Bird lovers flock to wildlife refuge for annual Christmas bird count

PRAIRIE CITY — “[I hope I see] a hawk,” said 7-year-old Oliver Fecteau.

Oliver and his 4-year-old brother James were two of more than 40 bird lovers who flocked to the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge this New Year’s Eve to participate in the annual Christmas Bird Count.

“We’ve never done it before. Thought it would be fun,” said Oliver’s mother, Kendra. “I like birds.”

During the count, volunteer birders of all ages and skill levels spread across the refuge to help compile information for a national database sponsored by The Audubon Society. Karen Viste-Sparkman, a biologist at the refuge, said the count helps them track how birds are responding to climate change.

“Birds are important. We are using birds to measure what’s going on in the environment,” she said. “You can see overall population trends, but one of the things that goes along with that is climate change — seeing how bird populations are changing over time and how that might be related to changing climates.”

Viste-Sparkman has worked the holiday event for 11 years.

“For this count, one of the fun things is all the people that get involved,” she said. “We get a lot of families and people of all different backgrounds.”

Leland Searles took part in the wildlife refuge’s Christmas count for the second time.

“I have been doing bird counts since 1972,” she said. “(I like) seeing birds. I like seeing new birds. I like seeing what’s going on.”

For the count, participants were divided into groups. They then spent time birding around the refuge, covering a 15-mile diameter.

The volunteers were also paired with experienced birders.

“One of the things I like about going out and looking at birds is that it is sort of like solving a mystery,” said Viste-Sparkman. “You see a bird and you try to figure out what it is. I like learning how to identify them, watching birds, their behavior. It is just amazing how these tiny birds can survive out here in the winter. It’s just so cold and you wouldn’t think they would be able to survive, but they are so adapted to it.”

According to the biologist, the refuge typically sees about 40 to 50 species of birds.

“In the wooded areas, we’ll get things like chickadees and woodpeckers. There are some sparrows and things in the grassy areas,” she said. “We’ll get pheasants, hawks and eagles.”

Viste-Sparkman said Saturday’s warmer weather and windy conditions may produce some interesting results in this year’s count.

For 4-year-old James Fecteau, it seemed his favorite part of waking up early for the event was the hot refreshments provided Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

“(I like) the hot chocolate,” said James.

The national Christmas count is held Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. For more information, visit audubon.org.

Contact Anthony Reyes at areyes@prairiecitynews.com