This year marks the 100th anniversary since 27 conservationists decided to protest the traditional bird shoot, and instead of hunting birds, they counted them on Christmas Day 1900. The event originated as a protest to the traditional holiday side hunt in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and animals in one day. Ornithologist Frank Chapman organized 27 friends in 25 locations to participate in the count. Now, The National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is a citizen science project which gives us a two-week picture of bird populations in early winter.
Volunteers count every bird and bird species over one calendar day, from midnight to midnight.
Each count group has a designated circle 15 miles in diameter, about 177 square miles. Bird counters try to cover as much of the circle as is possible with a 24-hour calendar day. 30 degrees Fahrenheit, where there is limited road access, and binoculars more often than not are fogged up, contributes to the novelty of our Alaskan counts. Relatively, our Denali Park Christmas Bird Count has more skiers, dog mushers, snowshoers, ski-jorers, feeder watchers and owners than most, with few motorized vehicles used, but then we have a total of only 19 miles of road in our entire count area. Participation can be greatly influenced by the weather and snow conditions but there always are a few loyal souls who brave the elements to be a part of the count.