Every December, the audubonsociety holds a nationwide Christmas Bird Count (CBC) that helps protect species and their habitats by tracking long-term trends in bird populations. This year's bird count runs from December 14 to January 5. Deering Estate is part of the Biscayne Bay IBA (Important Bird Area) recognized as a globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Deering Estate staff participated in the Kendall Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 21. The results from the Deering portion of the 2024 Kendall Christmas Bird Count are in and 2,010 individual birds from 48 different species were tallied! The most common were White Ibis with 1,200 individuals (seen during the morning lift off), and in distant second, Double-crested Cormorant with 250 counted. The best bird of the day was two Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Photo of an Eastern Phoebe by Rangel Diaz. These are a common wintering species in South Florida. They have a large breeding range that include...