(1/2024) The idea of a Christmas Bird Count was introduced 124 years ago to counter and document the effects of unregulated hunting. The worst damage was due to "market" hunting, the slaughter of billions (yes, billions) of birds for eastern food markets. Total lack of regulation lead to the extermination of the Passenger Pigeon and dangerous decimation of populations of many duck, goose, and swan populations.

December 16 was the 75th year of the Catoctin Christmas Bird Count. The Bird Count covers a 15-mile diameter circle in north Frederick County with Thurmont as the epicenter. The circle includes a few towns and a lot of open country including state, national and local parks, forests, numerous waterways, fisheries, and endless farm fields. The Frederick Bird Club, a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, has sponsored the Christmas Bird Count for many years. It is a very tangible example of citizen science and an ideal way to enjoy a winter’s day in beautiful northern Frederick County.

Most of the birds seen during winter counts are year-round residents, like chickadees, cardinals, hawks, and woodpeckers. By the time of the count, migrating summer residents have already headed south for warmer territories with open water and plentiful food. We do enjoy a few winter-only visitors that migrate from the colder north primarily due to lack of food. Frederick County’s most common winter visitors are Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows, often seen at the base of bird feeders in the coldest months. Maryland’s rivers, bays and coast also host a variety of ducks, geese and swans during the winter.

The 22 count participants spent the day driving, bicycling and, where possible, walking through their assigned territories. "Counters" count every bird seen and heard, so the ability to ID birds by sound is very important. Some birders are excellent at IDing birds by sound, an invaluable skill when trying to identify a small, dark shadow, buried in a dense thicket.

This year’s results were slightly better than last year, I suspect due to the higher number of experienced counters and improved territory coverage. The species count was 70 vs 66 for last year, and the total number of individual birds seen or heard was 10,373 vs 9,176.

As with prior counts, I compared averages for each species for the most current ten years with averages for the prior ten years. Trends of recent years continue. Many of our common species show significant population declines. A few species like the Bald Eagle and Common Raven continue to show impressive population gains. A recent positive change is the increase in sightings for the Red-headed Woodpecker in just the last three years. Unfortunately, that increase is possibly due to the many trees in the county recently killed by beetles.

Red-shouldered Hawks continue to do well (up 55%), but Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers are much lower.

Studies show that grassland bird populations in North America have declined by more than 50%. Habitat loss is a probable factor in these declines, particularly agricultural intensification and development. Grassland birds like Northern Bobwhite and the non-native Ring-neck Pheasant are no longer found in Frederick County. Sightings for one of my favorite birds, the American Kestrel, have decreased by 33%. This iconic grassland bird is in serious trouble.

A look at the long history of the Christmas Bird Count reveals a few amazing – at least to us now – species numbers. During the mid-60s, there were astounding high count numbers of several common birds: 42 thousand Red-winged Blackbirds; 100 thousand Common Grackles; and 52 thousand Brown-headed Cowbirds. This year, the combined total for all three species was less than 100. In the late 60s, 680 American Tree Sparrows were reported; the average for the last ten years has been two. The Field Sparrow high count was 175 in the mid-50s; the average for the last ten years has been eight.

Many things are contributing to bird population declines including habitat loss, window-strikes, pesticides and herbicides, free-roaming cats, and even light pollution. But climate change is now recognized as the biggest ongoing threat to birds – and yes, humans.

Climate change makes extreme weather more likely. The news this year again featured endless stories about record heat, record numbers of tornadoes, devastating wildfires, massive floods, and, less visible but equally dangerous, perma-frost melting. Only concerted action at the national and international level will keep things for getting worse.

Many projects are already underway to achieve the target of a 40% reduction in US green-house emission levels by 2030. Meaningful change will take time, but there are seven simple actions Audubon encourages everyone to do now to help birds and our planet: make windows safer; keep cats indoors; reduce lawn and use native plants; avoid pesticides; drink shade grown coffee; avoid single use plastic; and join the Citizen Science Effort.

I want to add two of my own. First and foremost, support national, state, and local officials who have the courage to make the difficult decisions required if the beautiful world we call home can be preserved for future generations. Second, if you can, support the many non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to combat climate change throughout the world.

If you are interested in learning more about the birds of Frederick County, the Frederick Bird Club www.frederickbirdclub.org and Audubon Society of Central Maryland www.centralaudubon.org welcome guests and new members. Visit their websites to learn about meetings, bird-focused presentations, bird counts, and bird walks and outings throughout the year.