Each winter, Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History organizes and compiles the York/Rock Hill, South Carolina Christmas Bird Count, under the auspices of the National Audubon Society. This count normally is held the Saturday before Christmas (unless it is Christmas Eve); the 18th annual count is scheduled for 20 December 2008, with a back-up date of 27 December in case of very bad weather.

The count begins when participants gather promptly at 6:15 a.m. on the designated day--usually the last Saturday before Christmas--at the Burger King at the intersection of SC Hwy. 5 and Rawlinson Road just west of Rock Hill (across from Northwestern High School). This count was initiated in 1991 to help provide a more accurate census of the numbers and species of birds present in central York County during winter. On the first 17 counts (1991-2007), sightings were made of 97,267 birds from 108 species, including rare Southern Bald Eagles and wintering Rufous Hummingbirds and much more common Belted Kingfishers (above right) and Mourning Doves (below left).

Beginning before sunrise and finishing at dusk, participants identify and tally birds seen and/or heard in an area inscribed by a circle 15 miles in diameter and centered where Tools Fork Creek flows beneath SC Hwy 5 (West Main Street) just west of Northwestern High School (center coordinates are 34° 57' 23.57" N, 81º 06' 24.64" W; in decimal degress that's N34.956547, W81.106844). Participants are assigned a section of the circle and are expected to spend the day covering the area by car and on foot--perhaps even by canoe and bicycle!

The circle includes all the city of Rock Hill, the eastern third of York (including Hilton Pond Center), the southern end of Lake Wylie and Tega Cay, the Catawba River from the dam to the I-77 bridge, and extends from Ogden in the south almost to Nanny's (Ferguson's) Mountain to the north. This circle's diverse habitats--including river bottomland, pine woods, thickets, hardwood stands, open fields, a large lake, and urbanized areas--provide a variety of bird life and an enjoyable day in the field. Homebound persons may choose to conduct a feeder watch and count birds that come to their backyards during the count day.

Participants reassemble for lunch at noon and again at 5:30 p.m. and, if desired, dine together at a local restaurant and tally the birds of the day. A $5 fee helps defer the costs of publishing results in the Christmas Bird Count issue of National Audubon Society Field Notes.

Persons interested in participating should contact the compiler, Bill Hilton Jr., via E-mail or phone (803-684-5852) no later than 5 p.m. on the day before the count.

Happy Birding!

Map of the York/Rock Hill Christmas Bird Count Circle

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