The LPCA conducts a monthly bird species survey at Camp Helen State Park. The survey was started in 2011 with Bill McCandliss furnishing the Bird Sighting Book to the Park. The book is used by visitors to write down the birds that they have seen while visiting the park. The next time that you go to Camp Helen, go into the office and peruse the book, or better still, jot down any birds that you see while at the park.
This year, two new species were added to the list of birds that LPCA has observed at Camp Helen. Presently, the total number of species observed at Camp Helen SP is 198. Two new species were added last year; the Gray-Cheeked Thrush and the Whimbrel. Both species were observed in April. The Gray-Cheeked Thrush is an upland bird that is most often observed close to the ground in thickets, while the Whimbrel is a large, brown shorebird with a long, decurved bill. Although not a new species for the list, a Magnificent Frigatebird was observed in May.

In addition to the species count at Camp Helen SP, the Lake Watch team counts the birds observed during the monthly water sampling. Although the Lake Watch data has been collected for many years, the eBird data only goes back to 2018. Our count for Lake Powell is 97 species. All but 2 of these species have been observed during our counts in Camp Helen SP. The additional species identified during Lake Watch are Mallard and Boat-tailed Grackle.

We are grateful to all who volunteered to join us the last Saturday of the month at 6:00 AM to complete the survey. Please consider joining us. The more eyes we have looking for birds, the more we see. Want to join us on our monthly survey? Email: LPCA08@gmail.com