A New Christmas Bird Count is Created!

Audubon California and The Nature Conservancy teamed together to create a new Christmas Bird Count (CBC) at a place that will also add a new species to the CBC database: Santa Cruz Island.  The count was officially accepted by National Audubon and added to the 110 scheduled for California during the 108th year of counting birds during the holiday season. 

photo by Andrea Jones

Santa Cruz Island, located 25 miles off the Santa Barbara Coast within the Channel Islands, is owned by The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service.  The 96-square mile island is the largest of the Channel Islands -- often referred to as the “Galapagos of North America,” containing 12 endemic species found nowhere else on earth and vast areas of remote and somewhat inaccessible wilderness.  Birders travel to the island, not just for the exciting ride out that can afford incredible encounters with cetaceans and seabirds, but for the opportunity to add a species to their list-list: the Island Scrub Jay. 

The Island Scrub Jay is just one reason that Santa Cruz Island is part of the Channel Islands Important Bird Area.  The island chain contains a documented 16 sensitive species, entire populations of several island or island-chain endemic subspecies, and significant breeding populations of Snowy Plovers and 5 species of sea birds.  Despite the fact that some of these species are well-studied, data on how birds generally use Santa Cruz Island during the winter months is sparse at best.  It is for this reason, and well as for the birders-intrigue of finding something unusual in a remote setting, that led to the creation of a newly established Christmas Bird Count.

photo by Greg Smith

Once National Audubon’s CBC Director had approved our plan, Audubon California and The Nature Conservancy worked together to compile a small team of birders, including several staff members from TNC, Audubon, and PRBO Conservation Science, and searched a 14 mile count circle on Dec. 16, 2007.  Weather was favorable for most of the count period, and the team tallied a total of 84 species.  Highlights included Pigeon Guillemot, Grasshopper Sparrows, Red Crossbills, large numbers of Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and of course, the first Island Scrub Jays in the 108 year history of CBC’s.  While many fewer than the 200+ species counted on nearby Santa Barbara mainland, being a first year, an island with very rugged terrain, and a small team, we were excited by the results.  Next year, with hopefully more volunteers and less drought, we will have the opportunity to compare our results to this year’s effort and begin a new tradition in citizen science on Santa Cruz Island.  It will be fascinating to see what shows up on the count from year to year since islands often harbor vagrant birds.

Our thanks go out to The Nature Conservancy for providing housing and vehicles and to the National Park Service for providing a boat ride.