Written by Clayton Leopold. Edited by Kerry M. Toorcana
On December 17th, Greg Whittaker, General Curator and Clayton Leopold, Field Biologist at Moody Gardens, participated in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, a nationwide event that celebrates 125 years of citizens science data. This is the longest running citizen science event in the Nation! The count is bound withing a 15 mile diameter circle that is then broken into sections to organize coverage. Volunteers count birds for a 24 hour period, and not only enumerates species, but also counts each individual.
During the count, several bird species were documented, some of which were rare species for the count. We had unique birds like Orchard Oriole, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Tropical Parula, and Eastern Screech Owl.
The real star of the count was a Juvenile Yellow-headed Caracara! Only in recent years has this species been spotted in the United States, and second time in Texas! Greg located the bird on Galveston beach and was able to obtain identifiable photos which aids in detailed documentation.
Christmas bird counts were born out of an effort to turn a yearly hunting extravaganza into a conservation initiative. Today, Moody Gardens participates in Christmas bird counts to support these efforts. Data from these counts can help track population changes over time and can lead to a better understanding of how threats are affecting species.
To learn more about the Audubon Christmas Bird Count and even participate, you can read more here.
Is this only for Galveston? I live on Dickinson Bayou and see so many unique birds there. It would be fun to participate if you include all of Galveston County!
The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is open to anyone that want to participate. We only mentioned Greg and Clayton because they are employees of Moody Gardens and are very involved in birding activities including with the Audubon Society.