Courtney Celley / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Great horned owls are very vocal in early winter, making this a good time to go afield and seek them out.
It’s cold outside? Wintry? Snowy? Bleak even?
Maybe that’s the opinion of some.
But for at least one species of wildlife, this time of year is when the cycle of producing and rearing young begins in earnest. Great horned owls are seeking mates right now, said Doug Gross, the ornithologist who heads up the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s endangered and nongame birds section.
Birders and other woods walkers who go out early of a morning can often hear the owls calling to one another, he said. Their back-and-forth duets sometimes carry as far as a mile.
“It’s very romantic, by the way,” Gross said. “The higher pitched call is the female, the lower-pitched one is the male.
“They call back and forth in courtship to establish their bond.”
They’ll be nesting by January, he said, so now is when it’s best to hear them.
This is, in fact, a great and productive time to do a lot of birding, for owls and otherwise.
The reason? That’s the annual Christmas bird count.
“It’s the original and longest-running American citizen science project for birds,” Gross said, having been conducted every year since 1900.
An early-winter census of birds, it gets underway today and continues through Jan. 5
It works like this: ordinary folks go outside and identify and count the birds they see on a given day within specified 15-mile-diameter circles. Those results are compared to past observations in the same areas.
The results, Gross said, allow scientists to monitor bird populations and habitat trends over time.
Beyond that, he said it’s a “wonderful way” to get beginners and youngsters introduced to the outdoors and wildlife.
Would-be counters should start by visiting Audubon’s Christmas bird count website http://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count. From there, they can connect with a coordinator to do a count within an established circle or even tackle an area not already covered, Gross said.
Beginning birders can take part, too, by getting assigned to assist a more veteran birder, he added.
“So you can participate even if you’re just learning how to identify birds,” he said.
Each count brings with it the opportunity for something exciting.
Birders will increase their chances of seeing lots of birds, and lots of different kinds of birds, by seeking out a variety of habitats, from forests to fields to swamps, Gross said. Warm, sun-soaked spots attract birds, as does water, from ponds to the smallest creeks.
“Water is a magnet for winter birds,” Gross said.
Food sources attract birds as well. Trees and shrubs that have berries, fruit and cones, together with patches of grass, draw them in. Even old buildings offer hiding spots for species like screech owls, kestrels and house sparrows.
But everywhere and always, keep an eye out for the unusual. A few years ago, Pennsylvania saw a great number of snowy owls. That’s unlikely to be duplicated this year.
But another species may be especially abundant.
“Every Christmas bird count just seems to have a special feature. This year it might be a red-breasted nuthatch eruption,” Gross said.”They’re an absolute delight.”
And in the meantime, those interested in the bird count might want to consider some other options.
Butler Outdoor Club and Moraine State Park are hosting a Christmas bird count from 7:30 a.m.-noon on Dec. 17 starting along Swamp Run Road. Participants will hike and count birds as they go.
It’s all free. Details are available by calling 724-368-8811.
Nearby, Jennings Environmental Education Center will offer a Christmas bird count program from 9 a.m.-noon, also on Dec. 17.
Visitors can stop by at any time for this free program, which will start with park staff talking about how to identify birds. Observers will sit inside and look at the birds attracted to outdoor feeding stations. Staff will also go over how to participate in the count and record observations.
For details, call 724-794-6011.
One day earlier than both of those events, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Dec. 16, the National Aviary will conduct its first ever indoor bird count.
Led by Aviary ornithologist Bob Mulvihill, the event is being billed as a “friendly indoor winter birding competition.”
The Aviary is home to hundreds of birds from around the world. The “count” will involve seeing how many different ones visitors can see and identify.
The team that comes closest to the actual list and count of birds will win a prize.
Regular Aviary admission fees apply. Call 412-323-7235.
