Date: 2/13/25 12:02 pm From: Hugh Ranson via groups.io <zonetail1...> Subject: [sbcobirding] The Post-CBC Blues
In recent years, Eurasian Collared Dove has been the default dove species
coming to seed in my yard. But this winter I haven’t seen a one, whilst
Mourning Doves have been coming in some numbers. It’ll be interesting to
see if the CBC has seen a decline.
Warning: What follows is non-sighting related (or pertains to old
sightings).
July and we begin to anticipate the shorebird passage; and then come the
landbirds, with a smattering of scarcities and rarities, the catnip that
helps many of us walk that extra mile. Scouting for the CBC keeps us busy
in November and December with the attempt to squeeze out any and all
unusual birds in the nooks and crannies of the count circle. After the
great day, many go to look for the rare birds that were seen, the Brown
Thrasher in the hedge, the Lark Bunting in the corral….
And then? If you're anything like I am, you might get the Post-CBC Blues.
My motivation is diminished, my energy sags. Judging by the precipitous
drop in postings to the Slack channel and to the listserv, I might not be
the only one. So what to do with oneself?
Birders–many if not most–love keeping lists: life lists, county lists,
birds seen from a vehicle, year lists, yard lists, the list of birds that
I’ve seen and so-and-so hasn’t, a list of the 5 next new birds that will
show up in the county, etc. The only lists that I’ve kept, until recently,
were a yard list and a county list. I’ve been intrigued for a while by the
idea of keeping a 5-mile radius-with-your-home-at-the-center list. It
encourages birding your local patches and getting to know birds’ comings
and goings more intimately. It gets you thinking about the birds not on
your list. Why, for heaven's sake, have I not seen a Yellow-headed
Blackbird in the circle?
Here’s a video that shows an easy way to find your 5M radius (or any radius
you want)::
When I figured out my circle, I was amazed just how much good habitat is at
my disposal, and there are some places I haven’t yet explored. I decided my
5M list would include all the birds I’ve seen in all the years I’ve birded
in SB (43 ½ years), and not just during the time I’ve lived in my present
abode. It was a good test of my memory. Where have I seen Cattle Egret? Ah,
yes–I remember a flock of them stalking around at the Rose Gardens on a
quiet morning. At the very west of my radius are some agricultural fields
where I’ve see many a good bird. Could I count them if they were a couple
of hundred yards outside my circle? I decided not, so there went Sprague’s
Pipit and Eastern Yellow Wagtail. But Louisiana Waterthrush walked its way
right onto the edge, thankfully. I came up with a 5M list of 347 species,
which I think is pretty respectable.
I decided the 5M radius was on the big side, so using the same tool (see
video), I looked at my 1M radius habitats and birds. Now this was more
challenging. I don’t have any beaches or ocean, no mountains, and only very
limited freshwater habitats. I do, however, have most of Elings Park,
Bohnett Park, and Oak Park. My list topped out at 194 species. So how to
boost the total? I realized that I focus my Bohnett Park efforts largely in
late fall and winter, so my new endeavor is to bird there more in spring
and fall. There are also patches of woodland I haven’t looked at. There are
a couple of small parks that I’ve rarely gone to.
I see many benefits to embracing birding locally besides the aforementioned
reasons, one of the biggest being burning less fossil fuel.
