Is Santa Barbara’s Bird Population Dwindling? 

In 2022, Santa Barbara’s annual Christmas Bird Count took place in pouring rain, and with a few days to go, it looked like this year’s count was going to suffer the same fate. Fortunately, the rain arrived the night before, leaving just a few lingering showers on the morning of the count. The goals of the count are twofold: To see how many species can be seen in a day within the count circle, and to take a pulse on the numbers of birds wintering in Santa Barbara.

We used to always have one of the highest counts in the country for the number of species observed, but sadly, for a variety of reasons, we can no longer boast this distinction. Ten years ago, 222 species were tallied; this year, the preliminary total is 196 species. One of our big misses on December 30 were the seabirds. The count circle extends out into the channel, and intrepid birders go out by boat to look for jaegers, shearwaters, murres, and other ocean specialtists. This year, because of the huge swells that put a smile on the surfers’ faces, the boat had to be canceled, meaning we missed out on a big chunk of potential birds for the list.

[Click to enlarge] The hooded merganser is one of the few wintering waterfowl that is actually increasing | Photo: Hugh Ranson

Then there were the birds that were around just before count day but were nowhere to be found on December 30. I have seen a wintering warbling vireo each year for the past 11 years in Bohnett Park on the Westside. It’s a rare bird anywhere in the United States in winter, and I always managed to see it shortly after sunrise on the day of the count. I’d seen the bird in the weeks leading up to the count and figured it would be a slam dunk, but it wasn’t to be. During the day, I visited the park three times, spending several hours looking for my old friend. Had it moved out of the park and into the neighborhood? Or had it finally given up the ghost? After all, 11 is a grand old age for a small bird.

It will take some time to tally up the numbers of each species seen to be able to compare totals to previous years, but at the evening count compilation, one of the themes of conversation was the low numbers of birds. Waterfowl and shorebirds were in short supply. It appears that climate change is allowing many species of ducks and geese to winter further to the north than they used to. Usually, abundant birds such as lesser goldfinches and certain sparrow species were few and far between. The same phenomenon has been noted in birding listserv posts up and down the state. It remains to be seen whether this is a temporary decline, a shift in populations, or if something darker is afoot.

On a more cheerful note, what better way to introduce young people to the beauty of birds than the Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s Bird Count 4 Kids. Now in its tenth year, the event will be held on Saturday, January 20 at Lake Los Carneros Park from 9 a.m. till noon (register before 9:30 a.m.). The lake is one of the premier birding spots on the south coast with a great variety of birds usually present. The first 75 kids get a free t-shirt with a terrific new design — I liked it so much that I asked for one. 

The morning is designed for those aged 8-16 (accompanied by an adult). There will be a binocular boot camp, and optics available to borrow. Experienced naturalists will lead small groups of children around the lake. I can’t think of a better way to help foster the next generation of nature lovers.

Another event to mark on your calendars is a presentation by author Jennifer Ackerman titled What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Bird. Ackerman will describe remarkable new findings about owls’ brains and behavior. This free multimedia presentation will be held at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Fleischmann Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 16.

Hugh Ranson is a member of Santa Barbara Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization that protects area birdlife and habitat and connects people with birds through education, conservation, and science. For more information on the Audubon Society and the programs mentioned, see SantaBarbaraAudubon.org.