Wednesday, January 30, 2002
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Wednesday, January 30, 2002 |
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Bird count shows decline in numbers here By SALLIE
SATTERTHWAITE
The best thing about the recent National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count in the Peachtree City circle was the weather. But the bird numbers were down. Dec. 15 was mild and sunny with a low of 52 and a high of 70 degrees, ideal conditions for the 12 birders who took to woods and fields enumerating every bird and species they saw. Three others maintained feeder watches at their homes. Since Christmas Day 1900, birders have been identifying species and counting individual birds in carefully delineated circles in North America. During the 102nd avian census in the recent holiday season, more than 50,000 volunteers compiled information from 1,800 circles, each 15 miles across, each covering about 177 square miles. In all 50 states, every Canadian province, parts of Central and South America, Bermuda, the West Indies, and the Pacific islands, birders counted and recorded every individual bird and bird species they saw during one 24-hour day. Brock Hutchins of Fayetteville coordinated the local count, and reported that there were few sightings of unusual birds. The 2001 count did claim the first blue-winged teal recorded in the history of the count. The most numerous single species was the sandhill crane. Flocks totaling more than 3,000 individuals were spotted in the 15-mile circle which centers approximately on Sharpsburg. The total number of species seen was 86, about average for the 21-year history of the Peachtree City census, but the tally of individual birds was 7,379, the second lowest count in local history, continuing "a downward trend," according to Hutchins. Numbers compiled here went to the database of the National Audubon Society, which reported 940 similar counts nationwide. Nearly 28 million birds were counted. The health of the environment is closely tied to the strength of bird populations, Hutchins said. Experts use these findings to monitor the earth's overall condition. Hutchins said that despite declining numbers here, he was gratified that the birds are doing as well as they are in an area where the human population is putting ever-increasing pressure on bird habitats. He expressed appreciation for the participation of counters as well as the generosity of property owners who permitted ingress on their land. More at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html. Follow links to "Current Year's Results."
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