From left to right, Elizabeth Mayo, and Doug Proehl from the Corps of Engineers, Mary Paisley, Cali Anderson, Ray Cuellar, ODNR Deer Creek, Sharon Maish, Don Creamer, Sara Creamer and Brigitte Hisey, Natural Resource Specialist Fayette SWCD. Not pictured were Malcolm Miller, Fayette SWCD, and Melanie Cowell, Pheasants Forever.
Submitted photo
The Fayette Soil & Water Conservation District hosted its 12th-annual bird count as part of the 124th Audubon Christmas bird count on Thursday, Dec. 14.
Data comes from over 2,000 circles. The count runs from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5. A 15-mile circle is identified and locations within the area are included. The circle can then be counted every year to compare the results. This year, included in the count were sites in the City of Washington Court House, local farms, and Deer Creek State Park and Wildlife areas.
Deer Creek Corps of Engineers provided a space for lunch after the count.
This year, 11 people participated. Forty-seven species of birds were counted. There was a high of 57 species in 2015 and a low of 33 species in 2016. Highlights of the count included several species of ducks, including Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Ruddy Duck at the reservoir, and a high count of White-throated Sparrow. There was also a high count of Black Vultures at Deer Creek.
Because of citizen science and bird counts, scientists estimate 2.9 billion breeding adult birds have been lost since 1970. Ninety percent comes from 12 bird families that include sparrows, warblers, finches and swallows. Habitat losses, including forest and grasslands, have contributed to the numbers.
A few steps that you can take include making windows safer, keeping cats indoors, reducing lawn size and planting native species. To learn more, visit 3billionbirds.org.
If you would like to participate in next year’s count or get a copy of the species count dating back to 2012, please contact Brigitte Hisey at 740-636-0279 or e-mail at [email protected].
