Musings Before the Holidays
In just a few short days, the winter solstice will be here. The longest night of the year will come and go, unheralded by most, and soon the days will be getting longer. Hannukah and Christmas celebrations are already well underway, and even here at Rogers we have been planning for New Year’s Day.
For many of us in this profession, the holidays begin with the Christmas Bird Count, which, as the name suggests, usually happens some time in December.
The first CBC took place in 1900, as a way for people to get outside and associate with birds that didn’t involve shooting them, which up until then was a Boxing Day tradition in North American known as the “Side Hunt.” Teams would form up and whichever team came back with the greatest number of birds won.
The late-1800s and early-1900s was a rough time for birds, what with the industrial revolution well underway, land development revving up, and the fashion industry demanding more birds and bird parts (feathers, nests, eggs, wings, heads, whole bodies) for hats.
Long story short, laws were passed, tastes in fashion changed, and today we go out to identify and count the birds we see.
In Chenango County, the 2023 CBC took place yesterday (Dec. 16). I was on the team that covered Rogers Center, and while chickadees were pretty common, we were surprised to get a kingfisher and a wood duck, which was nice. Our woodland birds included golden-crowned kinglets, brown creepers, a variety of woodpeckers, a couple titmice and cardinals. Crows and Canada geese were plentiful. But in general, the woods were pretty quiet. I don’t know how the other teams did, but I imagine larger lakes possibly had some waterfowl of note.
As my gaze drifts to my office window, it’s a green world out there. It’s one week to Christmas, and the forecast calls for rain.
While some welcome these milder winters for their positive impact on our heating bills and fewer mornings that we have to get up extra early to shovel, I am saddened by the change. Partly it’s nostalgia, but it is also because I am aware of the negative impacts these mild winters have on our ecosystems.
It is easy to get lost down that rabbit hole, but I want to encourage everyone to also look at the bright side of the season: enjoying the company of those who we may not see often, sharing good food, and giving back to others.
Whatever your holiday tradition, we at Rogers Center wish you and yours a joyous time. If the weather is nice, bring the family out to Rogers for a walk along the trails.
