Christmas Bird Count numbers down so far
The Audubon Society is in the midst of its 120th Christmas Bird Count. While part of Fort Myers Beach has been covered, the larger section of town will be covered Dec. 27.
Penny Jarrett, a volunteer for the Audubon Society, is leading the count for most of Fort Myers Beach. As of press time, Jarrett said the schedule for the count was still being planned but will likely run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The count will take folks along Fort Myers Beach in the Little Island Critical Wildlife Area down to Lovers Key State Park and into Bonita Springs. There will likely be four different groups, she said.
The Christmas Bird Count is important to the Audubon Society for identifying trends among the different species. “Part of it is to get people out and enjoying the different species (of birds),” Jarrett said.
Cape Coral’s Charlie Ewell covered a smaller part of Fort Myers Beach near Matanzas Pass Bridge as part of a count that concentrated mostly on Fort Myers for the Caloosa Bird Club. Ewell said that 120 of the expected 125-130 species of birds who visit the region this time of year were spotted. There were also fewer birds and less diversity than usual.
“It’s actually a little low,” he said. “Same kind of birds but not a lot of diversity. Overall, you can kind of see some of the declines.”
Ewell, who is in his 10th year working on the count said “we are at 10,431 individual birds, which has been going down over the past 10 years I’ve been (a) compiler. Maybe half now of what it was when I started. Total species have been fairly consistent, but individual bird numbers have declined.”
One of the birds which is behind their usual count is the Lesser Scaup, a diving duck which numbers in the thousands in these parts normally. They arrive from the north this time of year and spend most of their time around the Caloosahatchee River, Ewell said. Ewell counted approximately 100 total, which is way off. “It’s probably more of a timing thing,” he said. It could be a result of weather patterns which haven’t driven it down to this part of Florida as quickly as other years.
Another bird which is normally seen in the thousands around here but whose numbers are down so far is the Tree Swallow. Ewell said the most common bird in the area is the White Ibis, the mascot of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The White Ibis will typically be counted around 2,000. The European Starling also averages around a similar figure but is currently at about half that figure.
One of the more rare birds Ewell and other birdwatchers would see over the years was a Long-billed Curlew. He believes they were watching the same one year after year. They don’t see it anymore. “It probably got old and died,” he said.
One of the more colorful birds which are hard to find is the Painted Bunting, a tropical-type which will show up around here but stays hidden, Ewell said.
To find out more information about this week’s Fort Myers Beach Christmas Bird Count you may contact Jarrett at Pjarrett32@yahoo.com.