Christmas Bird Count on the horizon | Bird Notes

As we move toward the home stretch of the holiday season, it's time for the annual Christmas Bird Counts in our area.

From its beginning on Christmas Day 1900, when 27 participants participated in 25 events, the CBC has grown to a continent-wide event with over 60,000 participants conducting over 2,000 counts. Originally organized as an alternative to bird shooting events, the CBC has the distinction of becoming the first and longest-running citizen science project in existence, as the data collected is compiled and analyzed to assist biologists and natural resource managers in assessing trends in occurrence, distribution and winter populations of bird species across the continent. Birders of all skill levels are invited to participate, with those less-experienced individuals normally teamed with more knowledgeable birders. We have two CBC events in our immediate area, the Winyah Bay count scheduled for Thur., Dec. 15 and the Litchfield/Pawleys Island count scheduled for Thur., Dec. 29. If you're interested in participating in either (or both) events, contact Lex Glover (GloverB@sc.dnr.gov, 803-603-6461) for the Winyah Bay CBC, or Chris Hill (chill@coastal.edu, 843-234-1810) to sign-up for the Litchfield/Pawleys Island CBC. Both counts offer opportunities to see a number of our area's winter bird species that don't normally show up at backyard feeders, as well as opportunities to visit and learn more about some of our area's more natural locales.

A number of interesting birds continue to be observed in our area of late. Northern gannet, common and red-throated loons and horned grebe can currently be observed plying their trades beyond the surf on area beaches. Sanderling and willet are fairly common on area beaches, while black-bellied, semipalmated and piping plovers, short-billed dowitcher, Western and least sandpipers may be found as well. A few gulls have begun to arrive in our area, and among the species seen so far are great black-backed, herring, ring-billed and laughing.

Perhaps the relatively mild weather we've been experiencing has resulted in a paucity of winter hummingbird reports thus far. Thanks to those who have taken the time to let me know if their tiny visitors, and if you have or know of any hummingbirds currently in our area, please contact me via email. Of equal interest are orioles that may be visiting backyard feeding stations. Remember to keep your feeders clean and maintained with a solution of one part sugar to four parts water with no other additives, and let me know of the activity in your yard.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Christmas Bird Count on the horizon | Bird Notes."