Wichita CBC History

This year's Wichita Christmas Bird count, conducted on Dec. 18, 2004, will be the 50^th annual count which has been conducted in Wichita by the Wichita Audubon Society. This count follows the protocol of the thousands of other counts which are conducted across North America each holiday season. The center of the 7.5 mile radius count circle is located at the confluence of the Little Arkansas and Arkansas Rivers near downtown Wichita, Kansas. One full day is spent counting all birds found within the circle. The first count was conducted on Jan. 5, 1955, by the newly incorporated Wichita Audubon Society. Although Christmas Bird Counts had been conducted somewhere in the Wichita area during many years between 1904 and 1954, they had not all been conducted in the same exact count circle, and information about these early counts is sketchy to varying degrees, although many were published, producing some significant data. This publication contains the record of all the data on bird distribution that the 1954-2003 counts have produced. It also has a record of the 237 persons who participated in at least one of the counts. The count data were drawn primarily from the National Audubon Society internet site. This data was then re-formatted and edited for clarity and accuracy. Some editing also was done to reflect recent changes in taxonomy. The names of participants were taken from the Bulletin of the Kansas Ornithological Society, which has published the statewide count results each year. In addition to the information which is compiled here, several long-time participants have contributed some of their recollections from these counts. Kevin Groeneweg was of great assistance to me in the creation of this document. I am indebted to him for his expertise in the mysteries of Excel software and also his helpful suggestions on other aspects of the presentation of the data.

Only a few CBCs in Kansas have been conducted without interruption for so many years. We are fortunate that two of our charter members, Walker Butin and Dan Kilby, who participated in that first count fifty years ago, are with for this 50^th count. Walker has been on 44 of the first 49 counts, and Dan is close behind with 41 counts to his name. Wally Champeny has also been on 41 of our counts, and additionally served as the count compiler for 25 years. Several other current participants deserving of special mention, with their years of participation in parentheses, are Eddie Stegall (34), Savilla Stegall (34), Don Vannoy (32), Bob Gress (21), and Rick Goodrick (19). Others who were on more than 10 counts in earlier years were Ralph Wiley (34), Mike Lesan (31), Don Ferguson (19), Jean Roark (19), Miriam Roark (19), James Fisher (15), Nathan Macdonald (13), Carl Holmes (12), Phil Butin (12), Rick Butin (11), Durward Tucker (11), Gerald Wiens 11) and Mary Wiley (11). The many others who participated over the years are listed on the attached spreadsheet, showing their participation year by year. These were dedicated volunteers, who sometimes braved very hostile weather to do these counts.

The count circle originally had a substantial amount of agricultural land in it, but is now almost entirely urbanized to at least some degree. As the developments of the city claim more of the farmland, the birds of open country retreat. However, substantial areas of varyingly wild habitat remain, so that our count continues to be both enjoyable and productive. Many artificial lakes and ponds have been created, and the count today produces many aquatic bird species which would have been unheard of in the early years of the count. Northern Shoveler is a classic example of this trend. This duck species was once found only at intervals of 3 or 4 years or so, and then only in small numbers. They are now found every year, with a stunning 411 individuals seen on the last count! The gradual warming of our climate has also allowed birds which formerly wintered to the south of our area to sometimes linger into the winter months, which also contributes to our higher species total in recent years. Examples include species such as Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Orange-crowned Warbler. Many of the species in the 50% or lower occurrence categories were extremely rare in the first two decades of the count, but now occur much more regularly. Our count results are an important record of these dynamic changes. There are many interesting trends to be found in this data. Examples include the fact that Canada Goose was not recorded at all on the first 13 counts, and House Finch was only first recorded on the 1989 count! These two are both very familiar winter species to us now. The decline of open country bird species such as Northern Bobwhite and Northern Harrier in recent years is becoming increasingly apparent.

Below is a summary of the frequency of occurrence of bird species on the Wichita count. An amazing 168 species of birds have been found at least one time on the Wichita Christmas Count. Several of the species with only one record were only recorded during the count week, but not on count day. "Count week" is officially defined as the three days before and the three days after the actual count day. The records of Swainson's Hawk and Carolina Chickadee would seem to be unlikely today, but I have not deleted them. The single Trumpeter Swan record was of a tagged individual from the restoration program in Minnesota, and is not considered "countable" by some standards. The total number of species seen per count has ranged from 48-94 species. Despite the continuing development of land in our area, recent counts have averaged higher than in the early years, primarily because of the habitat and climate changes discussed above.

Great Blue Heron

Canada Goose

American Wigeon

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Canvasback

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Rock Pigeon

Eastern Screech-Owl

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Winter Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Townsend's Solitaire

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Field Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Great-tailed Grackle

Pine Siskin

Horned Grebe

Eared Grebe

Clark's Grebe

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Brant

Trumpeter Swan

American Black Duck

Cinnamon Teal

Red-shouldered Hawk

Virginia Rail

Greater Yellowlegs

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Dunlin

American Woodcock

Bonaparte's Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Iceland Gull

Ringed Turtle Dove

Common Barn Owl

Short-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Black-billed Magpie

Pygmy Nuthatch

House Wren

Sedge Wren

Bohemian Waxwing

Clay-colored Sparrow

Lark Sparrow

McCown's Longspur

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Dickcissel

White-winged Crossbill

The complete results of all the Wichita counts are detailed in the following pages, along with party-hour data for each year and some party-hour averages. Party-hours are the most reliable figures to be extracted from CBC data. The raw numbers are always of interest, but by using the party-hour calculation significant variables are eliminated. Failure to control for variables distorts the true picture of bird populations that these counts are intended to provide. That is a long-winded pitch for the importance of party hours as the best interpretive tool for CBC data in general.

Deep thanks to all who participated on the count over the years. See you next year!!

Pete Janzen

Wichita, Kansas

Dec. 10, 2004

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Following are comments from Walker Butin and Jeff Cox about the earlier years of the Wichita CBC, who responded to an open invitation to contribute to this commemorative booklet.

WAS Christmas Counts over 50 Years-by Walker Butin

The two most popular events of the Wichita Audubon year afford a dramatic contrast between the Birdathons of May with their likelihood of a glorious lark for the "listers" and the December Christmas Count, which instead was more often an adventure with an ordeal to be braved in unpredictable weather. Only once in fifty years (1959) has a blizzard actually forced cancellation of the count. (It was rescheduled one week later.) Milder winters recently have sometimes presented snow frozen, but more often it has melted, leaving muddy footing for the birders.

The dawn gathering of fifteen or so shivering Auduboners at the stadium parking lot has usually distributed itself into at least three or four people for each of the four quadrants in the area agreed upon before our first count on January 2, 1955. Although the geography is the same, there have been remarkable changes within boundaries in fifty years. Most striking early in our history was the discovery of relatively untrammeled riparian woodlands--such as the Kruckenberg property, later to become much of Pawnee Prairie, and the Simon Swanson farm (also developed later)--which surrounded Cowskin Creek in the southwest quadrant. Later of course, the development of Chisholm Creek Park and the Great Plains Nature Center have changed the focus of our year round activities.

From the beginning, the Christmas Count attracted public attention with regular news of our finding often being embellished by photojournalists who accompanied us for a time in the field. The weary counters always looked forward with anticipation as the afternoon progressed to the fellowship and good natured banter of the count compilation at dusk. The site of this windup changed frequently over the years. Once in 1972 Pearlanna and Albert Briggs welcomed us in their home, but otherwise the group met at a less personal site such as the West Side Y, the Zoo, Botanica, and, of course, presently at the Great Plains Nature Center classroom. It's always a memorable occasion!

Walker Butin

Wichita CBC Memories from Jeff Cox

I vividly remember my first Christmas Count. Your spreadsheet shows my first one in 1968, but I would have placed it a year or two before that. Kenn Kaufman and I had been in school together starting in 4th grade, Stanley Elementary School, 1963-64. He was a rabid birdwatcher even then. We got to be good friends and were in Boy Scouts together (his dad was the Scoutmaster). He would point out birds to me when we went on campouts, but I didn't actually go birding with him until August 24, 1966. He took me to a place he called "The Plum Thickets." I'm digressing, but will come around. I lived at 1203 Marlboro, Kenn at 2713 S. Martinson - both west of Seneca, between Pawnee and 31st St. We headed east to the Arkansas River, around the north side of Watson Park, across (or under? - I don't remember) Broadway, then along the south bank of the river until we passed under the railroad tracks. That led into "The Plum Thickets", an area with yes, sand plums, some overgrown meadows, and some riparian woods. In the plum thickets on that fateful day in August, Kenn showed me a Yellow Warbler and I was hooked. So what does this have to do with Christmas counts? Kenn had been on 2 or 3 counts before I did my first. It would seem that I might have gone on the 1966 one (and record of my participation lost), but it might have been a year or 2 later. Here's what happened - then as now (I think), the Wichita circle was divided into 4 quadrants, and everybody met at Lawrence Stadium at 7:30 in the morning. But Kenn had talked to the compiler and the leader of the SW quadrant (or was it SE?) and carved out a small piece of the pie that included the Plum Thickets. I remember this clearly because we were on foot, and it snowed, off and on most of the day. My first Christmas count, and here I am standing under the railroad tracks with my good friend Kenn, trying to warm up and dry out a bit. I have no recollection whatsoever of any birds we saw that day, but obviously I was not put off doing Christmas Counts again. I have a vague recollection of going home, drying off, and then one of our parents taking us to the compilation. Since I was new and we were off by ourselves, it is possible that my participation that year went unrecorded, but I don't know for sure. In later years, we hooked up with the regular teams, but my strongest memories are still from that general area. One year we found an Oldsquaw (oops! Long-tailed Duck!) at Watson Park - visible from outside the fence on the north side. It didn't exactly match any of the illustrations in the limited selection of field guides available then, but we were (and still are) confident of our identification. I think Wally Champeny was the group leader then. Another year we found a Northern Shrike, in an open area that I think was the southern extension of the Plum Thickets - east of Broadway, somewhere around where 31st St would be. It was a young bird, and sat up in the open where we were all able to get good looks at the brownish coloration and scaly feather edgings. And one of those years - I guess 1971 - WAS actually let me play compiler and put the results together. Those were the days. I would have been all of 17 years old. But one factor in my favor was that when Carl Holmes moved out of Wichita, he gave me all of his back issues of Audubon Field Notes, and I would pour over them, including the Christmas count issue, so I had a good idea of what was involved.

Jeff Cox

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The First Fifty Years of the Wichita, Kansas

Christmas Bird Count