126th Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Bald Head Island
126th Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Bald Head Island
Bald Head Island Conservancy’s Director of Science Beth Darrow joined a record-sized group of eight volunteer birders this year to conduct the Audubon Society’s 126th Annual Christmas Bird Count on January 4, 2026. Eighty-three bird species were identified in Bald Head Island’s diverse habitats by Jamie Adams, Bob Cowan, Christina Cress, Beth Darrow, Ron Martin, Robin Prak, Radford Swent, and Matthew Werner.
The day started on the 6 AM ferry, which was no problem for these experienced birders who are used to getting going in the pre-dawn dark. The first stop was Access 39 to view the Shoals (Cape Fear Point) at sunrise. Shorebirds were busy fishing, despite the freezing temperatures, and the birders set up their high-powered spotting scopes. Flocks of seabirds like Black Scoters, Northern Gannets, Red-throated and Common Loons were only identifiable through the scopes or by their flight patterns. A mixed flock of gulls, terns, Brown Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants hung out on the emerging sandbar.
Once the sun started getting higher in the sky, rooftops were the place to spot imposing raptors, such as Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, and Sharp-skinned Hawks, sunning and scanning the ground for prey.
Thanks to the BHI Club, we were granted access to the mix of wooded, freshwater, and open habitats of the golf course. We didn’t see as many waterbirds as other years, but did spot a couple of Blue-winged Teals and Hooded Mergansers in the lagoons. One thicket was host to a huge variety of songbirds, including the most exciting bird of the day, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, hanging out with Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a Black-and-white Warbler. Also spotted was a beautiful Blue-headed Vireo, and a few species of woodpecker. A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk sat quietly but prominently on the lower branches of a tree on the 17th hole at close range, possibly thinking he was camouflaged.
At Beach Access 11 there were some interesting birds on the rock groin, including a Savannah (Ipswitch) Sparrow. At Access 1 we happily came across some American Oystercatchers on the shoreline, then spent a long time looking out into the marshes of the Cape Fear River, identifying dozens and hundreds of shorebirds, including Red Knots, Short-billed Dowitchers, and Dunlin. If you are not a usual wintertime birder, we highly recommend giving it a try – the shorebirds will especially keep you guessing if you are used to their breeding season plumage!
Bald Head Island is a part of the Southport Circle, which includes Southport, part of Oak Island, the Bald Head Island Natural Area, Fort Fisher, and Sunny Point. We feel it is important to continue participating in this survey each year to keep track of the number of species in the face of environmental disruptions. The Christmas Bird Count has run since 1900, making it the nation’s longest-running community science bird count.
Next year the Southport count will be held on January 3. If you are interested in assisting with the Christmas Bird Count next year from wherever you are over the holidays, check out https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/christmas/ for dates and contact information in North Carolina, or https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/join-christmas-bird-count for elsewhere.
If you would like to go birding with our naturalists, e-mail us at programs@bhic.org to book a private birding tour!
Beth Darrow, Director of Science
Full List of Bald Head Island Christmas Bird Count Species, January 4, 2026
1. American Crow |
2. American Herring Gull |
3. American Oystercatcher |
4. American Robin |
| 5. Bald Eagle |
6. Belted Kingfisher |
| 7. Black Scoter |
8. Black Skimmer |
9. Black-and-white Warbler |
10. Black-bellied Plover |
11. Black-crowned Night Heron |
12. Blue-headed Vireo |
13. Blue-winged Teal |
14. Boat-tailed Grackle |
15. Bonaparte’s Gull |
16. Brown Pelican |
17. Brown Thrasher |
18. Brown-headed Nuthatch |
19. Carolina Chickadee |
20. Carolina Wren |
21. Common Loon |
22. Cooper’s Hawk |
23. Double-crested Cormorant |
24. Downy Woodpecker |
| 25. Dunlin |
26. Eastern Phoebe |
27. Eastern Towhee |
28. Field Sparrow |
29. Forster’s Tern |
30. Golden-crowned Kinglet |
| 31. Gray Catbird |
32. Great Black-backed Gull |
33. Great Blue Heron |
| 34. Great Egret |
35. Greater Yellowlegs |
36. Hermit Thrush |
37. Hooded Merganser |
| 38. House Finch |
| 39. Killdeer |
40. Laughing Gull |
41. Least Sandpiper |
42. Lesser Black-backed Gull |
43. Lesser Scaup |
44. Little Blue Heron |
45. Mourning Dove |
46. Northern Cardinal |
47. Northern Flicker |
48. Northern Gannet |
49. Northern Harrier |
50. Northern House Wren |
51. Northern Mockingbird |
52. Orange-crowned Warbler |
| 53. Osprey |
54. Palm Warbler |
55. Pied-billed Grebe |
| 56. Red Knot |
57. Red-breasted Merganser |
58. Red-breasted Nuthatch |
59. Red-shouldered Hawk |
60. Red-tailed Hawk |
61. Red-throated Loon |
62. Ring-billed Gull |
| 63. Royal Tern |
64. Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
65. Ruddy Turnstone |
| 66. Sanderling |
67. Savannah Sparrow (Ipswitch) |
68. Semipalmated Plover |
69. Sharp-skinned Hawk |
70. Short-billed Dowitcher |
| 71. Snowy Egret |
72. Song Sparrow |
| 73. Sora |
74. Tree Swallow |
75. Tricolored Heron |
76. Turkey Vulture |
| 77. Virginia Rail |
78. Western Sandpiper |
79. White-throated Sparrow |
| 80. Willet |
81. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
82. Yellow-rumped Warbler |
