Early birds come out to count feathered friends near Houston
The bright red cardinal is probably the most common bird they are going to see, Matt Abernathy tells about 30 people armed with binoculars, books and hats on this chilly Saturday morning at Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center.
“We used to have an eagle here until about a year ago,” the assistant director of the park northeast of Houston says, but a storm knocked down the nest.
The people gathered are part of an annual winter count in which groups help track bird species, their numbers and locations. The information is then entered into eBird, a database managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and described as the world’s largest biodiversity related citizen science project. The National Audubon Society also holds a global Christmas Bird Count that runs through Sunday.
“Locally and regionally, (bird counts) provide information on population trends in general, the number of species,” says Abernathy.
This allows officials to plan for how to better manage the land.
“On a different level,” and one he considers even more important, “it helps introduce people to nature. Many don’t realize the diversity in Houston.”
While collecting the data for scientific purposes is great, he says, “public awareness is the most important part of this.”
A study published this fall found that the U.S. and Canada have lost nearly 3 billion birds in the last 50 years.
Audubon Society research shows that two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk of extinction from climate change, according to the organization. “The survival of some of our most beloved and familiar birds, including the bald eagle, the brown pelican, and the Allen’s hummingbird, is in question,” according to the Audubon website.
At Jones Park, Abernathy says officials have seen mixed results.
“Unfortunately, one of the declines has been in ducks,” which
“Locally and regionally, (bird counts) provide information on population trends in general, the number of species. On a different level, it helps introduce people to nature. Many don’t realize the diversity in Houston.” Matt Abernathy, Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center assistant director
he says is probably caused partly by development. “Thirty years ago, there was virtually no development. Now we are like a little island, with development popping up all around us.”
They are also seeing less of the European house sparrow, which is an invasive species known for taking over other birds’ nests.
But they’ve recently started to spot a brown pelican, which is a coastal species, by a creek, along with a crested caracara, which is also known as a “Mexican eagle” and is more common in South Texas and Mexico. “I don’t know if it has to do with average temperatures rising or that it’s becoming more adaptable and the population is expanding north,” Abernathy says.
While there isn’t one single explanation to account for the decline, habitat loss, along with the use of pesticide, insect declines and climate change, as well as threats such as cats and glass skyscrapers, are contributing factors, experts say.
On Saturday, some of those who participated in this year’s winter bird count were seasoned birders, while others were nature lovers doing it for the first time.
Christy Lambert says she likes taking pictures of birds and that although she had never done bird-watching with a group before, she decided to join in after seeing a post on social media.
“I love birds, I have always loved them,” she says. “There’s something about them that’s so relaxing.”
And she wants her baby to love birds, too. So she bundled up her 10-weekold, grabbed her camera and drove out with her husband.
Over the years, 211 bird species have been spotted in the park, which is a good number, Abernathy says, as he leads the group through the trails along a creek.
“Some places closer to the coast have a few more because during migration, everything congregates there,” he adds as he suddenly stops, looks up and listens.
“Those are angry chickadees back there,” he tells the group. They are probably annoyed that the crowd walked into their territory.
As they continue to walk slowly, Miguel Teran stops and points straight ahead at what looks like a dead tree, “Right there, right there,” he tells Abernathy.
It was Teran’s first time bird-watching, and he had even bought new binoculars for the event. “I love nature,” he said. “When you go out, you see them (birds) everywhere, but I just want to learn.”
His sighting was a pileated woodpecker, a very large woodpecker between 15 and 18 inches long.
“I hear him, I see him,” Linda Bank exclaims with excitement as she presses the binoculars against her eyes. The 72-year-old says she doesn’t consider herself a bird-watcher, like her parents, but she enjoys spending time outside.
“He’s really big,” she says. “He’s so pretty in that light.”
She came out Saturday hoping she would see something new. “It gives you bragging rights,” she adds with a chuckle.
While it may have not been the easiest thing to rise early on a Saturday, 11-yearold Maddox Brignac said spotting a white great egret in the middle of the creek might have been his favorite part of the morning.
While his family normally goes kayaking or on nature walks, they decided to give bird-watching with a guide a try for the first time.
“We don’t generally know what they are (birds), but we like them,” says Emily Brignac. They try to expose her son to nature as much as they can, although it’s hit or miss with an 11-year-old. “Sometimes he really wants to do it, and sometimes he’s too cool for it,” she said.
After four hours and more than 2 miles of walking, the group spotted 413 birds and 35 species, including the less-common American kestrel, which is a type of falcon, and a blue-headed vireo.
It was the highest count they’ve had in years, Abernathy says, thanks to the 30 pairs of eyes helping out.