Despite low numbers of birds, Gainesville birders sighted 171 different avian species last week during the 126th Christmas Bird Count.

Andy Kratter, organizer for Gainesville’s count and ornithology collections manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said around 130 people participated, helping the count break 170 species for the fourth consecutive year.

The Christmas Bird Count is hosted by the National Audubon Society and organized by volunteers around North and South America. During a two-week span in the winter, local birds will pick a single day to record as many avian species as possible.

Kratter said the number of species is the metric that matters most, and Gainesville locals set the Florida record in 2024 with 175 species.

He said claiming the record is an impressive feat considering the city, unlike most of the state, lacks a coastline and the variety of shorebirds that live among the sands, piers and waves.

Kratter said the low overall numbers (total birds spotted) were expected. Alachua County and most of Florida experienced a drought this fall, along with few storm season showers. Birds take note and fly to areas where they can easily find a drink.

“Almost the entire prairie is completely dry, so there’s no standing water, so things like ducks and shorebirds and other water birds just aren’t using the prairie in any sort of numbers like they usually would,” Kratter said.

Bird count volunteers typically use two airboats on the prairie, but he said the group hiked through the vegetation this year, a less productive method.

The warmer-than-average temperatures also impacted the bird count. Kratter said a lot of Florida’s winter species, like robins and sparrows, have yet to migrate down.

Kratter said the birders spotted a record number of several of Alachua County’s permanent avian residents, including the Pileated Woodpecker, Great Horned Owl and Carolina Chickadee.

Several rarer birds also made the count, including a Least Flycatcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow, six Grassland Sparrows, a Winter Wren and a Magnolia Warbler.

The Gainesville count even had a chance to tie its own record.

Ahead of the Christmas Bird Count, volunteers often survey prime habitats, spot any rare species and plan to return for the count to again spot and officially record the observation.

Kratter said the day before the count, a flock of Redheads was seen on Newnans Lake. But the birds eluded volunteers on the day of the count.

The day after the count, birders spotted a Groove-billed Ani, Western Kingbird and a Lesser Nighthawk (the first living one spotted in the county). With these species recorded so close to the count, Kratter said birders might have hit the 175-species mark on another try.

“We’re so mad,” Kratter said with a laugh. “No, I mean, that’s birding, though. Birds can be elusive, especially some species, sparrows and stuff, they like to hide from humans.”

Gainesville’s Christmas Bird Count first occurred in 1957 with six participants and has continued every year since 1959.

Kratter said better birders and more organization have allowed the count to improve. Hitting 150 species used to be impressive in the 1970s and 1980s, and then the count began to inch upwards to today’s record-setting standard.