Written by Clayton Leopold. Edited by Kerry M. Toorcana

The second, official sighting of a juvenile Yellow-headed Caracara on the beach of Galveston. Speckled yellow across a dark brown coat along with a signature beak indicative from birds of prey.
The second, official sighting of a Yellow-headed Caracara on the beach of Galveston. Photo by Greg Whittaker, General Curator at Moody Gardens.

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. 

An ash-throated Flycatcher sits on a withered brown brand in a forest setting with rays of sunlight peeking through the forage.
Ash-throated flycatcher. Photo by Clayton Leopold

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.