Hilton Head Audubon Christmas Bird Count

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is an early winter snapshot of bird populations. It is the nation’s longest-running citizen science survey, providing critical data on bird population trends. The count started in 1900 and has grown to include many locations in the Western Hemisphere. Each count is done in a 15-mile diameter circle. There are now over 2,600 count circles! Counts must be scheduled on one day between December 14 and January 5.

Our Hilton Head count day is usually near the beginning of the count time period. We identify and count all birds seen or heard in a 24-hour period. Our 15-mile diameter circle includes all of Hilton Head, Pinckney and Daufuskie Islands, our waterways and parts of Bluffton out to Palmetto Bluff and Colleton River Club. We have 21 Area Captains who lead the teams. Teams include birders of various levels of experience, photographers and record keepers.

Christmas Bird Count 2024

Count day, Monday, December 16, 2024, began with heavy fog but by midmorning cleared to a sunny day with light winds and temperatures reaching 71 degrees. We counted 27,824 birds and 144 species, close to our average numbers. There were 251 field observers on 77 teams and 76 feeder watchers for a total of 327 participants. There were 80 participants who were new to our count. Our data will be added to the national and international counts from over 20 countries in this winter snapshot of bird populations, now in its 125th year!

Ten Wilson’s Plovers and three Whimbrels were seen on our count for the first time since 2008. A few single ducks of species that have not been seen in a few years were observed: American Wigeon, Redhead and Ring-necked. High count species of over 2,000 birds were Dunlins and Semipalmated Plovers.

American White Pelicans were reported by several teams and, once again, we reported the highest number seen at one time, 59. As always, we compared team reports of Bald Eagles to subtract duplicates. Our total was 34, lower than in recent years. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks had been on a steep increase since 2019 when only nine birds were counted. That rise continued to 247 in the 2023 count but only 18 were counted this time.

Click the link below for our 2024 results for all species as part of our Ten Year History.

We could not have such a successful count without the enthusiasm and dedication of our participants and leaders. Our special thanks go to the Area Captains who do a superb job of recruiting, organizing and reporting. Thanks to all who contributed!

We will be planning for the next count soon! Mark your calendars! The next Hilton Head CBC will be Monday December 15, 2025. Click the link for future dates for CBC counts in our area.

Update on the 2023/2024 CBC

National Audubon has issued their report on the 2023/24 count and it is interesting reading available on their website. Our Hilton Head CBC had the fifth highest number of participants of all of the 2,677 count circles! There were 83,186 participants across the Western Hemisphere, who counted 40,871,030 birds and 2380 species. This continues a trend of declining bird numbers despite increased effort and geographic coverage. The links below take you to the report and the South Carolina Regional Summary.

CBC10Yr.2024.pdf

CBCFutureDates25.28.pdf

https://www.audubon.org/news/124th-christmas-bird-count-south-carolina

https://www.audubon.org/news/124th-christmas-bird-count-summary

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