2007 Santa Barbara Audubon's Christmas Bird Count (January 5, 2008)

Joan Lentz officiated the event. This year we had some challenges with the rain and rough seas that prevented some areas from being covered. The unofficial count for species was 204. The tradition of going through the complete list of expected and hoped for birds takes some time but is an interesting learning experience. I learned a new term called poaching which is what happens when others find important birds that are not in their zone for counting. The potluck had a nice assortment of tasty food to eat after a long cold day.

Valiant efforts of both describing where the birds are located and unusual markings and species were given. Rare finds are of special interest and many will be checked on the next day if possible. I think Joan does a great job in trying to keep the bird count as accurate as possible. I found it amazing how hard everyone worked at getting a good tally of what is happening in the Santa Barbara area with the local birds.