Gulf Shore Getaway

The Great Backyard Bird Count wrapped up this weekend across the US. Gulf Coast birders reported their sightings from nearly every community along the Gulf of Mexico. Alabama reported nearly 113,000 bird sightings of 160 separate species of birds. Mississippi reported nearly 80,500 bird sightings of 121 separate birds species. Florida made the top 10 list of states reporting with just over 270,000 bird sightings of a whopping 248 separate species.

The most popular species reported? In Florida it was the American Coot; for Alabama, the Red-winged Blackbird; and for Mississippi, the American Goldfinch. My own personal favorite, the Eastern Bluebird pictured here, was sighted in all three states, including 24 in Pensacola, nine in Gulf Breeze, and seven in Destin.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all levels in counting birds and reporting their results to create a mid-winter snapshot of the numbers, kinds, and distribution of birds across the continent. Participants count birds for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period and tally the highest number of birds of each species that they see at any one time. At the Great Backyard Bird Count web site, they fill out an online checklist to submit their counts.
Read more about the Great Backyard Bird Count

We don't want to leave out those of you who came to this story looking thinking about another kind of bird watching on the beach. Yes, we know spring is just around the corner and we're not too old to remember "birding" on the beach at spring break. Here's a link just for you.