Photo: Bird Lore 1918 Cover
By Dixie Sommers
In 2020, we are holding the Christmas Bird Count in the midst of a pandemic. What did birders do in 1918, in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic?
The answer can be found in the 1918 edition of Bird-Lore, the “Official Organ of the Audubon Societies” edited by Frank Chapman. In the article “Bird-Lore’s Eighteenth Christmas Census” we find reports of two counts in Northern Virginia on December 26, each led by interesting people.
The “Mount Vernon to Dyke, VA” route was counted by Waldo McAtee and Edward A. Preble, two scientists from the Bureau of Biological Survey, a predecessor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. McAtee studied bird feeding habits, authored many scientific papers, became editor of USFWS publications and along with Aldo Leopold helped found The Wildlife Society. He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Preble worked on bird and mammal studies in the Pacific northwest, where he led two expeditions to the Athabasca- Mackenzie region of Canada. After retirement from the government, he became an associate editor of Nature magazine.
The Washington, D.C. route, described as “Wellington to New Alexandria, VA; Arlington, VA to Washington D.C.” was covered by Leo and Edith Miner and Raymond W. Moore. Edith Miner was a leader in the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia, and apparently was something of a nature activist. She and Leo participated in the first meeting of the American Society of Mammologists, and she gave remarks at the 1934 annual meeting of the Virginia Society of Ornithology held in Alexandria.
In 1956, Mrs. Miner advocated to the Senate Appropriations Committee against use of $1.8 million for the parkway extension on the D.C./Maryland shore between Chain Bridge and Cabin John. Referring to herself as “a naturalist and above all a conservationist,” she argued for preserving the trees and natural areas which provided habitat for birds. “The nesting of some of our more rare birds in that area, many making it their winter residence, is striking and proof of its value as a bird sanctuary,” she argued.
So, what was the 1918 count like? First, it was cold and long. The Mt. Vernon team started at 8:30 AM in 23-degree weather with clear skies, light northwest wind and 2 inches of snow on the ground. They walked the 12-mile route, ending at 5:30 PM and reporting the day’s high temperature as 26 degrees. The New Alexandria team also had temperatures from 25 to 30 degrees, a “light but penetrating wind” and light snow on the ground. They did their 12-mile route from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, a shorter time for 12 miles that suggests they did not walk the entire route.
New Alexandria is a neighborhood in Fairfax County including Belle Haven and Dyke Marsh. It was served by an electric streetcar line to Washington, running along the route of today’s George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The Mt. Vernon team reported 39 species, while the New Alexandria team had 45, for a combined total of 52. Because they were near the Potomac, both teams saw lots of waterfowl, reporting 11 species and more than 7,600 individuals. The New Alexandria team must have birded right on the river, as they reported 500 Greater Scaup and 6,000 Lesser Scaup, noting “two sizes, as well as color reflections of heads.” The teams also reported a total of 800 Canvasbacks, but no Canada Geese. As to the overall numbers, the New Alexandria team said, “Ducks in three flocks, and actual number probably exceeded ten or twelve thousand.” Huge rafts of ducks remain a counting challenge!
The New Alexandria team noted “all ducks through telescope, 25 diameters.” Assuming this refers to a 25mm lens diameter, their scope was much smaller than today’s spotting scopes, which typically have 50mm to 80mm lenses. There is no mention of what types of binoculars or “field glasses” they used.
Sparrows were the second largest bird group reported, but the numbers and mix of species were different from what we would find today. Only four species were reported: White-throated (38), Tree (179), Song (14) and Junco (456). Today, a Tree Sparrow would be rare, and we would likely see many more Song and White-throated Sparrows and fewer Juncos.
Other species with large numbers reported were Common Crow (838), Golden-crowned Kinglet (163), Redhead (100), Ruddy Duck (75), Bluebird (66) and Rusty Blackbirds (60). Both teams reported Bobwhite, a total of 47 birds.
Many bird names have changed since 1918. Examples (with today’s name) include American Goldeneye (Common Goldeneye), Marsh Hawk (Northern Harrier), Sparrow Hawk (American Kestrel), Common Crow (American crow), Migrant Shrike (Loggerhead Shrike), and Myrtle Warbler (Yellow-rumped Warbler).
One important difference between 1918 and what we may find in the 2020 Christmas bird count is irruptive species. In his overview of the 1918 count, Frank Chapman noted that “…of the northern Finches so prevalent last year, the only occurrences are a few widely scattered of Redpoll and Pine Siskin” and Red Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, and White-winged Crossbill in places like Maine, Vermont and Nebraska, but not Virginia. In 2020, we are already seeing Red-breasted Nuthatches, Evening Grosbeaks, and Pine Siskins in significant numbers across Northern Virginia, reflecting a food crop failure in their usual wintering grounds. We hope they will be on our Christmas Bird Count list this year!
Another big difference in the response to the pandemic is that the 1918 report does not mention the Spanish flu or if any precautions were advised. In 2020, ASNV is taking numerous precautions, following Virginia and local requirements and our own Covid-19 policy.