LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The Langley Sector of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count took place Dec. 20 where 52 species of birds were counted.
Volunteers conduct bird counts each winter and spring on Langley Air Force Base. The data, collected since 1985, is provided to the 1st Civil Engineer Squadron's environmental flight and the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard team. This gives data points, essentially snapshots in time, which show significant trends occurring at the base.
The following is a list of species and the number found:
Boat-tailed Grackle, 1
Fox Sparrow, 1
Gadwall, 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1
Gray Catbird, 1
Osprey, 1
Pine Warbler, 1
Savannah Sparrow, 1
Great Egret, 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2
Turkey Vulture, 2
Common Loon, 3
Cooper's Hawk, 3
Killdeer, 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 3
American Robin, 4
Belted Kingfisher, 4
House Finch, 4
Song Sparrow, 4
Dark-eyed Junco, 5
Double-crested Cormorant, 6
Laughing Gull, 6
Northern Harrier, 6
White-throated Sparrow, 6
Mallard, 7
Red-tailed Hawk, 7
American Kestrel, 8
Northern Flicker, 8
Great Blue Heron, 9
Northern Cardinal, 11
Blue Jay, 12
Carolina Chickadee, 12
Carolina Wren, 12
Eastern Meadowlark, 12
Herring Gull, 12
Tundra Swan, 12
Hooded Merganser, 15
Great Black-backed Gull, 16
Brown Pelican, 18
Canada Goose, 19
American Crow, 29
House Sparrow, 36
Bufflehead, 38
Red-winged Blackbird, 55
Mourning Dove, 56
Black-billed Plover, 61
Red-billed Gull, 61
Rock Pigeon, 63
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 85
Common Grackle 250
European Starling, 646