All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Each winter--in cooperation with the National Audubon Society--Hilton Pond Center implements and compiles a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for York/Rock Hill in York County, South Carolina (see map above). Christmas Bird Counts--perhaps the first big organized "citizen science" effort--originated 119 years ago as an alternative to traditional holiday bird hunts when folks young and old used newly gifted guns to see who could bring down the most birds. For that first CBC in 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman organized 25 counts of live birds from Toronto to Pacific Grove CA and involved 27 participants who tallied 89 combined species. That's a far cry from 2017 when 2,536 CBCs in the United States, Canada, and Latin America involved 73,153 participants who tallied more than 56 million birds, with 641 species in the U.S. alone!

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Hilton Pond Center started the York/Rock Hill count in 1991 to help provide a snapshot of numbers and species of early-winter birds present in central York County--in the heart of the Carolina Piedmont Region. Beginning before sunrise and finishing after dusk, participants identify and tally birds seen and/or heard in an area inscribed by a standard circle 15 miles in diameter (see map above)--centered where Tools Fork Creek flows beneath the new bridge on SC Hwy 5 (West Main Street) just west of Northwestern High School. (Count-center coordinates are 34° 57' 23.57" N, 81º 06' 24.64" W; in decimal degrees that's N34.956547, W81.106844.)

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

This year's 29th annual York/Rock Hill count on 21 December started out a little different. Founder and compiler Bill Hilton Jr. (30-count veteran ) was en route back from an eight-day bereavement trip to Ocala FL, and journeyman counter Tom Anderson (six counts) was entertaining out-of-town guests. That left CBC stalwart Bob Olson (22 counts)--along with second-time participant Lauren Mobley (owner of Rock Hill's Wild Birds Unlimited) to handle much of the 2019 count duties. Those two started out at 6:30 a.m. and--by car and on foot--covered as much of the 15-mile-diameter count circle as they could before dusk. Meanwhile, Tom tallied birds in his neighborhood and Bill got back to Hilton Pond Center just in time to add one species--Red-shouldered Hawk (above)--and a smattering of other birds before the sun went down. (Sincere thanks to Bob for accurately summarizing the initial count data and transmitting it to Bill for final compilation.)

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

In all, our four participants reported 54 species, below the 29-year average count of 66.7 and not even close to the record high of 80 set back in 2000. (At least one species, White-breasted Nuthatch, was seen during the seven-day count week but not on count day.) Except for the huge flock of Red-winged Blackbirds (above), individual birds were few and far between. A grand total of 7,357 birds seen put us at nearly twice the 29-year average of 3,916, but without that cloud of blackbirds we tallied a dismal 1,777 individuals.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center
Loggerhead Shrike photo above courtesy Bob Olson

We were pleased to see an elusive Loggerhead Shrike (above) during the count but were disappointed two other predatory "wirebirds"--American Kestrel and Belted Kingfisher--did not put in an appearance. A sad note: For the first time in 29 years, Dark-eyed Juncos were not seen on count day. We heard no owls and were unaware of any wintering hummingbirds in the count circle. Amazingly, ALL the ducks were missing (except Mallards), and most of the expected sparrows were either absent or present only in small numbers. As expected, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins did not fly south this winter due to a bumper seed crop within their Canadian breeding range, while wintering American Goldfinches (below) have been present at area feeders in relatively small numbers. And who knows WHERE all the Yellow-rumped Warblers have gone!

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Of 54 species observed on this year's count, 18 were tallied at or above their 29-average, but the majority of birds on our list (see below) saw their averages drop for the 29-year span. Even common species such as American Robins and European Starlings had overall averages that went down significantly.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

In conclusion, as documented by the 29-year history of the York/Rock Hill count, there is no question bird numbers are declining in this part of the Carolina Piedmont. Observations during other times of the year--including banding results at Hilton Pond Center and tallies made by backyard feeder watchers--show there are just not as many birds as there used to be. In many cases, habitats that were good spots to see unusual species during past Christmas Bird Counts have been clear-cut and bulldozed into subdivisions or commercial enterprises. Likewise, York County farmland is disappearing, and the shorelines of Lake Wylie and the Catawba River are being developed at an increasing--to us, alarming--rate. Yes, we had fewer people counting birds this year, but those who did participate found houses and parking lots in locations that in previous years had sheltered good numbers of winter birds.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Despite the words of that old General Electric TV commercial, "progress is [NOT ALWAYS] our most important product." Our region needs more natural areas--like Fort Mill's Anne Springs Close Greenway (above)--plus expanses of land under conservation easements if we want the decline of York County birds to slow down or stop. Private landowners can certainly play a role by making their own properties bird-friendly, by planting trees and shrubs, by getting rid of energy-wasting grassy lawns, and by reducing the use/abuse of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other chemicals that harm birds and other wildlife. We must act now--collectively and as individuals--before it is too late for the birds, and for us.

Please take time to peruse Table 1 below for a full accounting of the official results from our 2019 early winter bird survey. Then mark your calendar and join friends of Hilton Pond Center for the gala 30th annual York/Rock Hill Christmas Bird Count scheduled for Saturday, 19 December 2020. No experience necessary--just binoculars and a desire to help get a more complete census of avifauna in central York County, South Carolina. If you'd like to participate in the 30th anniversary event or have questions about the most recent or other past counts, please contact the compiler at RESEARCH.

Payable via credit card

Checks also can be sent to Hilton Pond Center at:
1432 DeVinney Road
York SC 29745

All contributions are tax-deductible on your
current-year income tax form

Don't forget to scroll down for Nature Notes & Photos,
plus lists of all birds banded or recaptured during the period.