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Local birders break out the binoculars for annual count

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Lakeland Audubon Society member Mariette Nowak uses a spotting scope to count birds on the shore of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Birds feed in the mist rising from Geneva Lake at Williams Bay during a bird count.

WILLIAMS BAY — Mariette Nowak and Margaret Jones braved the bitter weather to break out their binoculars and contribute their part to more than a century of bird population information.

They observed through frosty lenses and sun-soaked mist off the lake a gaggle of Canada geese, a group of bufflehead ducks and a few merganser ducks. They also spotted two mute swans swimming on the silvery blue waters of Geneva Lake.

Nowak and Jones, both of East Troy and both members of the Lakeland Audubon Society, on Saturday took part in the Christmas Bird Count, an annual event in which birdwatchers set out in a designated area and count the number and species of birds they encounter.

Local chapters report their findings to the National Audubon Society, and scientists use the data to better understand how birds and the environment are faring throughout North America—and what needs to be done to protect them.

The Christmas Bird Count started in 1900, according to the Web site of the National Audubon Society. Frank Chapman, the founder of “Bird-Lore,” the precursor to “Audubon” magazine, suggested an alternative to the “side hunt,” in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most game, including birds. Chapman proposed that people “hunt” birds only to identify, count and record them.

Data from the count not only helps identify birds in most urgent need of conservation action, but they also reveal success stories. The annual count helped document the comeback of the previously endangered bald eagle, for example, according to the Web site.

The Lakeland Audubon Society count Saturday covered a 15-mile circle with its center at The Lodge at Geneva Ridge in Geneva Township. Nowak and Jones started at the lakefront in Williams Bay to catch birds on the water and planned to head into Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy to find them in the woods. Other birdwatchers ventured down winding country roads in warm cars or watched backyard birdfeeders from warm homes.

Nowak, coordinator of the local event, said weather plays a significant role in obtaining the valuable population information. Birds are easier to see in winter because they are not hidden by leafy trees and shrubs, she said. But birdwatchers are not as willing to spend more than a few minutes outside in below-zero temperatures, she said.

Most people who participate in the annual bird count are experienced birders, but some people use the event as a way to hone their bird-identification skills, Nowak said.

“We hope it’s the better birders who get involved,” she said. “People who aren’t that experienced might just do their feeders, or they might go along with someone, or they just do their best.”

Nowak and Jones relied on binoculars and a spotting scope to identify waterfowl swimming on or flying over Geneva Lake. They knew the kinds of birds they would see, and they rattled off their names and distinctive features as they found them. The women, both birders for many years, were particularly delighted in a group of quickly moving mergansers, identified by their greenish black heads and black-and-white bodies.

“We mostly use binoculars, but I find the best way is to listen for the birds,” Nowak said. “We just walk or hike along and listen for the birds, and we just stand every so often to take a look.”

The pair kept a clipboard with a running tally of their findings in the warm car that David Nowak diligently moved as the women moved east down the lakeshore. They shared their results with others birdwatchers over coffee at a meeting Saturday night.

This year, a preliminary county showed local birdwatchers counted 51 species and a total of 5,145 birds. Last year, they counted 57 species and 6,269 birds.

Highlights this year included a bald eagle, rough-legged hawk and even a great blue heron, which are common the rest of the year, but rare in winter. Highlights last year included seven bald eagles and one great blue heron.