The Camp Helen bird surveys began in 2011 when, former Board Member, Bill McCandliss furnished the Bird Sightings Book to Camp Helen State Park. Birds sighted on the monthly survey are recorded in this book. It is also used by visitors to write down the birds they identify 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.
In 2024, two new species were added to the list of birds LPCA has observed at Camp Helen. The new species were the Gray-Cheeked Thrush and the Whimbrel. Both species were observed in April. The Gray-Cheeked Thrush is an upland bird 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 2024. As the birders were leaving the beach that Saturday morning, one commented that she had never seen a Magnificent Frigatebird in Bay County. The group stopped and turned to look at the beach for one last look. Emily Ellis pointed to the sky. There it was soaring in the air, the Magnificent Frigatebird. These rarely seen birds are always a sight to behold.
After careful review of published eBird data, we are happy to report that the total number of species LPCA has observed at Camp Helen SP now stands at 198. Camp Helen is truly a Bay County eBird hotspot.
In addition to the species count at Camp Helen SP, the Lake Watch team counts the species 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 species seen on the Lake have also been observed during our counts in the Park. The additional species identified during Lake Watch are the Mallard and the 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 or leave a comment in the Contact box on this website.
Lake Powell Community Alliance 