By Toni Dabbs

During the late 1800s, a favorite American holiday pastime was hunting birds. Only some birds were killed for food. Others were victims of an unofficial competition, with hunters trying to kill as many birds as possible. Yet others were victims of fashion, because women of that era were mad about hats adorned with feathers.

In 1886, Frank Chapman, an ornithologist with the American Museum of Natural History, observed the feathers of 40 native species of birds on hats of women he saw on the streets of New York City. Many of these feathers came from smaller birds, such as Blackburnian Warbler, Cedar Waxwing and Northern Flicker.

The late 1800s also was a period of growing interest in conservation of both wildlife and land. John Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892. But even earlier than that, in 1883, the American Ornithologists’ Union was formed. And in 1896, a campaign by two Boston women urging city socialites to stop wearing feathered hats led to establishment of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

On Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman introduced a new holiday tradition: the Christmas Bird Count, with participants counting birds rather than killing them. That day, 25 areas held bird counts from Toronto, Ontario, to the California coast, tallying a total of 90 species.

Chapman’s idea caught on quickly, expanded to include more areas and became an annual event. His Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has evolved into the longest running database in ornithology, providing an unbroken trend line of early winter bird populations across the Americas. It now is held under the auspices of the Audubon Society.

CBC data is used to monitor the distribution of individual species as well as their increase and decline in numbers. It identifies local trends that may be used to detect potential environmental threats related to groundwater contamination, habitat destruction or improper use of pesticides.

Today, CBCs are so numerous that they are not held only on Christmas Day. Between December 14, 2005, and January 5, 2006, CBCs are scheduled at almost 2,000 locations, from Baffin Island to Tierra del Fuego and from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean to St. John’s, Newfoundland. According to the National Audubon Society, more than 55,000 observers, 85 per cent in the field and 15 per cent at their feeders, will count birds over an area equal to almost one-third of Earth’s surface.

Since 1997, the Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh area in Texas has led the annual CBC in North America. On December 20, 2004, the region established the all-time record for most species reported on a CBC in the United States with 246. Among new species counted were Bell’s Vireo, Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Purple Finch and Swainson’s Hawk.

There are two big reasons for the large variety of birds found in this part of Texas, located approximately 80 miles southwest of Houston, where the Colorado River meets the Gulf of Mexico. The area’s geography creates diverse ecosystems within the 15-mile diameter circle comprising the bird count area, and cooperative landowners manage their properties to maintain these habitats.

The area also is home to two preserves that not only are important to the annual CBC but also are great places to sight birds year-round.

Matagorda County Birding Nature Center is about two miles west of Bay City on State Highway 35 South. The 34-acre site was selected because it includes examples of several ecosystems found in Matagorda County. Interpretive nature trails lead visitors through prairie, wetland, upland and lowland habitats, making it easy to spot a variety of birds, such as Kildeer, Roseate Spoonbill, Pileated Woodpecker and Northern Cardinal. Nature Center staff supervise the area’s CBC.

Mad Island Marsh Preserve sits beside West Matagorda Bay at the terminus of the Central Flyway, one of four principal North American migratory bird routes. Its 7,063 acres are part of an expansive coastal wetland system, providing crucial winter habitats for shorebirds, wading birds and waterfowl. Tours and visits are available by appointment through the Nature Conservancy of Texas.

The 2005 Matagorda County-Mad Island Marsh CBC is set for December 19.

Matagorda County is big on birding, but it has other attractions as well.

Bay City, the county seat, is noted for its historic downtown district. The 1918 post office building, which anchors the central square, is now the Matagorda County Museum, with exhibits outlining the area’s early settlement, industry, and social and cultural history. It also is the place to pick up a brochure detailing a tour of heritage buildings.

Picturesque buildings around the square house an assortment of retail shops, restaurants and other businesses, while homes built by early residents still stand along side streets. The oldest residence was built in 1895 by N.M. Vogelsang, one of Bay City’s founders.

The square is the setting for a market every third Saturday from January through November, bringing more than 100 vendors from throughout the state.

Palacios is a coastal city with a sub-tropical climate conducive to palm trees and oleanders. It is both a popular resort community and a commercial seafood port, offering abundant recreational boating and fishing opportunities. It has a lighted seawall for evening strolls and a pavilion at the end of a long pier, where dances and concerts are held.

Matagorda sits at the mouth of the Colorado River on the Gulf of Mexico. One of the oldest towns in Texas, it includes a number of historical sites. Christ Episcopal Church held its first service in 1838 and still meets in a building erected in 1856. Matagorda Methodist Church wasn’t far behind, first meeting in 1839 and constructing its existing building in 1893.