To the Editor:

Your front cover photo of a snowy owl was great.  Thank you for providing me a lead-in to introduce the Schenectady Christmas Bird Count, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 20.  (The Schenectady CBC covers parts of the towns of Guilderland, New Scotland, Rotterdam, Niskayuna, Colonie, Glenville, Clifton Park, and the city of Schenectady.)

According to the National Audubon Society’s website, “Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas Side Hunt: They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.”

The CBC was started in 1900 as an alternative to the side hunt and is now the longest-running citizen science survey in the world.  Audubon now runs the CBC program on an international scale. 

There are specific rules for these counts: They are held from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5; they take place in a circle 15 miles in diameter; they are done over a 24-hour period; all birds seen or heard are counted; and participants keep track of hours and miles afield.

Because CBCs are conducted the same way in the same count circles over time, the data collected can be used to identify long-term trends in bird populations and distribution.  For example, the Schenectady CBC, for which I am the coordinator, has been conducted every year since the winter of 1929-30.

Over the years, as farm fields in the count circle have been replaced by houses and malls, we see fewer individuals of species such as horned lark, American kestrel, and northern harrier.  The flip side is that we are seeing more individuals of species that take advantage of bird feeders, like black-capped chickadee and dark-eyed junco.

One fascinating thing we have seen over the years on this count is the northerly movement of what were traditionally southern species.  Northern cardinal, fish crow, tufted titmouse, red-bellied woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, northern mockingbird, and Carolina wren are all species commonly seen now that formerly wintered farther to the south.

We regularly see far greater numbers of snow geese and Canada geese on this count compared to those of 50 years ago as hunting pressure has eased and goose populations have grown.  Gulls were only sporadically recorded in the early counts — now, as a result of landfills and fast-food restaurants, three gull species are recorded on just about every count.

And, as winters get warmer due to climate change, we have seen increases of what are known as “half-hardy” species like great blue heron or gray catbird, where a few individuals try to winter at the northern limit of their range.  It’s believed that, if these birds are able to hang on all winter, they will benefit by being first on prime breeding habitat in the spring.

So, getting back to your photo of the owl, the last snowy owl seen on a Schenectady CBC was back on Dec. 21, 1963.  Snowy owls, as you pointed out, staged a massive irruption last winter.  Albany County’s airport, in the count circle, supported two to three snowy owls last winter, but they were only first seen after last year’s count.  I am hoping the one in your photo may hang around to be counted on the CBC.

So stock up your bird feeders, and, if you see a carload of people with binoculars in hand this Saturday, drive by slowly and wave! 

Larry Alden

Altamont