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Uploaded: Friday, December 28, 2012, 7:43 AM
Bird watchers fan out for annual Audubon Society count
125 volunteers in 18 teams take part in listing as many birds as possible in one-day effort
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Bird enthusiasts fanned out across the Bay Area yesterday to take part in the Golden Gate Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count.
Bird count organizer and compiler Dan Murphy said that about 125 volunteers in 18 teams had headed out to various spots, counting as many birds and species as possible between sunrise and sunset.
"We (had) a team downtown, one in Fort Mason, one in the Presidio, one at Lands End," Murphy said, including three separate teams at Ocean Beach.
Golden Gate Audubon Society spokeswoman Ilana Debare, who joined teams combing the coast near the Cliff House and in the Presidio, said the clear weather was making it a great day for bird watching.
"We really lucked out," she said. "It's a beautiful day, great visibility."
Additional teams were stationed south of the city in South San Francisco, Colma, and Sharp Park in Pacifica, Murphy said.
The San Francisco-area bird count has taken place since 1983. It is one of 20 that occur in the Bay Area each year and one of more than 2,000 that happen throughout North America between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, Murphy said.
The results are compiled into a national scientific database that helps promote the conservation of threatened habitats, guide local
development projects, monitor the status of threatened bird populations, and detect patterns in weather phenomena, Murphy said.
In 2011, 176 separate species and 60,704 individual birds were tallied in the San Francisco count, Murphy said.
"I think that was a record for us," he said.Chris Cooney, Bay City News — Bay City News Service Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Judy, a resident of the Highland Oaks neighborhood, on Dec 28, 2012 at 12:41 pm If possible, I'd like to have a phone number where I can reach a member of the Society. I recorded a very unusual bird call this past summer and I can't locate any information on it. I have a fair description of the bird as it flew for the only time over our house.
Thank you, as it was driving me nuts for awhile (not knowing what it was)!
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Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Dec 28, 2012 at 3:21 pm Audubon Society: Web Link
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Posted by Judy, a resident of the Highland Oaks neighborhood, on Dec 29, 2012 at 12:28 pm Cholo - Thank you.
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