SPRING COUNT 2023

 

Thank you, all Spring Count observers! Your time, expertise, and dedication (even in wind and rain!) help to provide regional bird population data during an important time of year – spring migration.

HERE are the 2023 Bighorn Audubon Spring Count results for Sheridan and Johnson Counties.  Included are the 2022 count results as a comparison. In summary: 2022 - 12,345 individuals and 172 species; and in 2023 - 7,082 individuals and 146 species

 

Noticeable differences were in duck, shorebird, gull, and warbler populations. Yellow Warblers arrived in good numbers after the count, and several Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals were observed before the count.  For other species there are these questions: Did they arrive and leave earlier? Or arrive later?  Have duck populations declined? Did shorebirds bypass our area due to high water levels?

 

Factors to consider:

                2022 - April New Mexico fires and regional drought. 

                Avian flu.

                2023 - Rain and wind conditions during and prior to the count. Less time on foot, and several backroads were difficult to travel.    

The Spring Count’s goal is to aid Wyoming Game & Fish and others in the scientific community with a better understanding of regional bird movements and populations as they migrate from non-breeding grounds in the southern U.S., Mexico, Caribbean, and Central and South America to nesting habitats in our region and to the north.

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Thank you once again.

For the birds!

 

JoAnne