LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
One Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Two Canada Geese. Three Great Egrets and 155 Starlings.
These types of birds were just a sample of the variety counted by two bird enthusiasts, or birders, who conducted Langley Air Force Base's Annual Spring Bird Count on May 4.
Not only does the bird count serve as an event for bird enthusiasts, the data collected from these biannual counts keeps pilots safe and Langley environmentally compliant.
This year marked the 29th year for the spring bird count, during which birders cataloged 62 species and counted a total of 761 birds.
"Bird watching helps you learn about your environment, and can be a very inexpensive hobby," said Vic Johnston, avid birder and 633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs community relations chief.
The data collected from the count is shared with the 1st Fighter Wing Safety Office and the birding community.
"From a local birder perspective, a Bird and Wildlife Aircraft Strike Hazard team perspective, and from an environmental protection perspective, these bird counts and the data that has been stored from them is valuable for us to continue our operation and mission here," said Thomas Olexa, Department of Agriculture wildlife biologist, and 1st Fighter Wing Safety Office representative.
Olexa said data from both the spring and winter bird counts provide beneficial information and supplement the installation's ongoing wildlife monitoring program.
"My efforts concentrate on the airfield directly, and what's great about the biannual bird count is the birders go into areas that I don't get to survey," he said. "They see more diverse species of birds than those that occupy the airfield."
The bird counts help confirm the inhabitants of a species on Langley. When a bird strike happens and results come back from the Smithsonian Bird Identification Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the species may be common to the area, but not always seen during airfield bird surveys.
"When this occurs, I quickly reference the [winter] and spring bird count data to see if this bird is on the observation list," Olexa said. "This is when the bird count data helps us solve a mystery of a bird strike and allows us to evaluate the occurrence of a species and potential risk to aircraft operations."
The data from the counts also helps the base stay environmentally compliant.
"This data will help us determine if we are impacting any species or may have a potential impact on a species, an indicator species, a populated species or a threatened and endangered species," he said.
William Boeh, bird enthusiast and U.S. Coast Guard preparedness specialist, said there are a variety of bird habitats around the base. He was even able to add ten new birds to his personal bird watching list during the count.
"There are habitats around the base most people never even see, and I'm glad to see the base trying to preserve them," said Boeh. "Loss of habitats for birds is critical right now - it's the biggest reason birds go extinct."
While bird enthusiasts may agree the most enjoyable part of the bird count is simply watching and listening to the birds, the multiple missions it serves for Langley is also something worth "chirping" about.