Why I love the Christmas Bird Count
While standing along the I & M trail this Sunday afternoon, I looked intently through my binoculars at the fallen leaves and snow, hoping to find some new sparrows to add to our Christmas Bird Count list. It was early afternoon and our group was still missing a few key species, but we had high hopes for this area which was a particularly lucky spot for us last year. After walking about 1/2 mile and seeing no song birds, suddenly there were several Dark Eyed Juncos, Black Capped Chickadees, and American Goldfinch gathered in front of us foraging along the frozen canal’s edge. We searched carefully for a few minutes, looking to see if we could pick out a White-crowned or Swamp Sparrow in the group. Suddenly, a Towhee suddenly popped up from the leaf litter to a low branch. Audrey and I called out “Towhee!” and my first thought was “Eastern Towhee, what a great bird to add to our sparrow list!” Then Audrey said “I think that was a Spotted!” Spotted Towhee had been nowhere on my radar. This species is normally found west of the Mississippi River (I saw some in Utah earlier this year), and I hadn’t realized they were a potential winter vagrant. I dropped my binoculars and excitedly fumbled with big mittens and cold hands for my camera while Audrey continued to watch the bird and identify field marks through her binoculars. Of course, just before I got the Towhee in focus she dropped off the branch and disappeared.
Spotted Towhee, my first clear shot
For the next 30 minutes, we debated field marks of immature Eastern and Spotted Towhees while checking field guide apps and intensely scanning the banks of the canal. The Towhee would briefly appear, usually mostly obscured in a thicket of twigs, and putting my camera’s autofocus and my ability to manually focus with cold hands to the test. There were times when just her tail was visible, or we could see her head but nothing else. The light was also really rough, with the first sunshine of several days reflecting harshly off of the patches of snow mixing with deep shadow in the thickets. I was also the only one with a camera, so the pressure was on! Finally, the Towhee popped into a somewhat clear area and I was able to get some diagnostic shots. Once we confirmed her ID, we reached out to other area birders to let them know this special gal was in the area. We waited around for some of them to arrive to make sure they knew where to find her, then continued on with our counting.
Spotted Towhee perched amongst berries
When we returned a while later after completing our route, we were happy to learn many birders had been able to see her. Ironically, given we’d spent so much time struggling to get a good look at her, she was now regularly perching at eye level in the bushes right off the trail, munching away on the remaining berries, and showing off her distinctive markings clearly. This sighting was the icing on the cake of a wonderful Christmas Bird Count, which is part of the oldest continuously running citizen science project in the world. This was the third time I participated in this CBC, and while it was a frosty day here in Chicago, with temperatures in the teens and twenties (Fahrenheit) and cold winds that occasionally blasted snow into our faces, it was a delight to search out all the birds we could and get serenaded by massive flocks of Sandhill Cranes while doing so. My lips are still chapped and my back is still sore from lugging my camera over miles of walking, but I’ll definitely join in again next year. You just never know what you might find while birding, even on a cold winter day in Chicago!
My Spotted Towhee sketch
If you’re interested in participating in a Christmas Bird Count in your area next year, check out this great guide from the Audubon Society.
