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VARNA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Members of the Cayuga Bird Club say its 61st annual Christmas Bird Count census event was a resounding success.
Paul Anderson, a current webmaster of the club and its former President, spoke to WHCU about how the event started by the Audubon Society 123 years ago works.
He highlighted the work of the volunteers who made the project possible, which included avid and casual bird enthusiasts, environmentalists, and professional ornithologists, among others.
In addition to a high-end number of species, over 41,000 birds were observed in totality. Anderson told WHCU about some of the rarer sightings.
He said the drastic increase in turkey vultures is likely a result of the gradually warming climate. He stressed that the observation area and duration of observation is just a small representation of the overall picture of biodiversity and bird health, but that it does speak to local trends. When the numbers are finalized, the Cayuga Bird Club, along with hundreds of other such clubs, will turn their data over to the Audubon Society.
