Christmas Bird Count in the Mad Island Marsh

Texas by Nature

Christmas Bird Count in the Mad Island Marsh

By ClayCarrington

The Nature Conservancy of Texas

As winter's chill sets in and one year blends to the next, birders descend on West Matagorda Bay to experience one of the greatest gatherings of the year. Migrating birds of a mighty variety are all about the 7,063-acre Clive Runnells Family Mad Island Marsh Preserve.

Yearlong feathered residents greet newly arrived migrants already setting about eating, steeling themselves for a spectacular North American exit and winged journey south across the Gulf of Mexico. Here at the terminus of the Central Flyway, one of four principal North American migratory bird routes, birds flock to the coastal prairie and shimmeringwetlands.

This year's edition of the bird count resulted in 236species found within the Matagorda count circle, and the area once again took top honors in North America for total species. In fact, the area has been number one a staggering 13times in the past 14years.

The now-famous Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the Audubon Society and running from mid December through early January each year, attracts more than 60,000participants from across the Americas, Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. And each year, volunteers flock to Mad Island Marsh Preserve to helpcount birds and bird species.

"The amount of information these volunteers pull together year after year is remarkable," saidJulie Sullivan, Mad Island preserve manager. "Best of all, this data is used by international scientists to help establish global bird conservationstrategies."

While milling flocks of thousands can be near impossible to accurately count, the estimates of volunteers are indispensable to setting international managementpriorities.

The Nature Conservancy originally began piecing together the preserve through a unique land swap and donation of 3,148acres from Clive Runnells in1989. Four years later, the Conservancy added another 3,900acres from the North American Wetlands ConservationCouncil,ensuring plenty of habitat for feathered residents and seasonal guests for years tocome.

To find out more about the Christmas Bird Count or learn about other Conservancy projects visitnature.org/texas.