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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Join the flock: Mississippi's Christmas Bird Count takes flight

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Monday, December 16, 2024   

Bird enthusiasts across Mississippi are actively participating in a long-standing science project.

The Audubon Society is conducting its 125th annual Christmas Bird Count, amassing valuable long-term data on bird populations. The Magnolia State is home to more than 400 bird species.

Erik Johnson, director of conservation science for the Audubon Delta region of the National Audubon Society, said Mississippians will go through a circled area with a 15-mile radius, counting the number of birds they see or hear. He noted the data will help track trends and movements in birds.

"Many species of birds that winter in the United States and Canada have been shifting north for decades, and this is very likely in response to a warming climate, a warming winter," Johnson explained. "The center of their range have shifted several hundred miles. So birds that were common in South Mississippi 50 years ago, maybe a lot less common today."

Johnson pointed out Mississippi has 21 Christmas Bird Count circles happening this year. He noted a study from five years ago used various bird data sets, including the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and revealed a loss of 3 billion birds in the United States and Canada since the early 1970s, highlighting a continentwide decline in bird populations.

Johnson highlighted several endangered species in Mississippi, such as coastal piping plovers and red-cockaded woodpeckers in the piney woods, particularly in areas managed with fire. Before the Endangered Species Act of the early 1970s, the species were declining rapidly.

"For piping plovers, there were only about 3,000 of them left in the world," Johnson emphasized. "Through really aggressive conservation actions, especially on the breeding grounds in the Atlantic and the Upper Mississippi River drainage basin, these birds have been coming back. So there are more than twice as many piping plovers today as there were 50 years ago."

The National Audubon Society's annual nationwide Christmas Bird Count runs through Jan. 5 and
includes the U.S. and Canada, as well as Central and South America.


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