Down for the Count

For birders of all stripes, the Christmas Bird Count is as much a part of the holiday season as unwrapping presents on December 25. The diverse landscapes of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park make the holiday season even more special for birders, yielding a dazzling array of species on the yearly outing. 

“We have birds that nest in the higher elevations of the park that you would have to go up to Canada or the Great Lakes states to find nesting,” says Warren Bielenberg, who is in his fourth year coordinating one of the park’s two counts. 

Down in the lower elevations of the park, which hover around 800 feet, birders scare up avians typical of the South—the downy woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina chickadee. Up high, where mountain summits can top 6,000 feet, it’s possible to spot birds like purple finch, red crossbill, or even, very rarely, saw-whet owl. 

The first year he did the count, Bielenberg recalls spotting a loon flying over the housing area in Sugarlands Visitor Center. 

Loons are cold-weather birds, typically seen only in the far north. It was a special moment. 

But it’s not the only remarkable find Bielenberg or the bird lovers who turn out to do the count have come across. Conducted every year between December 14 and January 5, the Christmas Bird Count is run by the Audubon Society and has been going on since 1900. Every year, birders across the continent get together to take as complete an inventory as possible in a single day of birds in their “circle,” an area with a radius of 15 miles. 

It can be surprising what turns up. Of the 240 species that have been found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—the number includes all habitats and all times of year—Smokies Christmas Bird Counts have turned up as many as 64 species in a single day within that 15-mile radius. 

Bielenberg’s circle includes the northern part of the park, as well as areas outside it, such as Gatlinburg and portions of Pigeon Forge. Susan Hoyle runs the park’s second bird count circle, which takes place in Cades Cove.

“In that count there have been some very special birds the last couple of years,” Bielenberg says of Hoyle’s group. “Two years ago they had short-eared owls, which are not very common down here.”

The bird count is more than just a chance to get outside and see some cool birds. It’s the longest ongoing citizen science program, amassing a huge amount of data on bird populations spanning more than a century. The more people that can help collect information, the better. 

“You can track changes,” Bielenberg says. “When more people are involved in an activity, it becomes more important.”