Alameda Creek Christmas Bird Count

Join the Christmas Bird Count circle in the upper Alameda Creek watershed, sponsored by the Alameda Creek Alliance and Ohlone Audubon Society.

The 2011 Eastern Alameda County Christmas Bird Count was held on December 16. Nearly 90 volunteers tallied 153 bird species in the count circle. Thank you volunteers!

The Christmas Bird Count is an annual nationwide volunteer-based bird survey effort coordinated by the Audubon Society to promote bird conservation and assess long-term trends in winter bird populations.

The annual Eastern Alameda County bird count was initiated in 2009. In the inaugural year in 2009, over 75 volunteers scoured 30 areas within the count circle, compiling an impressive list of 144 bird species. In 2010, 83 birders tallied 150 bird species during the count; our fledgling count was 94th nationally in terms of number of species seen!

The 15 mile radius count circle is in the vicinity of the towns of Sunol, Pleasanton and Livermore, and includes five East Bay Regional Parks, significant SFPUC watershed lands, and exciting East Bay birding hotspots such as lower Mines Road, Sunol Wilderness, Calaveras Reservoir, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, and Springtown Preserve.

Birders and volunteers with any level of experience can participate in the Christmas Bird Count. The count is coordinated with the East Bay Regional Park District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Livermore Area Regional Park District, and Lawrence Livermore National Lab, to provide maximum access to significant bird habitats within the count circle.

Please contact Rich Cimino (yellowbilledtours AT gmail DOT com; (925) 353-0266) or Jeff Miller (alamedacreek AT hotmail DOT com; (510) 499-9185) if you are interested in being an area count leader.

Highlight species in 2010: 100 wood ducks, 3 bald eagles, 7 ferruginous hawks, 21 golden eagles, 6 peregrine falcons, 1 prairie falcon, 2 northern saw-whet owls, 1 red-naped sapsucker, 1 Lewis' woodpecker, 29 loggerhead shrikes, 192 yellow-billed magpies, 155 white-breasted nuthatches, 2 rock wrens, 1 canyon wren, 9 phainopepla, 7 rufous-crowned sparrows, and 25 lark sparrows.

Highlight species in 2009: 2 bald eagles, 49 golden eagles, 3 peregrine falcons, 3 prairie falcons, 7 northern pygmy-owls, 1 short-eared owl, 1 Lewis' woodpecker, 176 yellow-billed magpies, 14 rock wrens, 1 canyon wren, 90 tri-colored blackbirds,17 rufous-crowned sparrows, 88 lark sparrows, 3 vesper sparrows, and 2 grasshopper sparrows.

Contra Costa Times article December 18, 2010 - Fowl Weather for a Christmas Bird Count

Livermore Independent article December 2, 2010 - Residents Invited to Take Part in Annual Bird Count

East Bay Express article December 15, 2009 - Counting the Eagles

Pleasanton Weekly article December 11, 2009 - Christmas Bird Count To Be Conducted In Area Parks

List of significant bird areas within the new count circle

Map of the new count circle

Bird checklist for eastern Alameda County