Bay County’s 58th annual Christmas Bird Count took place on December 18, 2021, where participants tallied 17,755 birds and 134 different species.
The 134 on count day is a slight decrease from our 20-year average of 137. However, the number of species observed can be influenced by weather, observers, and habitat changes. Count day results from the last 5 years are as follows: 2016 (140), 2017 (144), 2018 (134), 2019 (136), 2020 (133).
The most abundant species observed in 2021 were 4261 Tree Swallows, 1201 Mourning Doves, 1177 Laughing Gull, 1115 Brown-headed Cowbirds, and 878 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Each year, participants also look forward to the thrill of getting to see something unusual. Unusual can come from spotting a rare species or being overwhelmed by sheer numbers of a species. Here are some of Bay County’s 2021 highlights: 1 American Bittern, 1 Lincoln Sparrow, 1 Rufous Hummingbird, 1 Prairie Warbler, 1 Whip-poor-will, and 8 White-winged Doves.
This year, 55 people contributed to the Bay County count, most of them heading out to pre-scouted locations before dawn to listen for owls or catch birds rising with the sun, and there they stayed until after sunset. There are a few participants that standout as showing extraordinary dedication. Over the history of Bay County count, 9 individuals have participated for more than 25 years, including Ron Houser (44 years), Candis Harbison (41 years), Joe Harbison (30 years), Ed Keppner (30 years), and Lisa Keppner (29 years).
For most, the holiday season is filled with the smell of pine trees and cookies and packed with family and community traditions. For some, the holiday season also includes the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and participants join others across North America counting birds in both wild and developed spaces. The CBC is a longstanding American tradition. Led by the National Audubon Society, the first count was held in 1900 as a bid to replace holiday game hunts with a conservation-focused citizen science project.
The count data collected is shared to the National Audubon Society webpage. Audubon and others use the CBC data to monitor population trends that will help guide conservation efforts. Each annual count provides a snapshot of the birds at a given time and place. It is hard to draw conclusions from one year to the next, because changes often happen gradually. To understand trends, it is important to analyze data taken over several years. Accordingly, we hope to keep the CBC tradition alive in Bay County for many years to come. The CBC data represents one of the only conservation tools available for assessing the long-term trends in bird populations of North America and we consider ourselves fortunate to contribute to this data.
Anyone wanting to get involved in future years can contact Raya Pruner or Marvin Friel: Raya.pruner@gmail.com or marvin.bojo.friel@gmail.com. You can also find more information at the Bay County Audubon Chapter’s website, baycountyaudubon.org.
