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8.7K Birds Spotted During SanCap Christmas Bird Count
On Saturday, Dec. 20, SCCF staff and volunteers recorded 8,720 individual birds from 95 different species on Sanibel and Captiva as part of our islands’ contribution to the National Audubon Society’s 126th Christmas Bird Count, which took place between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2026.
The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is one of the longest-running citizen science efforts in the world. SCCF and island conservation partners, including the Sanibel Captiva Audubon Society and the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, have collaborated on the Sanibel-Captiva CBC for over 60 years.
This year, 114 participants took part in the Sanibel-Captiva count, compared to 107 in 2024 and 95 in 2023.
Our count totals were slightly lower than the prior year, which were our highest since 2020 at 12,104 birds.
Top Species Observed
- White ibis (Eudocimus albus) – 1,185 counted
- Snowy egret (Egretta thula) – 606 counted
- Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) – 597 counted
- Royal tern (Thalasseus maximus) – 530 counted
- Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) – 463 counted
- Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) – 371 counted
- Fish crow (Corvus ossifragus) – 337 counted
- White pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) – 291 counted
- Sanderling (Calidris alba) – 290 counted
- Laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) – 289 counted
Other high-count species included palm warblers (Setophaga palmarum), ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), double-crested cormorants (Nannopterum auritum), willets (Tringa semipalmata), and great egrets (Ardea alba).
“This event would be impossible without the help of our volunteers and partners, who truly made this event a success,” said Audrey Albrecht, shorebird biologist and the Christmas Bird Count coordinator.