DMMP Christmas Bird Counts

The Baltimore Bird Club counted birds at four Dredged Material Management Program (DMMP) locations as part of the Audubon Society’s 125th Christmas Bird Count (CBC), which ran from December 14, 2024, to January 5, 2025.

2025 DMMP CBC Results:

• Hart-Miller Island (HMI): 12/14/24 with a count of 6,300 birds of 64 species
• Cox Creek Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) and Swan Creek Wetlands: 12/21/24 with a count of over 2,600 birds of 46 species
• Masonville DMCF and Masonville Cove public campus: 12/21/24 with a count of 2,000 individuals of 32 species
• Hawkins Point DMCF North Cell: 12/21/24 with a count of 960 birds of 44 species

Hart-Mill Island has been a part of the Middle River CBC for many years, the Baltimore Bird Club selected the other three Maryland Port Administration (MPA) sites for Baltimore City’s inaugural CBC.

“On December 21, 2024, a particularly cold and windy day, we had some exciting surprises. I haven’t seen some of these species on this count in 10 years,” said Maryland Environmental Service Senior Environmental Specialist Tim Carney. “At Masonville, Cal Liddell and their team spotted a great blue heron and ‘Peg,’ the American white pelican who had been on site since June 10, 2024. At Hawkins Point, my team observed a surf scoter, orange-crowned warblers, and an eastern meadowlark. Cox Creek didn’t yield surprises, but Chelsie Bateman and her team documented a great variety of birds. Since this was the inaugural year for the Baltimore City CBC, the counts at the three new MPA sites served as a trial. After next year’s CBC, data from all four of the MPA sites will be entered into Audubon’s national database, allowing anyone to track trends over time.”

In 1900, U.S. ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed that instead of hunting birds, people might count birds of the Christmas holiday season.

Today, his vision lives on through the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). The CBC is the nation’s longest-running community science project, providing invaluable data on the long-term health and trends of bird populations across North America.

The Baltimore Bird Club is a Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society serving Baltimore City and Baltimore County since 1945. The club welcomes anyone who has an interest in birds.

sources: Maryland Port Administration, Baltimore Bird Club