More than 100 islanders, binoculars at the ready, roamed Vashon’s forests, beaches, backroads and more, tallying every individual bird they could identify as part of the annual Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Adria Magrath, a Vashon Bird Alliance member and this year’s organizer of the island’s count, discussed the results at a gathering at the Land Trust Building on Sunday, where she and others noted several highlights.
All three loon species – common, Pacific and red-throated – were identified in the waters off Vashon. Participants spotted owls found only occasionally on Vashon, such as the northern saw-whet and the barn owl.
They discovered merlins, spotted sandpipers, sharp-shinned hawks and one meadowlark at Matsuda Farm. Other highlights included the sheer numbers of certain species: Groups tallied hundreds of scoters, golden-eyes, grebes and wigeons.
The Christmas Bird Count – launched by the National Audubon Society 126 years ago – is the longest-running community science survey of birds in North America, an early-winter census now supported by thousands of volunteers across the U.S. and Canada. The tallies collected are critical, helping researchers, conservation biologists and others study trends in North American bird populations over time.
Sue Trevathan, a seasoned birder, started Vashon’s count in 1999 and ran the annual event for a dozen or so years. Ezra Parker, another expert birder on the island, led the count for the next nine years. Magrath took on the position last year.
Vashon’s count circle is a 15-mile radius that covers the entire island, part of the Kitsap Peninsula and part of Burien. Magrath was able to recruit volunteers for all 29 sectors within the circle.
“That was the highlight for me — having lots of participants this year, including people who don’t consider themselves expert birders,” she said at Sunday’s gathering. “I love seeing that level of participation. It makes me feel more secure about the reliability of our count.”
Leslie Brown is a former editor of The Beachcomber.
Sue Trevathan and Leslie Brown at Maury Marine Park looking for waterfowl. (Jim Evans Photo)
American goldfinch. (Jim Diers Photo)
Cooper’s hawk. (Jim Diers Photo)
