Join one of Hernando Audubon’s Christmas Bird Counts this December
If you plan to visit Florida’s Adventure Coast during the upcoming holiday season, consider participating in one of Hernando Audubon’s Christmas Bird Counts (CBC). CBCs are citizen-science events that provide long-term data for wildlife biologists to better manage bird populations. Since December 1900 the National Audubon Society has conducted an annual Christmas bird census. What started as a small, conservation-minded protest opposing the hunting of several bird species has since grown into one of the world’s longest-running community science projects, engaging tens of thousands of volunteers annually.
As a young boy growing up in Michigan, the CBC was a big part of our holiday season as my father oversaw our Audubon chapter bird count for many years. Because of cold weather we typically drove on country roads counting birds we saw in agricultural fields and around barns. We would typically see between 42-45 bird species. Compare that number to anywhere in Florida where we will typically see more than 100 species. Some of the more memorial birds we would see in the Michigan winter include Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, and an occasional Snowy Owl.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in mid-September to spend the winter in Hernando County. Photo: Wally Handeland
Hernando Audubon conducts two annual CBCs: one is located in the central part of the county centered around Brookville, and the other extends along the western part of the county from Pine Island in Hernando County to Crews Lake in Pasco County. The Brooksville CBC has been conducted annually since 1979 and has had a high count of 130 species. The Aripeka-Bayport CBC along the western coast has been running since 1991 and has averaged 145 bird species.
This year the Brooksville CBC will be conducted on Saturday, December 19th and the Aripeka-Bayport CBC will be held on Thursday December 17th. Both CBCs will start early in the morning with some groups staying out all day. However, participants can stay as long as they wish. If you have an interest in supporting either of these CBCs please contact one of the following individuals: to help with the Brooksville CBC, contact Ron Smith by email at rsmthbirds@gmail.com or by phone at 727-657-9154; to help with the Aripeka-Bayport CBC, contact Bev Hansen at: bevalhansen@gmail.com or 352-686-0460.
You might encounter a Green-winged Teals in one of Hernando County’s many ponds during the CBC. Photo: Wally Handeland
Birds you may observe by participating in one of the CBCs include several winter resident birds including one of my favorites, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The sapsucker is the most highly migratory of all woodpeckers. In the fall the sapsucker returns from breeding in the northern US and Canada to southeastern states during September/October. Another favorite is the Yellow-throated Warbler, a small, striking warbler that is easily recognized by its vibrant yellow throat and bold facial patterns. A duck species that is commonly observed in the wetlands and shallow marshes of Hernando County during the CBCs is the Green-winged Teal, the smallest dabbling duck native to North America.
Data from the Audubon CBCs serves as an indispensable foundation for modern bird conservation, providing over a century of baseline data that scientists use to track the long-term health and status of bird populations. Because the census has been consistently conducted every winter since 1900, it allows researchers to look at year-to-year noise and identify true, long-term biological trends. Scientists use the collected data to assess the health of bird populations, and to help guide conservation actions.
Please consider joining one of Hernando Audubon’s two CBCs this holiday season to participate in the longest running citizen science program in the world.
Written by Tom St Clair,
President, Hernando Audubon
Tom St Clair is currently serving as President of Hernando Audubon and is also a member of the Hernando Tourist Development Council. Tom has been retired for seven years and enjoys bird watching and building nest boxes for a variety of birds. Tom has been a resident of Hernando County for nine years and advocates for the protection and preservation of natural habitats within the County. He has two daughters and three grandsons who live in the Tampa Bay area.