Have you seen a Phainopepla lately?

Photo by Paul Robeson

LOOK, IDENTIFY, COUNT: Doug Perdue of Anderson and Karen Schenerman of Cottonwood were looking for the Phainopepla in Anderson River Park Dec. 22 during the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

Photo by Paul Robeson

SUNRISE IN THE PARK: The sun begins to illuminate Anderson River Park last week even as temperatures dipped nearer the freezing mark.

The name Phainopepla (pronounced fay-no-PEP-la), comes from a Greek word for “shining robe.” It is a fitting word picture of the shiny, jet-black plumage of an adult male bird spotted recently in Anderson River Park.

A group of about 20 bird enthusiasts gathered on Saturday morning, Dec. 22, just before sunrise. Their meeting would kick off the Audubon Society’s first ever Christmas bird count in the area, although similar counts have been held for 108 years elsewhere in the nation. The temperature was hovering around the 32 degree mark as more people gathered for the count’s official start.

The Phainopepla, from the Arizona desert, eats mistletoe berries and acts differently in its two habitats according to Karen Schenerman of Cottonwood. The bird rarely drinks water and gets any moisture it needs from a diet of mistletoe. It was discovered that the bird defends its nesting site while in the desert, but when in the woodlands it may share its nesting area with others of the same species in one large tree. The Phainopepla, when pursued by predators, can mimic the calls of other birds. Imitations of at least 13 different species have been recorded. Last Saturday, tape recorders were carried by some of the bird counters so that they could share collected bird calls with other counters.

After gathering in the park for instructions, the bird counters then split up into small groups that included at least one experienced birdwatcher. These smaller groups were stationed throughout a circle that was roughly 15 miles in diameter from the group’s original meeting place. The bird counters took their responsibilities seriously even as they were reminded that they were taking part in the world’s longest-running tally of wildlife.

The Christmas bird census, taken each year between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, uses volunteers to evaluate the size of bird populations in local communities throughout California. Data from these counts will be collected from around the nation and will help the Audubon Society track the progress of different species.

Ray Bruun and his 14-year-old son Steven, both of Shingletown, were equipped with telescopes and hand-held radios so they could keep in contact with other counters. They walked with Schenerman and Doug Perdue, both of Anderson, into the park to find and count birds. Perdue, 71, and Schenerman, who declined to give her age more specifically than “old,” looked for the Phainopepla even as they counted out other species in the cold, early-morning hours.

Perdue, who lives near the park, walks daily or rides his bicycle in search of wildlife. Schenerman, using a Palm Pilot, recorded her findings as Perdue used a pencil on a pre-printed sheet that was handed out, along with topographical maps of the area, to the counters before they left for their assigned spots.

Event organizer Rob Santry, from Anderson, reported that the total species count for the day ended up at 123. Horned Larks were spotted 43 times and the Eurasian Collared Doves were counted 13 times, followed by the Greater Yellowlegs at ten. A Western Sandpiper was found with other shorebirds on a gravel bar in the Sacramento River near the mouth of Cottonwood Creek. A Pileated Woodpecker was found somewhere along Cow Creek. And the Phainopepla was seen in Anderson River Park.

By the time you read this, Christmas bird counts, usually taken from sunup to sundown, will have taken place in almost every county throughout California. More than 110 counts were scheduled, and more than 5,000 counters were expected to take part in the census. The Christmas bird counts began more than a century ago when a group got together to identify, count and record all the birds that they saw. One of the first counts in California was held in 1900 in Pacific Grove.

There are more than 50,000 members of the Audubon Society living in California, which boasts 48 local chapters affiliated with the national organization. Audubon California is a field program of the National Audubon Society which includes a network of community-based nature centers and chapters as well as scientific and educational programs.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.