BirdWatching: Arising early really is for the birds

By Van Harris

Someone has said that bird watching is a mild form of mental illness with symptoms that include rising before dawn to sit in a bog.

This is especially true in June, when sunrise comes earlier than at any other time of year. Yet, this is what I and hundreds of other birders did last month to participate in the Breeding Bird Survey.

The Breeding Bird Survey allows scientists to measure trends and manage resources to promote their conservation. Participating in BBS is well worth a little lost sleep.

The Breeding Bird Survey is a project of the U.S. Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. After the 1958 publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," describing the destructive environmental effects of pesticides, especially on reproduction of birds, it was necessary to accurately monitor the populations of breeding birds in North America.

Chandler Robbins, legendary director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Office of Nongame Migratory Bird Study, began the BBS in 1968. Today, there are more than 4,100 Breeding Bird Survey routes in the U.S. and more in Canada.

Because there are not enough professional ornithologists to cover that much territory in a single nesting season, Robbins and his colleagues turned to birders. Almost all surveys are done in June because most North American birds are nesting then. If a bird is present in June, the presumption is that it has a nest in the area.

Though most participants are nonscientist volunteers, BBS is a rigorously conducted scientific protocol. Each route is 24.5 miles long with a stop at each half-mile, a total of 50. At each stop the surveyors count every bird they see and hear for three minutes, then move to the next stop.

Photo Bob MillerNorthern Mockingbird

...up with the birds to do some bird-watching...