Wild bird populations are looking healthy along the Gulf Coast. The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation is updating us on the latest numbers in Positively Gulf Coast.
The SCCF said this year's totals were its highest since 2020. The SCCF also said over 100 volunteers helped count 12,104 individual birds from 100 different species on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
These numbers were recorded during the National Audubon Society's 125th Christmas Bird Count. Weather, changes to habitat and the number of participants observing birds can all impact the count.
“Over the years, there have been a number of circumstances that threatened to cancel the event — such as Hurricane Ian in fall 2022 — but the birders of Sanibel and Captiva are persistent and have always found a way to pull it off against all odds,” said SCCF shorebird biologist Audrey Albrecht.
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