SEA ISLANDS CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2023-2024 The 13th Sea Islands Christmas Bird Count occurred on 3 January 2024. The weather during the day of the count was mostly clear in the morning, becoming cloudy in the afternoon. The winds were light and temperatures ranging from 31° F in the morning to 55°F in the afternoon. Rain began just after 9:00pm but did not have any direct effect on the count. Participation was lower this year with only 55 total participants. All sections within the count circle were covered except for Section 13C (Little Bear) on Kiawah Island. We had 15 participants in 7 parties on Kiawah Island, 11 participants in 6 parties on Seabrook Island, 9 participants in 5 parties on John’s Island, 6 participants in 3 parties on Wadmalaw Island, and 3 participants in 1 party on Deveaux Bank. In addition to field parties, we had good participation with feeder watchers too. There were 2 participants at 1 location on Kiawah, 12 participants at 11 locations on Seabrook, 1 participant at 1 location on John’s Island, and 4 participants at 2 locations on Wadmalaw Island. The Sea Islands Christmas Bird Count team recorded 26,729 individual birds and 1153 different species. Kiawah Island recorded 14,164 individuals of the 127 species. Seabrook Island (including the Freshfields territory) reported 3,162 individuals of 114 species. John’s Island documented 4,964 individuals of 103 species, Wadmalaw Island had 3,332 individuals of 100 species, and Deveaux Bank noted 1,107 individuals of 40 species. Overall bird numbers were a little above average, however that number can vary wildly from year to year. The ocean off Kiawah was full of ducks and loons but most were too far to be identified. Almost 5,000 unidentified ducks and loons were counted. Species diversity has been consistent over the years ranging between 154-159 in most years. After a record year of 162 species last year, we came back down to earth this year recording our lowest number of species since 2013 (not including the 2018 count which was hampered by snow and ice). Compared to the last 5 years, we spent less time and travelled fewer miles during this year’s count. Since 2012, we have recorded 194 species. YEAR
# PARTICIPANTS 55 68 60 68 70 74 35 73 55 45 51 47 23
2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018* 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012** *snowmageddon **unofficial - practice run
PARTY HOURS 168.9 198.8 190.9 200.8 168.3 155.7 37.8 152.6 143.5 156.1 121.0 106.8 27.0
PARTY MILES
# INDIVIDUALS
# SPECIES
270.7 314.0 288.3 312.7 304.7 274.2 84.5 324.1 384.3 363.3 335.1 321.0 73.0
26,729 22,919 18,908 44,026 23,127 16,571 17,157 38,630 21,528 41,096 24,067 22,652 19,029
153 162 158 157 156 155 144 158 158 159 154 146 132
No new species were added to the count this year. Some species highlights this year include Greater Scaup, Whimbrel, American Woodcock, Parasitic Jaeger, Western Cattle Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, and Rusty Blackbird. The Bar-tailed Godwit that we had to fortune to include the last two years, did return to Kiawah again this fall but left several weeks prior to the count. Notable misses: Surf Scoter, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Field Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Prairie Warbler. I’d would like to thank all the participants and volunteers for continuing to make this event a success. Not only is the bird count fun and educational for participants, but it also contributes valuable scientific data to aid in bird conservation across the country. Looking ahead to next year, the count will most likely be on Friday, January 3, 2025.
2023-2024 Sea Island Christmas Bird Count 03 January 2024 Section Species Canada Goose Wood Duck Blue-winged Teal Green-winged Teal Mallard Gadwall Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Red-breasted Merganser Wild Turkey Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove Mourning Dove Ruby-throated Hummingbird Clapper Rail Virginia Rail Sora Common Gallinule American Coot American Oystercatcher Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover Wilson's Plover Piping Plover Killdeer
Total 184 45 1 4 5 9 10 1 172 1242 333 314 1 61 20 85 20 9 5 123 6 54 6 5 94 21 147 102 558 8 16 288
KI
DB
1
2
John's Island 3
4 105 20
5
6A
6B
Wadmalaw
KI
SI
FF
7
10
11
12
8
19 17
2
9
Kiawah Island 13A 13B 13C
14A 14B
15
16
9
20
17 9 3
4
2
1
6
KI Yards
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards
60 2
4 1
4 2
3 9 10 1 115
2 28 60
55 165 2 62
13
2
22
12 4
1060 44
8 20
2
179 48
8 33 1
2 2
10 5
8 11
1 29
14
10
4 2
39 14 16
5 11
3
2 5
21
6
1
15
3
9 4 2
5
8
3
3
7 1 1
50
11
35 45 27
36
14
4
8 1
4 1 6
36 18 32 3
2 2
3 10
7
10
2 1
1
2
16
5 2 1 8
144
38
11
31
2 5
7 4 10 2 5 7
7
11 5 4 28 2 16 16 335 6 5 6
4 10
1 5
1 4
4 31
12 4
1 170 3 1
18 4
4
5
Section Species Marbled Godwit Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Dunlin Least Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher American Woodcock Wilson's Snipe Spotted Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet Lesser Yellowlegs Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte's Gull Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Royal Tern Black Skimmer Red-throated Loon Common Loon Northern Gannet Wood Stork Anhinga Double-crested Cormorant American White Pelican Brown Pelican Great Blue Heron Great Egret
Total 10 1 73 227 252 1037 137 243 297 3 19 12 14 115 4 1 34 105 403 57 1 1 3 319 55 357 372 43 559 42 30 717 34 298 150 194
KI
DB
1
2
19 1 19 25 4
John's Island 3
4
7 1 22 20 23 239 15 19 122
6A
6B
SI
FF
7
10
11
12
8
9
25 60 45
1 1
3 3
1
4 31
1 14 2
1 2
13A 13B 13C 2
11 16 50 10
1 16 13 455 12 76 160
14A 14B
2 73 5 14
16
15
3
7
1
1
2 2 9
8
6 10
16
KI Yards
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards
12 77 81 300 64 99
1 1 1
2
9
22
7 13
18
2 7 10 1
1 67 108 47
3
6
1 2
8
5 1 40
1 3
9 73 1
Kiawah Island
1
1 24 11 1
2
1 25 3
KI
6
2 1 22
5
Wadmalaw
41 1 1
23
12
5 1 1 3 12 27 4 1
1 13 1
50 27
12
1 1
1
3
1 16
2 4
93 22 17 41 45
94 6 63 6 3
1 1
40
2 1 10
1 1
3 9 8
2 8 7
8
4
1
8
7
3 1 77
5 3 2
2
2 5 3
10 8
1
4
1 5 5
4 3 350 5 550
80 100
1 18 6
1 155 8 274 1
14 1
15 5 143
1 4 3
2 1 1 45
20
20 10 7 7 3 21
44 23 34
1 3
26 6 17
3 7
12 13 31
1
3
3
1 2 7 43 6 16 13 12
30 11 80 3
4 1 5 4 1
1 1 24 5 1 7
4 3
Section Species Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Western Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Roseate Spoonbill White Ibis Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Phoebe White-eyed Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Loggerhead Shrike Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow Carolina Chickadee
Total 146 45 45 20 2 37 7 152 67 198 10 40 5 2 9 44 18 3 6 5 70 81 12 167 91 45 80 20 115 6 18 7 373 500 44 336
KI
DB
1
2
7
12
2
3
John's Island 3
4
5
6A
5 3
10 3 5
5 4 2
6B
Wadmalaw
KI
SI
FF
7
8
9
10
11
12
1 5 5
1 5
4 2 1
26 9 4
Kiawah Island
KI Yards
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards
13A 13B 13C
14A 14B
15
16
49 10 15
13 2 7
1
5
1 1
1
1 1 2 8
6 2 6
23
6 1 1
20 1 4 4 1 2
1 5
12 6 13
4
5 9 1 1 3
25 6 13
1 16
1
16 41 1 1
2 11 1 1
11 44 1 5
1 1
1 2 1
1 1 2 1
8
8
1 2 10 4 1 4 2
4 1 1 2 10 4
1 7 8
11 2 3 7 6 6
14 2 3 6 1 9
1
4
12 8 8 41
1 3 1
1 62 102 4
4 1
2 3
2 3 1
1
10 5 16 6 37 2 3 1 1 7 4
23 1 3
2 1
2 1
51 1 2 7 1
1
1 4
1 3
5 1
2
1 1 1
3 3 2 1
1
4
1 7 2
1
1
1
2 3
2 1 103 22 2 49
7 4 6 16 4 6 9 2 9 1 2 1 26 30 2 11
1 8 10 3 6 11 2 14 4 2 16 5 17
7 2 2 11 11 6 8 3 14 3 58 42 5 18
3 1 1 1 7 4 4 3 1 1 12 18 1 6
2 2 2 6 4 2 1 2 3 1 10 21 2 15
9 17 4 33 14 6 9
1 1 1
3 1 2 5 1 2
5 6
9
4
1
1 2 1 1 1 6 1 1
28 142 1 46
8 6 1 3
13
1 1 4 22 1 12
7 7
1
1 5
1 17
11 5 4 7
14 8
11
8
1
1
7 15 8 16
8 20 7 35
4
2
1 3
9 5 1
1 4
7 8
1
1
8 3
11 9 5 10
2 1
3 2
6 19
1 1
1
30
2
5
2
7 1 5
4
Section Species Tufted Titmouse Tree Swallow Ruby-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Kinglet White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Winter Wren House Wren Sedge Wren Marsh Wren Carolina Wren European Starling Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush American Robin Cedar Waxwing American Pipit House Sparrow House Finch American Goldfinch Chipping Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Seaside Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Nelson's Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Eastern Towhee Eastern Meadowlark Baltimore Oriole Red-winged Blackbird
Total 230 233 169 26 27 12 7 3 42 15 21 236 84 41 7 102 293 40 472 223 102 32 69 91 344 134 13 7 6 132 97 91 37 111 7 1510
KI
DB
1
2
John's Island
Wadmalaw
KI
SI
FF
10
11
12
13A 13B 13C
14A 14B
15
16
KI Yards
38 3 33 3 2
4
5 7 6
17 1 12 2
10
17
2
1
14 1 3 2
4 1 2 1
3
4
5
6A
6B
7
8
9
12
10
16
12
13
4 2
8 3 1
6 20 12 3
8 30 7 1 9
12 1 6 1 2
17 150 7
21
3
1
15 26
5 6 1 3 17 5 5 13 7
1 2
1 3
8 1
11 1 2
8 38 2 7 4
18
5 7
1 2 97 14
30 6 1 1
3 1
3
16 9 7
55
11
11
5 6
7
2
11
14 11 3
20
1 3 25 2 11 65
11 30 5
3 8 2 3
7 16 38
5 12 1
6 11 2 14
87
1
2
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards 26
3
5
3
2 1
3
2 1
1
6
1
1
35 25
8
1 3 1
3
7
1 4 55 2 2 15 20
1 7 4
6 5 1 6
405
20
12 17 55 11
2 14 24 4
1 1 3 7
12 1 3 8 33
178
4 46 16 6 1 28 46 5 270 77
80 1 20 11 3
1
5 4 2
2 2
Kiawah Island
10
18 3 11 1 9 5 4 125 12 2
24 4 15 14 2
2 1 4 9
6 5
32 11 13 6 4
4 15 145
11
1 142
7 5 10 8 1 5 1 8 14
4 2
9 2
1
4 2 6 5 63 28 42 4 3
1 4 3 27 19 4 2 7 18 10 27 4
1
21 6
5 12 2 7
1 2 8 2
3 1 2
5
1
2
9
4 2
5
1
6 17 1 15 28
4 2 10 3
4 1 1
1
1 2 1
93
4
12
2
1 1 24 2 1
1 1 2
1
5
2 2 2 8 6 1 1 4 9 2 1
12 3 39
141
1 1 4 1
14 1 1 6
1
1 150
10
4
2 9
3 8
Section Species
Total
Rusty Blackbird Brown-headed Cowbird Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Black-and-white Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Common Yellowthroat Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Northern Cardinal Painted Bunting scaup sp. scoter sp. duck sp. peep sp. gull sp. loon sp. hawk sp. crow spp. swallow sp. Nelson's/Saltmarsh Sparrow blackbird sp.
18 809 456 94 5 19 3 59 71 1803 10 315 11 1011 2550 353 4 8 1003 1 56 1 7 2
Total Species Totals Observers
26729 153 55
KI
DB
1
2
John's Island 3
4
5
6A
6B
Wadmalaw
KI
SI
FF
7
8
10
11
12
50
750 50
1
1
1 2
9
Kiawah Island 13A 13B 13C
14A 14B
15
16
KI Yards
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards
18 6 14
26
2 25
2 1
1
60
150
150
2 1
6 36
1 3 24
508
18
12
34
2
3
5 170
3 1 115
11 6 84
10
8
17
32
3
2 7 2 3
1 13 5 166 1 58
3 1 30 1 7
11
7 21 12 1
2 8 1 3 1 13
1
2 3
2 1 1
1 1 124
117
2 80
1 3 4 108
19
7
2
22
12 81 20
1
4 7 30 1 14
2
1
1 1 106
6 15 11 7 25 6
8
2 2
1 3
1
3
4 3
1000 2550 3
350 4 8 1000
3 1
7
15
30
2
2
1 5
2 2
558 1115 375
756 1666 1372 802 1123 1351 893 6953 2118 788 2770 180
0
1378 550
430 1498
15
348
41
61
37 7
65 1(1)
0 0
83 2
59 1 (2)
6 1 (1)
46 11 (1)
22 1
15 2 (2)
40 3
45 2
71 2
73 2
52 1
75 1
68 2
70 3
22 2
101 9
66 2
100 2
22 4
58 1
74 2
Section Effot
Total
John's Island
KI
DB
1
2
3
4
5
6A
835
910
640
750
645
Wadmalaw
KI
SI
FF
Kiawah Island
6B
7
8
9
10
11
12
13A 13B 13C
14A 14B
15
825
730
720
800 1215 645
700
345 1400
700
820 1015
16
Start Time
345
845
End Time
1745
1050 1330 1230 1430 1400 1640 1345 1530 1745 1600 1345 1555 940 1645 1700
Hours on foot
82.3
3.5
1.7
5.2
1.2
5.1
5.3
5.5
9.7
5.5
15.8
2.5
5.3
3
3.6
1.6
3.1
4.7
Miles on foot
62.4
1.75
2.7
4.6
0.5
1.5
6.5
2.9
6.6
2.5
11.5
2.3
4.7
2
3.25
1.8
3.7
3.6
Hours by car
23.65
0.3
7.5
5
0.2
1.5
0.9
2.5
1.5
1.75
0.7
0.9
0.5
0.4
Miles by car
135.1
1.3
26
26.1
2.6
13.6 14.8 20.6
7.2
3.3
5
8.6
5
1
Hours on boat
3.1
2.1
1
Miles on boat
14.8
9.8
5
Hours by golf cart
25.9
4.5
7
3
3.7
4.5
miles by golf cart
45.35
3.2
13.9
7.1
6.6
12.8 1.75
Hours by bike
0
Miles by bike
0
Hours spent owling
2.7
0.1
2.6
Miles driven for owling
13
0
13
Hours by feeders
31.2
730
KI Yards
SI WI JI Yards Yards Yards
1440 1540 1510 1600
3.2
1
25.4
0.8
4
Participants
Territory 1 (Kiawah River)
Bradley Schmoll, Kristin Lococo, Stephen Dey, Cheyenne Golden, Luke Petit, Christian Carter, Kat Carrow
2 (Deveaux Bank)
Felicia Sanders, Janet Thibault, Cami Duquet
3 (John's Island North)
Kathy Woolsey, Bill Woolsey
4 (John's Island East)
Pete Laurie, Dennis Forsythe
5 (John's Island West)
Jim Jordan, Mat Hill
6A (John's Island South)
Andy Harrison, Ann Truesdale
6B (John's Island South)
Tom Austin
7 (Wadmalaw North)
Dave Eslinger
8 (Wadmalaw East) 9 (Wadmalaw South) 10 (Kiawah Beach/Ocean) 11 (Seabrook Island) 12 (Freshfields Village) 13A (Ocean Course) 13B (Ocean Park) 13C (Little Bear) 14A(Kiawah Central) 14B (Kiawah Central) 15 (Kiawah West) 16 (Kiawah - Capt. Sam's Spit) Kiawah Backyards
David McLean, John Horlbeck Debbie Seabrook, Patrick Markham, Melissa Hughes Aaron Given, Keith McCullough Judy Morr, Nancy Brown, Bob and Eileen Mercer, Joleen Ardaiolo, Melanie Jerome, Tori Langen, Mark Andrews, Gina Sanders Michael Gamble, Nancy Raginski Aaron Given, Kith McCullough Stephen Dey, Cheyenne Golden, Luke Petit, Kat Carrow
Seabrook Backyards
Joleen Ardaiolo, Patricia Schaefer, Dean Morr, Jenni Hesterman, Valerie Doane, Nancy Chomel, Lesley Gore, Walter & Jackie Brooks, Melodie Murphy, Lynn Miner, Melanie Jerome
John's Island Backyards Wadmalaw Backyards
Jennifer Jerome Melinda and Joe Kelley, Bob and April Long
Elizabeth Anderegg, Cheerie Sneed Jennifer Tyrrell Jennifer Jerome, Jim Jordan and Matt Hill (Water Treatment Plant) Michael Gamble, Nancy Raginski Charlen Cathcart, jamie Chathcart