Fairbanks Christmas Bird Count
Image provided by Ken Whitten, Wildlife & Wood, Fairbanks, Alaska
the Fairbanks Christmas Bird Count took place on dec 16, 2023.
2023 marks National Audubon Society’s 124th Christmas Bird Count, the oldest citizen science project in North America. This is the 63rd year that Fairbanks has participated. As climate change effects are intensified in the far north, the CBC is an important way to track changes in our local bird populations.
Fortunately, our first cold snap of the season passed in time for the count. Temperatures above zero, no wind and lack of falling snow made conditions ideal for counting birds in the short December daylight. Over 43 teams covered the 15 mile diameter count circle in cars and snow machines, walking, snow shoeing and skiing. Another 35 parties counted the birds coming into their feeders.
A respectable total of 32 bird species were counted for the CBC with an additional 1 species recorded during count week (the 3 days prior to and following the CBC). This is the highest count since at least 2013. The total birds seen this year stands at 7,282. This number varies widely each year from a high of over 15,000 to a low of around 3,000. This difference is due almost entirely to two species- common redpolls and white-winged crossbills. These birds range widely all across the boreal forest from year to year seeking areas with abundant spruce cone crops. During the poor cone crop in 2019, only 39 redpolls were counted for the entire Fairbanks CBC area compared to over 8,600 recorded the following year.
Every CBC has some interesting finds and notable misses. A Townsend’s solitaire and a varied thrush were seen just before count week began, but not recorded for the CBC, and may not have survived -20 degree temperatures. Willow ptarmigan haven’t been recorded for the CBC since at least 2013, but a total of 6 were found by counters in Ester, Goldstream, the University area, and on Creamer’s Field. Snow Buntings normally winter far south of Alaska, but 2 hardy stragglers were found at Creamers Field during count week. Two northern shrikes were counted in the Chena ridge and University areas, and one each brown creeper and three-toed woodpecker were located.
The Chena River yielded some surprises as well. A single female northern pintail and a cackling goose were found tucked in among the scrum of more than 350 mallards wintering in the open water behind the Carlson Center. While cackling geese are a common sight in Fairbanks during migration, this is the first ever recorded wintering here.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was found at the Fairbanks landfill. Retired USFWS biologist, Ted Swem, counts there every year primarily to get an accurate count of the common ravens in the area. Small numbers of bald eagles have also been recorded hunting the ducks in the Chena and feeding at the landfill since 2020. This year, an astounding 27 bald eagles were counted at the landfill and surrounding area.
Arctic Audubon would like to thank all the hardy individuals who helped make the 2023 CBC a huge success. Plan to join us next year!
Check out the 2023 Fairbanks Count Results by visiting the Fairbanks Data Archives. Read on for more information on the Fairbanks Christmas Bird Count.
2023 Area Coordinators
Goldstream West: Brian Lawhead, 907-455-6849, lawhead@mosquitonet.com
Ester: April Harding Scurr, 907-799-4196, april1bird@gmail.com
University: Dave Hejna, 716-951-0213, david.m.hejna@gmail.com
Chena Ridge: Joyce Potter, 907-479-3523, jpotter.alaska@gmail.com
South Fairbanks: Ken Russell & Laurel Devaney, 907-750-3027, devaneylaurel@gmail.com
Goldstream East: Maria Berger, 907-888-8956, mariaberger.ak@gmail.com
Farmer’s Loop: Jamie Marschner, 907-458-0462, jamie.marschner@gmail.com
Creamer’s Refuge: Mark Ross, 459-7301 (work), mark.ross@alaska.gov
Steese & Wainwright: Melissa Sikes, 347-1802, melsikes5@gmail.com
Click here to download a KML file of the Fairbanks CBC area!
It is a Google Earth Layer File that will allow you to see the CBC circle in Google Earth. Activate your GPS location on the map to see where the CBC borders are in relation to where you are standing!
For the Desktop version: Download and open Google Earth on your computer. Go to File -> Open -> Click on FBXCBC.kml.
For the mobile app version: Download the Google Earth app, then download the KML file to a folder on your phone (i.e. 'Documents' or ‘Files’). Open the Google Earth app. Click on the Menu in the top left corner -> Projects -> Open -> then find the KML file in your documents -> a little 'eye' icon (Android) or three dots (iOS) will show up next to the file . Click on the eye/dots and select "Pin to Earth."
Information and & Event History: The Fairbanks Christmas Bird Count is part of the Annual Christmas Bird Count, a nation-wide winter tradition organized by the National Audubon Society throughout the American hemisphere. The first Christmas Bird Count took place in 1901, and it is now the longest running citizen science project in the world! For more than 120 years this citizen-based conservation effort has built an extensive and valuable database for understanding bird population dynamics. This information is used to develop conservation strategies for birds and their habitats and to evaluate climate change. To learn more, listen to How Christmas Bird Counts Help Shape Science, a 2022 episode of the WNYC radio program Science Friday.
Today there are approximately 2,100 active CBC circles across the U.S., Canada and several Latin American and Caribbean countries! Each count is run in the same way each year. The same size circle defines the count area and the same time period is used. Observers record the effort made to find birds, as well as the species and numbers of birds seen, weather, and habitat conditions. The database is available for anyone to view and/or use. For more information visit the National Audubon Christmas Bird Count web page. You can also view and download historical data from the Fairbanks count by clicking the data archives link below.
Each count lasts 24 hours and covers a 177 square mile circle, 15 miles in diameter. The Fairbanks CBC circle is centered on the intersection of Dalton Trail and Yankovich Road. The circle includes the top of Ester Dome, parts of the Chena and Tanana Rivers, the dump, and plenty of typical Interior habitat. The object of the count is to cover as much of the circle as possible while identifying and counting birds without duplication. Since our daylight hours are severely limited, we need many volunteers willing to cover assigned areas.
Contact Arctic Audubon Society with any questions or if you are interesting in assisting with compilation efforts. If you are interested in becoming a field observer, contact your local coordinator.