A Christmas Bird Count Experience

By Brian Nicholas

A recent Santa Catalina Mountains Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started at about 1:00 a.m. as I drove up Mount Lemmon, stopping at various locations to listen for owls. I had only heard one Great Horned Owl so far and was already deep in pine habitat. I pulled up to a promising location thick with conifers only to find die-hard campers had already staked their claim. Undeterred, I walked a couple hundred yards in the darkness until I found a random location to try a Northern Saw-whet call. The night was calm yet I received no response from the toots I sent out into the quiet darkness. I waited, then tried an alternate “whining call,'' similar to one I had heard the year before on this same mountain, during this same CBC.

Northern Saw-whet Owl by Mick Thompson

Immediately I heard a whining response from the trees directly ahead of me, then a series of high pitched toots which pierced the quiet night air. I stood and listened to the sweet melody like a favorite song played over and over again. A sense of utter contentment washed over me and I forgot about the CBC, about time, and everything else as I listened, appreciating every note of this conversation. It was so close, perhaps just two pines away, yet totally invisible, cloaked from my eyes by the impenetrable blanket of the night.

I met up with my partner for the day and the rest of the CBC was very similar to many others I have done before. We missed some birds we were hoping to find, then found some birds we didn’t expect. Like the surprise Black-crowned Night Heron at La Mariposa Resort, or the late afternoon Merlin perched in a tall eucalyptus tree in the Castlerock neighborhood. Our biggest surprise was a Swamp Sparrow (in a field of all places!) first seen by my partner Andy Moore. It almost slipped past us without identification before finally giving nice views and even a photo opportunity.

Merlin by Martin Molina

Swamp Sparrow by Greg Lavaty

Despite a long night and day of birding I found myself very refreshed at the evening compilation dinner. I listened to participants tell their stories like sailors just back from a long journey at sea. We celebrated each of our successes and quickly forgot our defeats. I enjoyed being in the company of others who share my passion, celebrating a long successful day in the field. And as my head hit the pillow I was already dreaming about future CBC’s and the promises of adventure they held.

Sign up for a count now, 'tis the season! Good birding to you.

Join the oldest community science project in the world (since 1900) and spend a day counting birds! Join a team for one or more counts Dec. 14–Jan. 5—help is always needed and you don't have to be an expert birder.

TUCSON VALLEY: DECEMBER 14
The Tucson Valley Christmas Bird Count will celebrate its 50th year in 2021! If you would like to count birds in Tucson, please contact compiler, Keith Kamper, at keithkamper@gmail.com.

SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS: DECEMBER 27
Everyone can contribute, whether you want to hike a remote mountain trail or count birds in your own backyard! Contact Kendall Kroesen or Holly Kleindienst, kkroesen@cox.net, 520-971-2385 or hollykleindienst@gmail.com

See the full list of Arizona counts at tucsonaudubon.org/cbc

Brian Nicholas is a birding enthusiast who has lived in Tucson for about 20 years. His primary focus has been birding his neighborhood in Northeast Tucson, where he has seen around 250 species. Brian is a long-time volunteer for Tucson Audubon as an Important Bird Areas bird surveyor and field trip leader.