Between mid-December and early January, Audubon Florida staff and volunteers participated in the 126th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, a community science effort to document all of the birds seen or heard, providing a snapshot of bird population trends. Across the hemisphere, teams of 2-4 individuals are organized and assigned specific areas to survey birds within 15-mile count circles in their region.
Here we share some highlights of the effort from staff around the Sunshine State.
From Brian Cammarano, Senior Coordinator, Shorebird Stewardship (Western Panhandle)
I participated in the Francis M. Weston Audubon count on December 20. My team recorded 81 species, highlights being Field Sparrows and a morning flyover of over 500 Double-crested Cormorants leaving their roost. We also crossed paths with participants of the “Bananas vs Santas” run event.
From Zach Matchinski, Apalachicola Shorebird Biologist (Eastern Panhandle)
During our Panacea count, I saw more than 80 Red Knots and a few Pine Siskins, which was pretty exciting. Our team saw 67 species, and the Panacea count as a whole got 130 species! The weather was awful—I was in full hard-core birder mode the whole time, so getting photos never crossed my mind! Then, during the Panama City count, I had 51 species, but nothing all that uncommon.
From Jeff Liechty, Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Manager (Tampa Bay)
We participated in counts in two areas. For the Alafia Banks Critical Wildlife Area count, I teamed up with coastal biologists Abby McKay and Aaron White, as well as long-time seasonal warden Carol Cassels (retired), to count 67 species, including Long-billed Curlew, Reddish Egret, and more than 4,000 Lesser Scaup! A highlight was a Common Loon. For the Tampa count, Abby and I teamed up with Ann Paul, Tampa Bay Regional Coordinator (retired), and spotted 45 species, including a Brown Booby and 12 Bufflehead.
From Kristen Kosik, Chapters Conservation Manager (Central Florida)
Our count was in the easternmost zone of the Clermont Count Circle. We started our day at Ferndale Preserve, a county nature park just 12 minutes from my house that I had somehow never visited– turns out it’s an incredible birding spot! We counted about 60 species before we hopped around to other smaller sites for the rest of the day. The leader of my group was Gallus Quigley, a local birding guide, so we were fortunate to have an expert to help with challenging IDs and where we were likely to find certain birds. After an exhausting 11 hours, we counted a total of 99 species! Highlights of the day included spotting 3 Baltimore Orioles, a flock of about 200 Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, and an Ash-throated Flycatcher.
From Karina Jiménez, Communications Associate (Central Florida)
This was my second Christmas Bird Count, and it reinvigorated my desire to go birding more often in 2026! The morning started slowly, but we ended up with 48 species, including several lifers for me: Green-winged Teals, Ring-necked Ducks, and an Orange-crowned Warbler. My partner with Halifax River Audubon brought his spotting scope, giving me a rare chance to see birds closer than I can through my basic binoculars.
From Allyson Webb, Land Stewardship Manager (Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary/Naples)
I’ve been participating in the CBC for over 15 years now, and I always enjoy the opportunity to see which species are taking advantage of the habitat restoration and continued stewardship in Zone 9. While we didn’t see Crested Caracara this year (one of my favorites), we did see a Snail Kite! Other notables include Solitary Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilt. And does one ever tire of seeing graceful Wood Storks as they soar overhead? They are so gangly and awkward when walking on the ground, but I love their foraging “dance,” and there is something majestic about this iconic bird. And as a bonus this year, I had two of our new amazing Sanctuary conservation team members with me: Logan Jones and Darienne Purtz.
From Renee Wilson, Senior Communications Coordinator (Naples)
My team (including Corkscrew Educator Alyssa Harris and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary volunteer Orlando Hidalgo) hit the roads in rural Collier County just south of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. This was my fifth Christmas Count, and I am always amazed at the diversity of birds we can see taking advantage of roadside ponds, ditches, and neighborhoods. We spotted a total of 43 species, and the bird of the day for us was the American Kestrel—we spotted nine of them on power lines, fence posts, and one was even in a tree! But my favorite sighting of the day was a Pied-billed Grebe.
