.
Depending on the size of the area being surveyed, one can approach the Christmas count either on foot or by car. The Holts, faced with 27-square mile area, did a lot of driving. John and Anais did some of both and Brian and I were mostly on foot, logging close to 10 miles. Slowly the species numbers began to pile up as did cold feet and red noses. The cold depressed the numbers compared to previous years but we found pockets of sparrows and chickadees sheltered in places out of the wind and around farm buildings and sheltered spots. Moderate wind speeds helped us find good birds on the lakes and ponds and as always the raptors abound in the winter in open areas in central Oklahoma.
Finally at 6:30, we convened at Jennifer Kidney's house. She has hosted the count dinner for several years. We were treated to a delicious supper with two kinds of chili, corn bread, manicotti and wonderful desserts. After our feast we gathered around and began compiling the list for the whole area. The cold weather and snow cost us a few birds that we had hoped might stick around for the count. We missed a lot but we got some great ones. The most numerous species was Red-winged Blackbirds, clouds of which stretched from horizon to horizon in some places. John and Anais's best bird was definitely a Western Grebe on T-bird. Someone else got a Lark Sparrow, another a Chestnut-collared Longspur and another a Pine Warbler but Joe Grzybowski, the group's (and maybe the state's) best birder came up with 8 Trumpeter Swans, not only a dramatic and charismatic bird but a first for our count.
Finally by 8:30 or so, the count was recorded -- a total of 108 species with some birders' reports still not submitted. Not a record number, but a very respectable number great for a very cold day in a very cold winter.
To take part in next year's Christmas count, email Mark Howery at mkhowery@juno.com.
