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Future CBC count report



We CBC compilers received some disturbing news that needs to be shared
with the birding community, at least those who participate on bird
counts.

According to Geoff LeBaron, the CBC director for the National Audubon
Society, which sponsors the counts (101th year coming up):

"Of considerable discussion right now is the future content of the
published Christmas Bird Count results. By now you should already have
received your 100th CBC volume of American Birds, and hopefully have
seen the special features. The big issue before us is what to do next
year. Many of you have questioned the value of the traditional printed
volume now that the entire CBC database is accessible online. Each
season's data are available faster, and in a more interactive form, than
a publication can ever be. Hence, we are CONSIDERING [in bold italics in
his letter] streamlining the publication considerably. Our thought would
be to include more features such as in the 100th CBC issue each year,
but publish only highlights of the individual counts. Probably each
count would be listed, with participant names, any "boldfaced birds",
and the total number of species and individuals. Cost savings would be
redirected to support the interactive database ...."

This is a disaster for many of us. Perhaps they forget that we counters
are NOT volunteers. We actually are PAYING participants (not paid, but
paying). We pay $5 a count, to slosh through mud, get up before dawn on
cold mornings, etc. I pay $30 a year for the 6 counts I go on, plus much
more for the motel rooms, gas, missed days at work, etc. And, we do not
get a count report book for this; the count fee only gets our name in
print. The count book is an extra subscription.

I want a published volume of counts. As I have been counting birds in NC
for 35 years, having gone on roughly 200 CBCs, and as I am the Regional
CBC Editor for NC and SC, I have an important stake in this matter.
Their approach, which they are CONSIDERING, would be about like paying
your usual subscription for your newspaper, but then receiving a paper
with just the headlines -- Duke beats UNC; Man Killed by Falling Tree;
Presidential Election Hinges on Florida Vote, etc., but with no story.
The story you can read by going online to the newspaper website, and
then you can read or print out the story. Somehow, people don't want
this; they want a newspaper with the full story, with the sports
boxscore, with the results of the presidential election, etc.

Audubon needs to go another route. They tried to save money years ago by
going with an Eastern set of counts and a Western set of counts (i.e.,
we got half the counts), but that was more trouble than it was worth. I
don't have a good solution to their problem, but many of us get a
tremendous amount of use from the set of 1500 counts, with all species.

I fear that their plan, only being considered now, will cause counters
like me to drop out completely. Also, count compilers might quit taking
fees from counters,  and we might start to have counts published again
in Chat, like the Spring Counts and the Migration Counts are done (with
no participant fees). I would stop accepting the count fees from my Cape
Hatteras count if I knew that results weren't published where everyone
could see them.

This is important now, as the count season is nearly upon us. I want
assurrance that my $30 for the counts I go on is well spent, in the form
of a count report book. I know the value of having data on a website
that can easily be analyzed for species trends, etc. But the paying
participant needs to be kept in mind and not be taken advantage of in
this process. If Audubon wants to PAY us to go on their counts, then I
think their plan under consideration would have merit.

Let's hope that Audubon goes ahead with a CBC count book for this
upcoming count, as it would be a bad move to make any changes now.
--
Harry LeGrand
NC Natural Heritage Program
1615 MSC
Raleigh, NC 27699-1615
(919) 715-8687 (work)
FAX: 919-715-3085
e-mail: harry.legrand@ncmail.net