On December 31, 2005, in the midst of a major Pacific rainstorm, Santa Barbara birders proved once again that they were up to the challenge of counting birds in the Count Circle - no matter what! Amidst pelting rain, flooded roads, and generally lousy bird finding conditions, Santa Barbara Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count tallied a very respectable total of 200 different kinds of birds sighted in the 24-hour period.

Have you ever tried doing a seawatch from shore when the rain is blurring your glasses, your scope, and your binoculars? Did you know, until Count Day, that most landbirds just don't move or sing in the pouring rain? Have you decided that yes, in fact, you DO need new raingear, because your poncho and jeans and baseball cap just got SOAKED?

Strange but dedicated birds, Area K on Count Day. Photo courtesy Callie Bowdish.

These were some of the problems birders had as they fended off a mid-day lashing of solid precipitation that virtually precluded all birding for several hours. Fortunately, later in the afternoon, a window of sunshine allowed us to actually SEE a few birds, and to come up with a truly remarkable total, given the bleak situation.

Once again, scouting the CBC circle prior to Count Day paid off: we knew where to find the Snow, Ross's, and Cackling Geese. We knew where the Zone-tailed Hawk (back for it's 13th winter) roosted. We knew where to look for the Red-naped Sapsucker in Montecito, the Tropical Kingbird near Ocean Meadows Golf Course, and the Scott's Oriole at Franceschi Park on the Riviera.

In fact, scouting for the Count beforehand, and birding in the area afterward produced an unprecedented total of 15 Count Week species. These species cannot be added to the total (if they could we would have done incredibly well!), but they do show that there were plenty of birds around the area that, were it not for the weather, perhaps could have been found on Count Day.

As always, the biggest thrill is the birds you don't know about beforehand - those that pop up on Count Day, especially if you have lots of expert birders scouring the territory. In this category, we found a Franklin's Gull, a Northern Saw-whet Owl, a Lesser Nighthawk, and a Dusky-capped Flycatcher. All are highly unusual for this time of year, and the owl and nighthawk have never been seen on a Santa Barbara Christmas Count, to my knowledge. Another newcomer to the Count was the Fulvous Whistling-Duck, present at the Goleta Sewage Treatment Plant since early December. And the Northern Waterthrush that showed up at the Santa Barbara Zoo was another great find.

In short, it was an unforgettable Count, and all you who participated deserve sincere thanks. I would also like to thank my wonderful assistant, Joan Murdoch, who organized all the sign-ups, and Karen Bridgers, who helped with fielding calls about birds from all over Santa Barbara. The Compilation Committee, those of us who have to sit down and crunch the numbers so that we know exactly how many birds and of what kind were seen, consisted of Dave Compton, Rebecca Coulter, Bill Pollock, Joan Murdoch, and myself. This is a time-consuming job, and I appreciate their volunteering their efforts for Santa Barbara Audubon and the birds of our area.

In case you may have forgotten, this is the second year in a row that our Count has been plagued by difficult, rainy conditions. Perhaps next year, we'll get back to our sunny, southern California weather?

Until then, keep on birding and enjoying our special Santa Barbara area. It is unmatched for beauty, for birds, and for the quality of its birders!