A number of bald eagles amongst birds noticed throughout Staten Island’s annual Christmas Fowl Depend

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Round 50 folks participated in Staten Island’s annual Christmas Fowl Depend, held not too long ago as a part of a nationwide effort to establish and depend the species of their space.

Cliff Hagen, president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods and the current compiler of the Christmas Fowl Depend, informed the Advance/SILive that this yr’s Staten Island depend yielded a complete of 27,000 birds all through 13 completely different territories within the borough. He added 115 completely different species had been noticed.

“We do our greatest to seek out out precisely what number of birds there are and the place they’re,” Hagen mentioned.

Hagen went to say that whereas this yr’s depend was pretty typical, roughly 8,000 Canada geese had been noticed — a very exorbitant quantity for the species.

“I feel plenty of it’s climate dependent,” Hagen mentioned. “It snowed so much up north, and lakes and ponds froze up. So, birds that may nonetheless have been up north had been pressured by that storm to start out heading south. The climate actually disrupts the habitat of the birds.”

Hagen additionally identified that 14 bald eagles had been noticed, one other significantly excessive quantity for the endangered species.

“We by no means had that many earlier than,” Hagen mentioned. “We frequently get a bald eagle or two, and our earlier excessive was 12. So, to have 14, was an actual deal with.”

This yr’s depend additionally obtained some additional assist from a number of city park rangers, who carried out part of the depend all through the Greenbelt, which Hagen known as a “huge asset.”

The information collected in the course of the Christmas Fowl Depend is collated by the Nationwide Audubon Society to be used by researchers, conservation biologists and wildlife organizations. When mixed with information from different surveys taken at different instances of yr, researchers can get a deal with on the adjustments within the dimension and vary of fowl populations in North America.

“As we’re considering of those numbers, this information additionally helps protectors,” Hagen mentioned. “After we want to advocate for the preservation of open house, we take a look at these data and see which birds make the most of open house. So, there’s significant, purposeful native want for this information as properly.”

Born from a proposal by Frank M. Chapman in 1900 and sponsored by the Nationwide Audubon Society, this annual occasion has grown considerably over the previous century and now consists of birders in nearly each nook of the nation.

Though the primary nationwide Christmas Fowl Counts had been held in 1900, there have been solely 27 members throughout the whole United States. It wasn’t till 1908 that Staten Island was included within the depend.

“I might say the Christmas Fowl Depend, like many Christmas traditions, brings pleasure and group to Staten Island,” Hagen mentioned. “It lets us collect as a bunch to rejoice the birds of Staten Island and our accomplishments of making this Borough of Parks and preserving this Borough of Parks for the birds.”

“There’s a selected enjoyment in being open air, on the seashore, or within the woods on a crisp winter day,” he added. “To attach with the wildlife of Staten Island and to see fox and deer whereas counting these birds, it’s the entire bundle.”

“You actually get a way of the marvel of nature proper right here on the doorstep of New York Metropolis.”