Bird-Lore's Twenty-first Christmas Bird Census 



BIRD-LORE'S Annual Bird Census will be taken as usual on Christmas 

 Day,- or as near that date as circumstances will permit; in no case should 

 it be earlier than December 24 or later than the 27th — in the Rocky 

 Mountains and westward, December 20 to 25. Without wishing to appear un- 

 grateful to those contributors who have assisted in making the Census so 

 remarkably successful, lack of space compels us to ask each census taker to send 

 only one census. Furthermore, much as we should like to print all the records 

 sent, the number received has grown so large that we shall have to exclude 

 those that do not appear to give a fair representation of the winter bird-life of 

 the locality in which they were made. Lists of the comparatively few species 

 that come to feeding-stations and those seen on walks of but an hour or two are 

 usually very far from representative. A census-walk should last four hours 

 at the very least, and an all-day one is far preferable, as one can then cover more 

 of the different types of country in his vicinity, and thus secure a list more 

 indicative of the birds present. Each report must cover one day only, that all 

 the censuses may be comparable. 



Bird clubs taking part are requested to compile the various lists obtained by 

 their members and send the result as one census, with a statement of the number 

 of separate ones it embraces. It should be signed by all observers who have 

 contributed to it. When two or more names are signed to a report, it should 

 be stated whether the workers hunted together or separately. Only censuses 

 that cover areas that are contiguous and with a total diameter not exceeding 

 15 miles should be combined into one census. 



Each unusual record should be accompanied by a brief statement as to the 

 identification. When such a record occurs in the combined list of parties that 

 hunted separately, the names of those responsible for the record should be given. 

 Reference to the February numbers of Bird-Lore, 1901-20, will acquaint one 

 with the nature of the report that we desire, but to those to whom none of 

 these issues is available, we may explain that such reports should be headed by 

 the locality, date, hour of starting and of returning, a brief statement of the 

 character of the weather, whether the ground be bare or snow-covered, the di- 

 rection and force of the wind, the temperature and the distance or area covered. 

 Then should be given, in the order of the A.O. U. 'Check-List' (which is followed 

 by most standard bird-books), a list of the species noted, with, as exactly as 

 practicable, the number of individuals of each species recorded. A record should 

 read, therefore, somewhat as follows: 



Yonkers, N. Y. (to Bronxville and Tuckahoe and back). — Dec. 25; 8 a.m. to 4.30 P.M. 

 Clear; 5 in. of snow; wind west, light; temp. 38 at start, 42 at return. Eleven miles 

 on foot. Observers together. Herring Gull, 75; Bob-white, 12 (one covey); (Sharp- 

 shinned?) Hawk, 1; . . . Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1. Total, 27 species, about 470 in- 

 dividuals. The Ruby-crown was studied with 8x glasses at 20 ft.; eye-ring, absence of 

 head-stripes and other points noted. — James Gates and John Rand. 



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