DVOC Main Page > Censuses, Counts
Updated Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Contact Information

Censuses, Christmas Counts, etc. in the Delaware Valley Region

On this page:
Delaware Shorebird Monitoring
Christmas Bird Counts
Philadelphia Mid-Winter Census

Delaware Shorebird Monitoring (Posted 3/19/08)

From:

Kevin S. Kalasz, Wildlife Biologist
Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, DNREC
4876 Hay Point Landing Road
Smyrna, DE 19977
office (302) 653-2883 cell (302) 222-8759 fax (302) 653-3431
kevin.kalasz@state.de.us
http://www.fw.delaware.gov/shorebirds/

Get ready for another exciting shorebird field season! Field conditions were great last year and I am hopeful 2008 will bring the same. Over the winter we have been receiving sightings of our flagged birds from the Southern US as well as South America so, as you can see, what we are doing here is beginning to catch on elsewhere.

All of the work conducted and data collected by the volunteers of the DELAWARE SHOREBIRD PROJECT is critical to furthering our understanding of Red Knots and other shorebirds that migrate through the Bay in the spring.

I am hopeful you will be interested in helping out by volunteering with the DELAWARE SHOREBIRD PROJECT this year. The success of this project and shorebird conservation in Delaware depends heavily on support from volunteers. We need people to help on processing teams, to help re-sight individually marked birds, and to help with other daily aspects of the project. If this sounds like a good time and something you would like to do, please get involved!

As in the past, we will be hosting two volunteer training sessions. If you are interested in volunteering to help monitor shorebird migration in Delaware Bay, please sign up for one of these training sessions by April 1.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING DATES: Saturday April 5, 2008 and Saturday April 19, 2008 from 8:30 to 4:00.
VOLUNTEER TRAINING LOCATION: St. Jones Reserve in Dover, DE

This is a great opportunity to learn more about shorebirds, why and how we monitor their populations, and, for past volunteers, to become reacquainted with methods and to learn more advanced skills. Lunch will be provided.

We have again secured a house in Slaughter Beach as a base of operations during the field season and will be there from May 5 through June 6. Limited space is available so please let me know if you would like to stay overnight so we can accommodate you.

We work 7 days a week so there is always something to do at a time that will fit with your schedule. So please join the team! I think you will find it to be a rewarding and fun experience.

Thanks for your interest in the Delaware Shorebird Project and willingness to volunteer! There will be more updates as the approaches but please call or email me if you have any questions. I hope to hear from you and look forward to seeing you in April!

Christmas Bird Counts

It may not feel like science, tromping through a frozen field on a snowy morning, but the data collected during the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is an important scientific and conservation resource to professionals and lay people, around the world.

Organized over 100 years ago by Frank Chapman, the Christmas Bird Count has evolved from an alternative to shooting raptors, to an international event encompassing over 50,000 volunteers counting birds for three or four weeks. The CBC, managed by National Audubon Society (NAS), is the longest-running ornithological database. It provides ongoing, important statistics about bird populations, trends, distributions, habitat threats and rare findings. In the 1970’s, the CBC provided crucial evidence in proving that DDT caused the decline of raptors and other birds, leading to a federal ban on the pesticide. Among other things, CBC data is currently being used to study and monitor the West Nile Virus.

The Christmas Bird Count takes place each year from mid-December through early January, covering over 2,000 CBC sections. The National Audubon Society divides North, Central and South America into small sections known as circles, managed by Compilers. Compilers designate the day on which his/her circle completes the CBC. It is no small task for Compilers to notify and organize participants, gather and compile the data, and submit lots of information to NAS on-line. Some Compilers even orchestrate post-count parties, to swap stories and toast a long-standing holiday tradition!

Many dedicated DVOC members are active in Christmas Bird Counts - as Compilers, section leaders and volunteer participants. COMPILERS NEED YOUR HELP! If you’ve never participated in a CBC, you are missing a great opportunity to contribute to conservation, and spend a rewarding day of birding, while making new friends. Note the list of CBC’s taking place in our local area. Contact any of the Compilers or section leaders ASAP, to join one or more local counts.

Click Here for "Christmas Counts in the Delaware Valley Area - Summary Results for 2007-2008" Presented at the 1/3/08 DVOC meeting by Frank Windfelder and Debbie Beer. Updated 1/28/08 Click Here for a summary of the 2007 Bombay Hook Christmas Count Click Here for a summary of the 2007 Cumberland County Christmas County

Click Here for a pdf file of 2007-08 counts in the Delaware Valley Region (compiled by Naomi Murphy and Debbie Beer) (Final update - 1/4/08)
Send any additions or corrections to

Click Here for a list of New Jersey counts (compiled by Mike Anderson and posted by Laurie Larsen)

Click Here for the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count Website

Philadelphia Mid-Winter Census

PHILADELPHIA MID-WINTER CENSUS
By Keith Russell, Census Coordinator

Click Here for the 2008 Report

When the Philadelphia Mid Winter Bird Census (PMWBC) was inaugurated on January 11, 1987 it was unclear how many birds a census conducted entirely within the confines of the nation’s 5th largest city would find, especially during early January. The 83 species recorded that year by only 18 observers demonstrated however, that the idea of a mid-winter bird census in Philadelphia was not that far fetched.

Since that inaugural year the PMWBC census has not only continued to demonstrate that an impressive variety of bird species can be found in Philadelphia during the winter, but that Philadelphia actually has one of the most diverse wintering bird populations of any county in Pennsylvania. A total of 142 species have been recorded on the census since 1987 and while the annual total has ranged from as few as 79 to as many as 108, an average of 92 species have been recorded each year (average of 96 since 1997). Highlights over the years have included Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Ovenbird, Pine Warbler, Long-Eared Owl and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Lowlights are the continued decline in Philadelphia of Ring-Necked Pheasant, Northern Harrier, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Swamp Sparrow and Field Sparrow, all due largely to habitat loss.

Perhaps more importantly, the census has helped to make some of Philadelphia’s fine birding locations like Roosevelt Park and Benjamin Rush State Park better known, and information from the census hars been instrumental in preserving at least one of Philadelphia’s threatened bird locations (the East Park Reservoir’s West Basin) and it may prove helpful in preserving others in the future.

The census could not have succeeded without the interest and dedication of those who participate, and it is with the utmost appreciation that I would like express my thanks to all those who have participated over the past 20+ years. I am always looking for new volunteers to help count species and individual birds; please email me at if you’d like to participate in the PMWBC count.

2008 Report
2007 Report
2006 Report
2005 Report
2004 Report
2003 Report