THREE French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree – the lyrics to a festive song, or perhaps an unlikely series of birding observations? You can find out this December and January by heading outside to birdwatch in the name of science.
If you live in North, Central or South America, you could participate in the US National Audubon Society’s annual , which runs from 14 December until 5 January. During this period, volunteers can join bird-counting groups and help to perform censuses of birds in pre-defined, 24-kilometre-diameter circles. You can use the available on Audubon’s website to search for a count circle near you, or use it as inspiration to .
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Information gathered through the Christmas Bird Count is made publicly available and contributes directly to conservation and ecology research. The survey was in 1900 by US ornithologist Frank Chapman as a conservation-friendly alternative to the tradition back then for hunters to compete to kill birds at Christmas. Since that time, research informed by the yearly survey has helped to demonstrate how climate change and habitat loss are contributing to changes in the distributions of bird populations.
An of Christmas Bird Count data collected across the US and Canada between 1969 and 2019 found that populations of 16 duck species had shifted northward during this time period as winters became warmer.
A earlier this year analysed 90 years of Christmas Bird Count data from 119 count circles in the eastern US and found the winter ranges of all observed birds had altered in response to climate change. This effect was compounded by habitat loss, to which habitat-constrained birds such as waterfowl and grassland species are particularly vulnerable.
Identifying the overlapping effects of climate change and habitat loss on bird populations is important for informing conservation efforts. “Protecting birds from climate change in the future needs to go hand in hand with protecting healthy natural spaces that birds need right now,” said Marshall Johnson, chief conservation officer for Audubon, in a commenting on the recent research findings.
The Christmas Bird Count isn’t the only way to contribute to conservation research through birding. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s platform allows users to submit sightings year round from anywhere in the world. And if you live in the UK, you may wish to take part in the , an annual survey organised by conservation charity the RSPB, taking place from 27 to 29 January 2023.
As for partridges (pictured above), they are typically – so you are unlikely to spot one in a pear (or any other) tree.
Layal Liverpool is a science journalist based in Berlin. She believes everyone can be a scientist, including you. @layallivs
What you need
Access to the National Audubon Society’s website at audubon.org, or to eBird at ebird.org
A pair of binoculars for bird spotting
