The Results! 2024 Christmas Bird Count
Thorn Creek Audubon birders headed out on December 28 for our 53rd year supporting this annual National Audubon community science project. Results are reported to National Audubon Society and the University of Illinois for ongoing comparisons year to year to assess the health of bird populations and help guide conservation action.
TCAS count coordinator Linda Hickey reports: Our 21 volunteers/observers formed 10 teams to count all the birds staying for winter in the official Thorn Creek Audubon count circle - a 7.5-mile radius circle centered at Governors State University in University Park. Our birders walked 30 miles and drove 335 miles looking for birds. Some birders who live inside our count circle counted in their yards. Our diligent teams tallied 61 species of birds and 7166 total individuals.
Top 10 Species
Canada Goose 2491
European Starling 1845
House Sparrow 458
Mourning Dove 449
Greater White-fronted Goose 333
Mallard 173
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 146
Dark-eyed Junco 137
Lapland Longspur 100
Blue Jay 85
Check out the complete list of species and how many of each were found:
2024 CBC Tally
Here's of a map of the Thorn Creek Audubon count circle showing the 12 sections our teams covered: CBC Count Circle
THANK YOU to all our volunteers who counted birds
in the field and at their feeders.
Some Interesting Differences Between Early CBCs and Now
Thorn Creek Audubon started its Christmas Bird Count in 1972 and has counted the same circle territory each year. A look at the tallies from 1973,1974, and 1975 reveals some interesting changes in what birds are in our area during the winter.
No Canada Geese were found in those early years or any other geese. Nor where there House Finches. But there were numerous Ring-necked Pheasants (618 in 1973!), and each year had some Purple Finches.
Check out the complete tallies for 1973 -1975 compared with 2024:
CBC Tally Comparison
Coming in May: Illinois Spring Bird Count
Our teams are already looking forward to the annual Illinois Spring Bird Count. The 2025 count is Saturday, May 10. Mark your calendar to join us for this fun event. Details will be announced later.
January 13, 2024