Help needed for 2005 Christmas Bird Count

12/28/05

BIRD WATCH: KAREN BRIDGERS

OK, folks. Christmas is over. That's right, put away all the holiday stuff and start looking out your windows. The Christmas Bird Count is on Saturday and the Santa Barbara Audubon Society needs your help.

Do you have any orioles at your feeder? What about grosbeaks? Any white-winged or spotted doves? What about hummingbirds other than Anna's? A Harris' sparrow? Is there a roadrunner in your neighborhood? A sapsucker (other than red-breasted) in your pepper tree? Got siskins? A Lawrence's goldfinch? If you live roughly between San Ysidro Road in Montecito and Ellwood Beach in Goleta, we want to hear from you. (Note to North County residents: We're sorry, but you're out of the Santa Barbara count circle, so even the best birds at your feeder are of no use for us to count.)

Before dawn on Saturday, volunteers will be out in force, trying to find owls in local parks and canyons. I'll be out shortly after that, trying to locate the zone-tailed hawk, the nemesis of North Goleta birders, in its roost tree.

We'll each be assigned an area to bird and given a list of any unusual birds that have been seen in that location. These rare species (such as Wilson's warbler, summer tanager, Nashville warbler, tricolored blackbird) will have been scouted out before the count and are must-finds on count day.

The species total is what's important, even though individual birds of all species will be counted. Santa Barbara usually ranks in the Top 5 in the country with 200 species or above, a mark that may be hard to break this year because mountain species are in short supply within the count circle. (Some years, mountain birds come onto the coastal plain in winter. This is not one of those so-called "montane invasion years.")

So, here's the deal: If you see any of the above birds in your neighborhood between now and Saturday, please e-mail me at the address below. If you actually find any of the rarities on Saturday, call 964-1316 and leave your name, where you saw the bird, and your phone number. And watch next week's column for a complete rundown of the 2005 Christmas Bird Count.

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Karen Bridgers can be reached by e-mail at kbridgers@msn.com.