Christmas Bird Count

During the next month Christmas Bird Counts will be conducted across the Americas. Jeff Mollenhauer, Bird Conservation Director for Audubon South Carolina, will be compiling the numbers from the various counting sites. Today's Post and Courier has an article describing that effort.

As with other counts during the year, the Christmas Bird Count provides scientists and conservationists with bird species numbers that in the long-term (the last 40 years) show trends and alert us to species that may be suffering from declining populations. Habitat loss remains a critical threat, but early detection of population declines, especially in bird species considered to be common, can help identify other threats. The image shows a Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus).

Watch this blog for results of the local Christmas Bird Count and check the national webpage for results across the Americas!