Florida Shorebird Alliance: Audubon Christmas Bird Count Ends January 5

Save-the-Date: Florida Winter Shorebird Survey February 6-12, 2026

Florida’s Annual Winter Shorebird Survey starts on Friday, February 6 and continues through Thursday, February 12. This week-long survey serves as the official statewide snapshot of coastal wintering shorebirds and seabirds in Florida. Please check the FSA website and Facebook group in mid-January for more details and to participate. We hope you enjoy this fun and challenging winter survey and thank you for your continued efforts!

Audubon Christmas Bird Count Ends January 5

As a reminder, Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count is going on until January 5. This count is one of the longest-running wildlife surveys, conducted for over 100 years.

Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this count to assess the health of bird populations and help guide conservation actions. If you haven’t yet, please join the tens of thousands of volunteers nationwide making a difference for science and bird conservation.

To participate, contact your local compiler to join or conduct a count. You can find the contact information for your local compiler here.

Cotton Island: Catastrophe Leads to a Conservation Opportunity

Cotton Island, located in Florida’s Nature Coast, is a critically important high-tide roost location for a significant proportion of the entire population of wintering American Oystercatchers. The island was in the path of Hurricane Helene, a catastrophic Category 4 storm that hit Florida in 2024. In the aftermath of the storm, Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA) partners Pat and Doris Leary documented significant impacts to both the island and the residence located there. Pat and Doris subsequently informed the landowner about the damage to his property and took the opportunity to describe the conservation value of the island, especially for wintering American Oystercatchers. Their surveys documented that Cotton Island hosted large mixed-species flocks of American Oystercatchers, Black Skimmers and other coastal birds. The importance of Cotton Island to the conservation of shorebirds and seabirds became more pronounced following the series of major hurricanes along the Nature Coast in recent years that forced birds to shift away from severely eroded areas to the few remaining suitable high-tide roosts.

The landowner observed the full extent of Helene’s destruction and subsequently contacted the American Oystercatcher Working Group to explore donating the property to an organization capable of stewarding it as environmentally sensitive and highly valuable coastal habitat. Following discussions with partners and the landowner, the State of Florida agreed to accept the donation and incorporate the island into the Big Bend Wildlife Management Area. Part of the agreement included the removal of the house from the island – and with it came hope of attracting breeding shorebirds and seabirds.

The incredible generosity of the landowner and the collaborative and timely efforts of Pat and Doris Leary, FSA partners, and state agencies have transformed a hurricane-driven catastrophe into a significant conservation opportunity. Cotton Island is in an area of Florida that sustained extensive habitat loss of shorebird and seabird breeding and roosting habitats. FSA partners look forward to monitoring the area to document any nesting this season – stay tuned for updates!