Audubon Christmas Bird Count

The Christmas Bird Count for the Hilton Head area on December 16th began with heavy fog, then turned into a sunny, mild day. We identified and counted every bird seen or heard. Our Palmetto Dunes team counted 76 species and 2,222 birds. This was added to the Hilton Head count of 144 species and 27,824 birds for the day.

The field teams covered our diverse habitat on golf courses, the lagoon, and the beach north to the Folly inlet, Shelter Cove, Newport, Disney and over the ocean viewed from the Hilton. Our feeder watchers counted a variety of birds in their yards.

We counted so many Double-crested Cormorants that we had to adjust the numbers down to 169 to account for overlaps between the golf course and lagoon counts. Other species included Pied-billed Grebes, Belted Kingfishers, Anhingas, almost 500 Snowy Egrets, Piping Plovers, Cedar Waxwings, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Tree Swallows, and a variety of woodpeckers, warblers, gulls and lots of crows!

Our data is added to the national and international counts from over 20 countries in this winter snapshot of bird populations, now in its 125th year! Thanks to all who contributed, and we welcome more birders!

Our next count is on Monday, December 15, 2025.

—Susan Murphy