New Audubon bird-count of Holly Shelter-Lea island region affirms 101 bird species and counting!

http://ncaudubonblog.org/2011/12/notes-from-the-second-holly-shelter-lea-island-christmas-bird-count/ The annual Audobon bird-count which focuses on a 15 mile radius (consisting of the holly shelter-lea island region, known as NCHL) spotted 101 species and still counting. The "NCHL centers near Hampstead, NC, reaching from the Mason Inlet Waterbird Management Area at the north end of Wrightsville Beach to the south end of Topsail Island, picking up Figure Eight Island and the Lea-Hutaff Island Important Bird Area." While this is a smaller number than revealed from last years count, there were new species identified even though some of the ones recognized last year went unseen in this 2011 count. Specially noted are the red cockaded woodpeckers, a vulernerable and near endangered species native to the Long Leaf Pine forests, as well as the Loggerhead Shrike (a "near-rare" bird not seen in last years count). http://birds.audubon.org/species/logshr "The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is the world’s longest-running volunteer science effort, with over a century of data for researchers to draw from, and those researchers, with help from our band of birders, now have two years of Holly Shelter-Lea Island’s circle data to include... This is a truly scientific endeavor designed to collect information about what and how many birds are in and around North America, and where they are spending time in early winter; the Great Backyard Bird Count in February offers volunteers another scientific opportunity to participate in a late winter bird census." CBC Audubon blogpost published December 20, 2011.