Bahama Islands Info reports on the success of the 2010 Christmas Bird Count on Grand Bahama:
The 10th annual Christmas Bird Count for the year 2010 was held this past Wednesday, January 5th, 2011. The Grand Bahama birding community enthusiastically participated in the count and joined visiting birding experts to form five teams that observed, identified and recorded species from sunrise to sunset.
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It was one of the best days in the history of Grand Bahama’s bird counts. The weather was a balmy 75 degrees with winds around 10 mph – prerequisites for perfect birding. Five teams with over 30 birders went into the designated areas from dawn to dusk. When the recorded species were read out loud by each team during the “tally rally” at Garden of the Groves that evening more than 100 species had been seen. The exact number of species will be determined within a couple of days when additional species are added that are observed within the count week.
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Erika Gates, who has organized the Grand Bahama Christmas Bird Count over the years, was delighted about its outcome and commented: “I am happy that we were able to observe and record such a large number of species. The count will make a significant contribution to environmental assessment and future conservation. When our observations are entered into the largest database in ornithology, declines and increases in bird populations will be determined. These findings can then indicate environmental degradation of bird habitats through pollution, deforestation or development that will affect human quality of life as well.”Christmas Birds Counts are conducted on one day during a four week period in December/January throughout North America, Central America, The Caribbean and South America with over 60.000 persons participating. In the Bahamas counts take place on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco.
Read more (and see more photos) in the complete article.
Previously on Green Antilles: The Audobon Christmas Bird Count in the Caribbean.
[Photo: via bahamaislandsinfo.com]
