Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York has been officially designated as a South Carolina Important Bird Area (IBA).

Paul Koehler, coordinator of the state's IBA technical committee, stated in a letter to the Center that it "was selected as an IBA on the basis of the valuable and long-standing avian research conducted there. I applaud your education and research efforts."

Since 1982, more than 53,800 birds of 124 species have been banded at Hilton Pond Center, making it the most active bird banding site in the Carolinas. The Center is known internationally for its scientific and outreach efforts that focus on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (more than 4,000 banded locally) and vagrant hummingbird species that occasionally overwinter in the eastern U.S.

The Center is one of few banding stations in the Piedmont physiographic province, which stretches from southern New York to northeastern Alabama. It is also a nesting locale for Neotropical birds such as Orchard Orioles, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers (top photo) , and is a stopover site for Scarlet Tanagers (below left), Swainson's Thrushes, and other species as they migrate to and from Central and South America.

The Center is one of just 39 recognized IBAs in South Carolina. Most sites are selected because they are home to threatened or endangered bird species, host bird species with restricted ranges, or serve as wintering or breeeding grounds for high densities of colonial birds. IBAs may be a few acres or more than a thousand--Hilton Pond Center covers only 11 acres--but usually are discrete sites that stand out from the surrounding landscape.

In the U.S., the Important Bird Area program is a joint effort of BirdLife International and the National Audubon Society, which has designated more than 1,500 IBA sites. Worldwide, more than 150 countries have IBA programs, and 3,600-plus sites have been designated in Europe alone. In addition to Hilton Pond Center, South Carolina IBAs include such areas as Cape Romain, Carolina Sandhills, and Ace Basin national wildlife refuges, Francis Beidler Forest, Congaree Swamp National Monument, and Caesars Head, Jones Gap, and Table Rock state parks.

Visit Audubon's Web site for details about the Important Bird Area program in the U.S.

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