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Science
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> 1999
> January
> January 1, 1999:
Hour Two: Christmas Bird Count
| And just as each year the swallows return to Capistrano, each year the Audubon Society embarks on its annual Christmas bird count. For ten days on each side of Christmas, birdwatching volunteers across the nation note their bird-spotting observations, which are then compiled by the Audubon Society. The Society uses the data from the count to help identify population trends caused by environmental changes - to food, predators or, habitat . This year, the count will use the Internet to collect and disseminate sighting information, adding a high-tech spin to the 99-year-old birder bonanza. | 
| We'll also talk to a bird ecologist who says that the quality of a bird's winter environment can affect their breeding success during the summer. The American redstart, a tiny bird, migrates south to sunny warm places like Jamaica and Honduras. While there, the older, stronger birds fight to control the moister, more insect-rich territories, leaving the drier scrubland to their weaker competitors. The birds who keep hold of the better wintering grounds are able to return to the north earlier - and get a jump on the spring breeding season, thus having a better chance of mating successfully. The findings, published in the journal Science earlier this month, show how important it is to preserve choice habitats - even those in faroff "wintering" habitats.
An hour of birding, with guest host Joe Palca, on this hour of Science Friday.
Guests:
Geoff LeBaron
Christmas Bird Count Director
National Audubon Society
Williamsburg, MA
Dan Murphy
Bird Count Compiler for San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Pete Marra
Avian Ecologist
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
National Zoological Park
Washington, DC
Books/Articles Discussed:
The audio clips during this show were from
"Common Birds and their Songs" by Lang Elliot and Marie Read. Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Related Links:
BirdSource - online Christmas Bird Count database and tracking
An introduction to the Count methodology
Audubon Society web page
This segment produced by:
Annette Heist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
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