In Christmas Tradition, Gulf Coast Birds Counted

GRAND ISLE, La. (AP) — For years, volunteers have counted birds on the Gulf Coast every Christmas for the National Audubon Society.

This year, eight months after the BP oil spill, the bird counts along the Gulf of Mexico have a special meaning.

Phil Stouffer, a bird expert and professor at Louisiana

 State University, was on a recent bird count on Grand Isle. That's a barrier island hit hard by the spill. He says the count is a superficial look at bird numbers, but he says they could reveal any dramatic changes due to the spill.

The Audubon Society plans to study this winter's bird counts for clues about the oil spill and its effects.

Christmas bird counts in America date to 1900. Today, some 60,000 birders across the Western Hemisphere participate.