The 125th annual Audubon Christmas Count included Stanislaus Audubon Society’s Caswell/Westley Count last Sunday, December 22. Some feared that the relatively early date would keep too many waterfowl up north, and total waterfowl numbers were indeed down in some places, but down in the northern San Joaquin Valley means tens of thousands of birds locally, and millions throughout the Valley.
The Caswell/Westley Count includes portions of the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, Caswell State Park and Dos Rios State Park. Some landowners within the count circle permit limited access to their properties on count days.
Featuring riparian woodlands, wetlands, pastureland, orchards and the Tuolumne, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers, the Caswell/Westley Count Circle offers habitat for a wide variety of birds, from tiny Anna’s Hummingbirds to majestic Bald Eagles. It includes major wintering grounds for the formerly endangered Aleutian Cackling Goose.
For many birders, the wetlands and riparian oak forests are major attractions anytime; wintering waterfowl only add to the allure of these remnant havens for a diverse array of bird and animal life.
Just a few months ago, a Roseate Spoonbill visited the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge and liked it so well it stuck around; it’s been seen in the region ever since. Some even saw it the week before the official count day, though it was not recorded Sunday. Normal habitat for Roseate Spoonbills is far to the southeast, including states along the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida.
Though often overlooked, common residents of our native wetlands such as Green Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Marsh Wrens and Song Sparrows provide endless appreciation in the form of resplendent colors, muted beauty, and exuberant songs, depending on the species. Riparian forests provide homes and wintering quarters for Nuttall’s and Acorn Woodpeckers, House Wrens, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bushtits, Great Horned Owls and many more.
It wasn’t long ago that wetlands, most often described as “swamps” were seen as useless impediments to urban and agricultural progress. We now know that in addition to their values for birds and animals, wetlands are major factors in flood control and groundwater recharge. They also provide recreational value for duck hunters, birders, photographers and hikers, not to mention vacation retreats for wandering Spoonbills.
It is only through the policies of federal and state government as well as the work of generous benefactors such as the late Bob Gallo that native flora and fauna survive for future generations of Valley Citizens. Spectacular overflights of wintering waterfowl, the soaring majesty of Bald Eagles, the glory of riparian forests and the zen serenity of quiet ponds along living rivers are easier to lose than maintain, especially when we forget our connection to all of nature and its panorama of life on earth.
Now a worldwide event, the Audubon Christmas Count is one way of maintaining ties to the natural world. It’s also a way of measuring our success as stewards of the gardens we were given as inheritors of a bounty we must strive always to appreciate, preserve, and defend.
Counting birds is one way we keep the books for nature’s ongoing project of wonder and love on a planet that is ours only insofar as we honor its enduring capacity as a vessel for all creatures, great, small, and to come. Preliminary reports from Stanislaus Audubon Society’s troop of census takers are that our native birds are on safe ground, thanks to the efforts of Valley citizens who value the land we all share as the durable trust of our natural heritage.
