Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree would be a most unlikely find. So, don’t count on it.

But other than that, there’s a host of winged-wonders to discover, document and to be bedazzled by in the 2014 Christmas Bird Count.

Here’s how it works. Actually, a side note before we get into the mechanics.

Don’t take the title too literally, because the Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the San Juan Islands Chapter of the Audubon Society, won’t take place on Christmas Day. It hasn’t for a couple of years, which, despite the title, has turned out to be much more convenient and rather beneficial for all involved (although the birds don’t seem to really care one way or the other).

The National Audubon Society allows its local affiliates to conduct their own Christmas Bird Count anywhere between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5. The date of San Juan Islands bird count is Jan. 3. Barbara Jensen, president of the local Audubon Society, says the first weekend in January seems to work well for most.

“Christmas and the days right around it can be so hectic,” Jensen said. “So, we started doing it after Christmas, and it seems to be working best for most people.”

Indeed it does. About 60 or so people regularly participate in the annual tally of San Juans’ fine-feathered friends. And, you needn’t be any kind of expert to join in. Heck, you don’t even really have to leave your own yard.

“If you’re doing it in your own backyard, go out a couple weeks ahead of time so you can get familiar with what kinds of birds you see and when,” Jensen suggests.

Sill, she adds that banding together with neighbors or teaming up with those that know what they’re doing can help make this wintertime tradition even that much more rewarding. The more the merrier and the better off results will be.

“We try to hook up people with other birders so they might have an opportunity to go out with people who know what they’re looking for and what they might see,” she said.

Back to the mechanics.

By design and for sake of consistency, the bird count occurs over an imaginary circle measuring 15 miles in diameter. In the San Juans, at the heart of that 15-mile circle is the U of W Friday Harbor Laboratories. Morning hours are typically best for the tally and three-hour increments are preferred. Results are collected by the local Audubon chapter and then forwarded to national headquarters.

Be sure to give Jensen or another local Audubon Society leader a heads-up that you’re down for the upcoming count. That will help to make for a better distribution of person-power and resources, and a better game plan overall for the day (find contact info below).

Taking part in the bird count can be a lot of fun, but it’s serious business, too. Here’s some history.

Founded on Christmas Day in 1900 by ornithologist Frank Chapman, an early officer in the then-budding Audubon Society, and in response to myriad cultural events which at that time involved the shooting of birds (with guns, not cameras) and glorification of the kill, the Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science survey in the world. It provides critical data on population trends and the tallies from more than 2,300 bird-count circles become available for studies and for research. Perhaps more importantly, it’s been a platform and springboard for uniting bird lovers in a hands-on stewardship project.

The tally collected by San Juans’ Christmas Bird Count, which got its start in 1987, has revealed variations in various populations during its 27-year history, some good, others not so good. The record shows that the number of bluebirds, eagles and Anna’s hummingbirds have been on the rise in recent years, while the once-vibrant population of seabirds and shorebirds have dropped precipitously, and steadily, since the local bird count began.

— Contact info:  SJI Audubon Society website: www.sjiaudubon.org; SJI Audubon Society Facebook page: www.facebook.com/groups/sjiaudubon Phone: San Juan; Barb Jensen, 378-3068; Lopez, Bob Myhr, 468-2258; Orcas, Ginger Ridgway, 376-7057.