FOLEY, Ala. — The Dec. 20, 1979, "Foley Onlooker" carried a story by Staff Writer Doris Rich in which she described the Christmas bird count in South Baldwin.

“A count will be made in a circle 15 miles in diameter around Fort Morgan on Dec. 22 and at Gulf Shores on Dec. 31,” Rich wrote, noting an earlier count was made at Perdido Bay.

It was the eighteenth year that bird counts had been taken locally at Christmas time, Rich reported, noting that bird counts might be down that year. Birders from Pensacola, Mobile, Birmingham and Mississippi were expected to join local bird watchers in making the bird counts.

According to Rich, each birding party was assigned an area and the count was broken down to “birds per party hour.” Each birder kept a log and had a check sheet.

“They watch through binoculars or telescopes and listen for the songs.” Actually, the “watching” started before dawn so nocturnal species such as owls could be counted.

“The counting of birds is done in December and early January because at that time the birds are more apt to be staying in one place. Usually between 120 and 135 species are found at Fort Morgan, the largest number being blackbirds.”

So wrote Rich 30 years ago.

Lots of things have changed in Baldwin County since 1979, but counting birds in December and January isn’t one of them. It’s the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, according to Homer Singleton, who lives on Sandy Creek in Foley.

“It’s done on the basis of picking a single point and doing a circle of about 10 miles,” he said this week. The birders then count the species within that area or circle, he said, sounding not all that much different from Doris Rich’s description 30 years ago.

If anything, birding — and counting — is bigger than ever in Baldwin County. The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail sets forth a number of sites within birding “loops” in Baldwin County.

The recently opened Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley is on the “South Baldwin County Loop” and, according to Leslie Lassitter, Foley environmental manager, areas of the park will be set aside in the future where blinds will be constructed for bird watching.

“Graham Creek Nature Preserve is a popular spot for migratory birds to winter,” Lassitter said this week.

“The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail is currently cataloging which birds are visiting the area and we hope to have a listing in the near future.”

The ACBT Web site already lists such birds as bobwhite, shrike, warblers, vireos, tanagers, sparrows and waders in the 484-acre preserve, along with raptors.

It’s only a few miles from the Graham Creek Nature Preserve to the Magnolia Landfill, where birding is a bit of a different experience. At the landfill are gulls galore, fish crows and vultures.

The Lillian Swamp Forever Wild Tract is a site within the “South Baldwin County Loop.” In the swamp you won’t have to be as mindful of heavy equipment as you will while birding at the landfill.

The swamp encompasses nearly 3,000 acres managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State Lands Division. Birders can see woodpeckers, brown thrashers, eastern bluebirds and nuthatches just about any time of the year. Open pitcher plant bogs and swamplands are great for spotting what the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail calls “wintering sparrows, migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and an assortment of waders.”

Singleton said he started taking bird watching seriously about 10 years ago, “just about the time I retired.”

What do birders get out of the activity? According to Singleton, there are a lot of attractive birds in Baldwin County with attractive colors. And birding behavior is interesting and fun to behold.

The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail suggests that if you go to the Lillian Swamp to bird watch, be prepared to spend a half day and bring plenty of water, food and insect repellent. But for people like Homer Singleton, it would be worth it to catch a glimpse of a rusty blackbird.