easily the best sandpipers were the red- raleigh, 19 ......2278, savannah also led in the record...
TRANSCRIPT
Easily the best sandpipers were the Red-necked Phalarope and 18 RedPhalaropes noted on the Cape Hatterascount. The Red-necked was pho-tographed on the Salt Pond and wasonly the second to be found on a NorthCarolina CBC (the first was at Bodie-Pea Islands in 1987). Also very unusualfor an inland count was the RuddyTurnstone found on the Durham count.Gull numbers were down, but still somerarities were located, such as Little Gulland Black-legged Kittiwake at KittyHawk, the returning Black-headed Gullat Mattamuskeet, the two CaliforniaGulls at Bodie-Pea Islands, a Thayer’sGull at Cape Hatteras, and an IcelandGull at Falls Lake. Alcids were noted,with the best finds being single Dovekiesat Cape Hatteras and Camp Lejeune,and Razorbills on four counts (13 atWilmington).
Goatsuckers made news this seasonwith a nighthawk sp. on the PamlicoCounty count and a Chuck-will’s-widowon the Bodie-Pea Islands count. Thenighthawk, not seen well enough to ruleout Lesser Nighthawk, was only the sec-ond to be located during a CBC in thisstate, the first was a Common atWilmington on the 104th CBC.Hummingbirds continued to be foundon the counts, with Ruby-throateds pre-dominating along the coast andSelasphorus throughout the state. Afterlast year’s flycatcher bonanza, only oneWestern Kingbird was noted, that beingat Ocracoke. Cave Swallows were againnoted lingering from the fall, with twoat Mattamuskeet and three at Ft. Fisheron the Southport count. Red-breastedNuthatches irrupted into the state ingood numbers this fall, so it was no sur-prise that the species was reported from40 of the counts statewide and wascounted in record numbers. The total of377 this season broke the previousNorth Carolina CBC total of 326 ratherhandily. Warbler highlights includedboth Orange-crowned Warbler andPrairie Warbler far inland at Charlotte,a Northern Parula on the Southportcount, a Yellow-throated Warbler at
Raleigh, 19 Ovenbirds at CapeHatteras, the previously mentionedMacGillivray’s, a Wilson’s Warbler atMattamuskeet, and four Yellow-breastedChats (Mattamuskeet and Wilmingtoneach with one and Southport with two).A Summer Tanager on the New Berncount was only the second ever to befound on the state’s CBC, the first was atMorehead City on the 81st CBC.Noteworthy sparrows included twoAmerican Tree Sparrows at ARNWR,Clay-colored Sparrows at Kitty Hawk(1) and Pamlico County (2), two LarkSparrows on the Pee Dee N.W.R. count,a Henslow’s Sparrow at Southport, a LeConte’s Sparrow at Pamlico County, anda Lincoln’s Sparrow on the Kerr Lakecount. Lingering buntings included aRose-breasted Grosbeak at New Bernand an Indigo Bunting at Southport.With 12 tallied, Painted Bunting num-bers were up (Cape Hatteras had 3,Southport had 9). Always a good find inNorth Carolina was the Yellow-headedBlackbird found at ARNWR. RustyBlackbird numbers were almost doublethat of last year, another good sign for adeclining species. Purple Finch numberswere up compared to the last severalyears. One Red Crossbill was located,that being on the GrandfatherMountain count. The rarest finch wasthe Common Redpoll seen briefly atSouthern Pines while it associated withJuncos. And finally, after all the fall sea-son anticipation of an Evening Grosbeakflight, not a single one was reported dur-ing this count season!
SOUTH CAROLINARobin Carter4165 East Buchanan Drive
Columbia, SC 29206
The 108th CBC in South Carolinawas quite different from the 107th. Theweather for the 107th CBC was great;the majority of counts reported warmtemperatures and little or no rain. Incontrast, many 108th counts had cold,rainy, windy, or foggy conditions, with acorrespondent drop in numbers of both
species and individuals reported. Infact, one coastal count was so badlyaffected that the compiler chose not toreport the results.
We had 20 counts reporting for the108th CBC, including one newcount—Pinewood. This count filled inthe gap between the Santee NationalWildlife Refuge count and the CongareeSwamp count, so now we have a com-plete chain of counts for the LowerSaluda-Congaree-Santee River system:the chain goes from Lake Murray in thePiedmont to Lake Marion in the CoastalPlain, to Lower Saluda, Columbia,Congaree Swamp, Pinewood, and Santee.
Although Northern Bobwhite popu-lations in South Carolina continue todecline, even as Wild Turkey popula-tions prosper, we had six countsreporting bobwhites and 13 reportingturkeys. Two of the six counts reportingNorthern Bobwhite also reported WildTurkey (Litchfield-Pawleys Island andWinyah Bay).
This was the year of a massive inva-sion of Red-breasted Nuthatches, andthe counts reflected as much; 18 of 20counts reported this species.
The top coastal count this year wasWinyah Bay, with 157 species, followedby Hilton Head Island and Litchfield-Pawleys Island, both with 151 species.
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 65
Count circles inSOUTH CAROLINA
The top count in the Inner CoastalPlain region was, as usual, SanteeN.W.R. (124), followed by SavannahRiver Site (102) and Pinewood (101).
The top counts in the Piedmont andFall Line regions were Clemson andLower Saluda, both with 91 species, fol-lowed by Columbia (89).
ACE Basin had a great count, withone species (Yellow Warbler) new to thecount and four new record high counts(211 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks,500 Tundra Swans, 41 Mottled Ducks,and 41,895 Fish Crows). Other goodiesincluded 560 American White Pelicans,a Golden Eagle, two Whooping Cranes(from the resident Florida population),and 1145 Rusty Blackbirds.
Aiken reported the only CommonGoldeneye in the state. Charleston alsohad an exclusive species—two Long-tailed Ducks. Columbia had threeSandhill Cranes (new to the count).Congaree Swamp had two species newto the count, a Common Ground-Doveand a White-tailed Kite. The latter wasseen by a few lucky observers for about amonth following the count.
Clemson had two Ross’s Geese (newto the count) and a nice count of 28Brewer’s Blackbirds. Carolina SandhillsN.W.R. reported two unusual species—two Snow Geese and a Fish Crow.Hilton Head Island had two new recordcounts—71 American White Pelicansand an amazing 31 Stilt Sandpipers.
As usual the counters at Litchfield-Pawleys Island had a few goodspecies—a count week Eared Grebe, aPomarine Jaeger, a Black Guillemot (sec-ond state and CBC record) and a niceflock of 10 Cave Swallows.
Lower Saluda, being a relatively newcircle, had a number of species new tothe count, including a Short-billedDowitcher and a returning Allen’sHummingbird. Lake Wateree had twoCommon Mergansers (new to thecount). North Greenville had a coupleof returning hummingbirds—a Calliopeand a Rufous. The new Pinewood countracked up a whopping 1556 WoodDucks, 29 Red-cockaded Woodpeckers,
a Grasshopper Sparrow, and a Le Conte’sSparrow. The Pee Dee Area had a goodcount of 10 Northern Bobwhites.
Sun City-Okatie reported six Yellow-crowned Night-Herons (new to thecount) and a record 32 SpottedSandpipers. Santee N.W.R. had no eye-popping rarities, but did report the state’sonly Greater White-fronted Geese (3) aswell as two species that are hard to findin the Coastal Plain—two PurpleFinches and four Pine Siskins.Spartanburg reported a RufousHummingbird (a species that is now aregular visitor throughout the state) anda well-described female Varied Thrush,which is amazingly not new to the count.
Savannah River Site reported a record2051 Lesser Scaup. As usual this countreported several good sparrows—twoBachman’s Sparrows (hard to find inwinter), a Grasshopper Sparrow, and aHenslow’s Sparrow. Winyah Bay had anumber of good species that were newto the count—a Golden Eagle, fourCommon Ground-Doves, a NorthernSaw-whet Owl, a Purple Finch, and aPine Siskin. Almost to be expected,York-Rock Hill reported a RufousHummingbird.
GEORGIAGiff Beaton320 Willow Glen Drive
Marietta, GA 30068
This year Georgia had 25 ChristmasBird Counts and 223 accepted species,an excellent total. The 588 participantsdrove 7101 miles and walked 561 miles.The Savannah CBC, which, ironically, hasmost of its circle in South Carolina, pro-vided several new high counts for Georgia.
Two Ross’s Geese at Savannah were astate CBC first, but Lesser Scaup were atthe second-lowest total in 17 years at1029. Hooded Merganser and RuddyDuck posted their highest counts ever at3274 and 5687, respectively. Bothspecies have been increasing over the last10 years and were led with Savannahcounts of 1892 and 5431. The HornedGrebe count was also a new high at 295,
paced by 144 at Harris Neck. Double-crested Cormorant also set a new highwith 10,032—besting the old record byalmost 3000—with high counts acrossthe state (highest was 1676 at LakeOconee). A Magnificent Frigatebirdfrom Cumberland Island was also a stateCBC first. Snowy Egrets have beenincreasing over the last five years, andthis year’s total of 2056 was close to therecord of 2063 on the 106th count(high total was 1178 at Savannah). With2278, Savannah also led in the recordcount of 2976 White Ibis. SevenRoseate Spoonbills on three countsmarked only the second year of this pre-viously unrecorded CBC species. The497 Wood Storks was a welcomed newhigh total for this beleaguered species,led by 170 at Harris Neck and 106 atGlynn County. The state total of 27Merlins was also a new high, with sevenat Savannah and five at Dublin. ALimpkin at Lake Blackshear was also afirst state CBC record. Glynn Countyrecorded the second state record andfirst CBC record of Snowy Plover, whichwintered there. Both Black-bellied(2275) and Semipalmated Plovers(6614) were found in record numbers. ABlack-necked Stilt at Savannah was the
66 AMERICAN BIRDS
Count circles inGEORGIA
first recorded during a Georgia CBC(count week last year was the only previ-ous record). The 863 American Avocets(840 at Savannah alone) was a new highcount, topping last year’s 739. Dunlinalso set a new record with 15,386, witha high count of 4975 at Sapelo Island.Savannah’s 373 Long-billed Dowitchersprovided most of the state’s record totalof 380, and a Wilson’s Phalarope therewas the third Georgia CBC record.Bonaparte’s Gulls were also found inrecord numbers with 767, led by 380 atSavannah for the coastal high, and 221at Lake Oconee for the inland high. AGreen-breasted Mango spending thewinter at a feeder (Dublin) was a firststate record and only the third everUnited States CBC record, and the onlyone outside of Texas.
A count week Say’s Phoebe at LakeBlackshear was the state’s second CBCrecord. A Northern Rough-wingedSwallow at Augusta was the state’s fourthCBC record, and a Barn Swallow atHarris Neck (count week) was the tenth.The state total of 115 Red-breastedNuthatches was the highest ever, and thespecies was recorded on 18 of 25 counts.The majority of them were in northGeorgia, with Amicalola Falls leadingthe way at 39. Horned Larks were againvery low with four, following a 10-yeartrend in the state. A male YellowWarbler at Savannah was the third stateCBC record (second with good details),and the six Prairie Warblers (found on 4counts) was a new high. Savannah had
three of them, but the most surprisingwas significantly upstate at FloydCounty. The state total of 10,958Chipping Sparrows was a new high totalby more than 2000, and the high countwas Dublin with 2729. The 191 FoxSparrows was also a new high statecount, led by 42 at Callaway Gardensand 36 at Carter’s Lake. The last 10years’ counts have averaged only 59, butthis year many counts registered highcounts for this sparrow. Two LaplandLongspurs at Savannah were the firstCBC records for Georgia in 40 years.
FLORIDABill Pranty8515 Village Mill Row
Bayonet Point, Florida 34667
A record number of Christmas BirdCounts, 66, was conducted in Floridathis season. Counts at Dry TortugasN.P. and Perdido Bay were not con-ducted (the latter count may bepermanently discontinued), whilecounts were begun at Jackson Countyand STA-5 Clewiston. Florida’s CBCsaccounted for 8143 accepted observa-tions of 341 taxonomic forms and morethan 1.56 million individuals. The tax-onomic forms comprise 278 native
species, all 13 of Florida’s countableexotics, 24 non-countable exotics, foursubspecies or morphs, two hybrids, and20 species-groups. The 31 PurpleSwamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio) atSTA-5 Clewiston added one species tothe Christmas Bird Count database.Both of these exotics are breeding innatural wetlands in southern Floridaand have been targeted for eradicationby wildlife agencies.
Eight CBCs exceeded 150 species:Cocoa and West Pasco (164 each);Merritt Island N.W.R. (161);Jacksonville and Zellwood-Mount Dora(160 each); St. Petersburg (156); SouthBrevard (152), and Aripeka-Bayport(151). Six CBCs tallied more than50,000 individuals: Econlockhatchee(87,439); Cocoa (81,595); Lakeland(78,348); Jackson County (73,566); St.Petersburg (52,529); and STA-5Clewiston (50,828). The Double-crestedCormorant, Great Blue Heron, GreatEgret, Mourning Dove, BeltedKingfisher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, GrayCatbird, Northern Mockingbird,Yellow-rumped Warbler, and PalmWarbler were reported on all 66 counts.In contrast, 34 other native species wereseen on only one CBC each, with 20 ofthese representing single individuals.
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 67
Count circles inFLORIDA
Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus),Glynn County, Georgia.Photo/Jerry Amerson
The five species that exceeded 80,000individuals each were the AmericanRobin, Red-winged Blackbird, LaughingGull, American Coot, and Tree Swallow.
Undocumented rarities are not men-tioned in the following summary.Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks num-bered 3454 individuals statewide, with1000 each at Sarasota and STA-5Clewiston. The latter CBC also reported1000 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks. TwoGreater White-fronted Geese gracedGainesville, and two Brant enlivenedMerritt Island N.W.R. There were 3537Muscovy Ducks on 46 counts, and 3850mostly feral Mallards on 47 counts.Eradication of the latter species shouldbe a top priority for wildlife agencies;323 hybrid Mallard x Mottled Duckswere reported on six CBCs. Long-tailedDucks were documented at Cocoa andMerritt Island N.W.R., adjacent countsin Brevard County.
Two Red-throated Loons photographedat Emeralda-Sunnyhill furnished one ofvery few documented inland records inFlorida. Of the state’s 1413 CommonLoons, 720 were at ChoctawhatcheeBay! CBCs tallied 10,707 AmericanWhite Pelicans on 42 counts, and20,657 Brown Pelicans on 43 counts,including Browns inland at Lakeland(77) and Lake Placid (count week).Among Florida’s 128,238 wading birdswere 129 “Great White Herons,” six“Wurdemann’s Herons,” 215 ReddishEgrets, 52,712 White Ibises, 6986Glossy Ibises, 1399 Roseate Spoonbills,and 5307 Wood Storks.
Ospreys totaled 3367 individuals onevery CBC except Jackson County, and1366 Bald Eagles were tallied on 62counts. Lake Placid and Long Pine Keyeach produced duos of White-tailedKites, while 94 Snail Kites were foundon seven counts. Accipiter tallies were245 Sharp-shinned Hawks on 52 countsand 371 Cooper’s Hawks on 60. Therewere 64 accepted Short-tailed Hawks on14 counts, with singles north toEconlockhatchee and Cocoa. CrestedCaracaras numbered 60 on nine CBCs,with half of these from STA-5
Clewiston. Statewide falcon totals con-sisted of 2426 American Kestrels, 73Merlins, and 65 Peregrine Falcons.
A Yellow Rail was glimpsed briefly atLong Pine Key, while the sole Black Railwas heard at West Pasco. Slightly morethan half of Florida’s 200 PurpleGallinules were at Lakeland. About12,642 Sandhill Cranes were tallied,with 5200 at Gainesville, 1500 at LakePlacid, and 1200 at Melrose. Only threeWhooping Cranes were found, two atAripeka-Bayport and one at CrystalRiver. Snowy Plovers numbered 81 onnine counts, while 75 Piping Ploverswere found on 11 counts. Red Knotstotaled 1326 birds on 22 counts. KeyLargo-Plantation Key produced 10Semipalmated Sandpipers, one of thesenicely photographed.
Tallies of black-backed gulls were 176Lessers on 19 counts and 262 Greats on15. A first-year Iceland Gull was pho-tographed at Jacksonville, and asimilar-aged Glaucous Gull was pho-tographed at Cocoa. The only acceptedCommon Tern was an adult photographedat Key Largo-Plantation Key. BlackSkimmers totaled 6195 individuals on34 CBCs, including 1300 at Jacksonville.
CBC participants tallied 11,258Eurasian Collared-Doves; every CBCexcept those in Biscayne and Evergladesnational parks contributed to the total.White-winged Doves numbered 886 on
35 CBCs. Sixteen species of psittacidswere tallied, mostly at Dade County.Monk Parakeets continued their recentdownward trend, numbering 1473 on23 counts. On the other hand, Black-hooded Parakeets have never been morenumerous, with 1117 individuals on 12counts, including 835 at St. Petersburg.Budgerigars continue to hang on, with12 at Aripeka-Bayport and 7 at WestPasco, but extirpation cannot be toomany years away. Fort Lauderdale againproduced the nation’s only Smooth-billed Anis (6). Considerable pre-dawneffort allowed St. Petersburg to set theall-time high of 191 Eastern Screech-Owls. Burrowing Owls numbered 203on eight counts, including 164 at FortMyers. All five Lesser Nighthawks werefound in Everglades National Park, withtwo at Coot Bay and three at Long PineKey. Florida’s 171 hummingbirds weredivided into 105 Ruby-throated, sevenRufous, two Black-chinned, one Buff-bellied, and 56 not specificallyidentified. Twenty-eight Red-cockadedWoodpeckers were found on eightcounts, while 42 Hairy Woodpeckerswere reported on 11.
Zellwood-Mount Dora produced 423tyrannids, including 26 Least Flycatchers(the entire state total!), the sole Ash-throated Flycatcher, 50 WesternKingbirds, three Scissor-tailedFlycatchers, and one Say’s Phoebe. ACassin’s Kingbird that spent its secondwinter (at least) in Hendry Countyhelped inaugurate the STA-5 ClewistonCBC, while a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbirdenlivened Kissimmee Valley. Numbers ofother tyrannids included 187 GreatCrested Flycatchers on 23 counts, 76Western Kingbirds on 13 counts, and 23Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on nine.Loggerhead Shrikes numbered 2024 on61 CBCs, with 200 of these at PeaceRiver. Single Bell’s Vireos were docu-mented at Choctawhatchee Bay andSarasota. Florida Scrub-Jays totaled 288on 20 counts. The inaugural JacksonCounty CBC produced five HornedLarks, while Tallahassee furnished all 11of the state’s White-breasted Nuthatches.
68 AMERICAN BIRDS
Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans),STA5-Clewiston, Florida.Photo/Garrett Legates
Nine Red-whiskered Bulbuls were tal-lied at Kendall Area. The FloridaOrnithological Society RecordsCommittee and the American BirdingAssociation Checklist Committee bothrecently ratified the Common Myna asan established exotic in Florida. Thisseason, 33 were found on six counts,including two at Ten Thousand Islands.It was not an invasion year for CedarWaxwings, with 2005 on 23 CBCs,including the southernmost atCorkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. One oftwo Sprague’s Pipits at ApalachicolaBay-St. Vincent N.W.R. was wonderful-ly photographed.
Twenty-three warbler species wereaccepted this season, the rarest beingBlackburnian at Cocoa, Prothonotary atCoot Bay-Everglades N.P., and Worm-eating at Zellwood-Mount Dora. Asalways, the two most numerous specieswere Yellow-rumped (49,529) and Palm(16,601), both species occurring onevery count. Summer Tanagers wereobserved on eight counts, while aWestern Tanager enlivened Tallahassee.The two most abundant sparrows wereChipping (6232) and Savannah (4268).Reports of the sharp-tailed sparrows,which I believe represent a greatlyunder-appreciated identification chal-lenge, were evenly divided between 81Nelson’s and 82 Saltmarsh, a ratio great-ly different from previous years. Detailsof all sharp-tailed sparrows in Floridawill be requested beginning next CBCseason to better understand their distri-
bution. The sole Fox Sparrow camefrom Jackson County. There were 211Painted Buntings on 29 counts, includ-ing 61 at Cocoa and 24 at West PalmBeach. Single Yellow-headed Blackbirdswere documented at Kendall Area andLakeland. There were 41 BronzedCowbirds at Dade County and two oth-ers at Sarasota. Only nine Spot-breastedOrioles were found on four counts fromWest Palm Beach to Kendall Area.Pensacola and Tallahassee each suppliedsingle Bullock’s Orioles. House Finchestotaled 1316 individuals on 36 counts,while Lake City furnished the state’s solePurple Finch. There were 2410 HouseSparrows on 50 counts, and 34 NutmegMannikins at Pensacola.
I appended with the “Details Desired”code 42 observations that should havebeen documented, and I deleted 46reports of extremely rare and/or oftenmisidentified species because of insuffi-cient or no details. I am extremelygrateful to those compilers who careful-ly vet the data from their counts, a taskthat greatly simplifies my editing. Ithank Bruce Anderson and JonGreenlaw for assisting me with review ofsome of the documentation forms.Dates and locations for all FloridaCBCs, along with a letter of instructionto compilers, are posted to the websiteof the Florida Ornithological Society(http://fosbirds.org). I urge all CBC par-ticipants and especially compilers toread this letter before and after partici-pating on a Florida CBC. Let’s all work
to improve documentation of rare birdsreported on Florida CBCs.
Correction: In my summary for the107th CBC season (American Birds, 61:68), I wrote that two Red-throatedLoons were seen at Jacksonville, but thisis incorrect; the birds were found at St.Augustine. I thank James Wheat forcatching this error.
OHIO/WEST VIRGINIA/KENTUCKYChuck Hocevar13 Bow Circle, #212
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
After a number of years of relativelymild weather and predictable observa-tions, this season provided a notableexception to those trends. Many ofOhio’s Christmas Bird Counts were can-celled, rescheduled, or adversely affectedby the weather. Some counts weremoved, only to find that the weatherwas worse on the later date. Many com-pilers commented on how the snow,hail, rain, or freezing rain hamperedtheir efforts in the field. There were nospringlike temperatures this year. Youcould be in the field in 15 degreeFahrenheit weather in Van Wert or themid-50s at East Fork. In spite of thesecircumstances, 159 species were noted,with 157 of those found on count day.The Toledo, Caesar Creek, andCincinnati counts reported high speciestallies of 96, 95, and 94, respectively.Toledo and Cincinnati reports were wellprepared, and Cincinnati actuallyremoved reported species because ofinsufficient supporting evidence. Itshould be noted, however, that 65 per-cent of the Ohio CBCs tallied fewerthan 70 species during their efforts.Several counts, limited by weather orresources, found less than 40 species.
Waterfowl was found in good num-bers with many unusual speciesrepresented. Greater White-frontedGeese were reported on three counts,with an additional count week report.Cackling Geese were observed from ahalf-dozen Ohio CBC locations. A sin-gle Ross’s Goose was located at
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 69
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Key Largo-Plantation Key, Florida.Photo/M. Brennan Mulrooney
Lakewood, while a lone Brant wasreported from Youngstown, both obser-vations supported with photographs.Observations of Trumpeter Swan con-tinue to expand, with 66 individualslocated from seven separate count areas.All three scoters were reported thisseason in small numbers, as was Long-tailed Duck. There were more randomreports of Blue-winged Teal than in nor-mal years, and even a feral Muscovy wasnoted at Grand Lake-St. Marys. Red-throated Loons were found on theCaesar Creek and East Fork counts,while Caesar Creek also reported a Red-necked Grebe during count week. Itshould be noted that none of the raritieson the Caesar Creek CBC wereacknowledged or submitted with sup-porting information. Only 10individual Ruffed Grouse were notedstatewide from six count areas. Twentyyears ago it was considered good fortuneto find Wild Turkey on more than oneOhio CBC. This season almost 2000individuals were located on more thanhalf of the Ohio counts.
Other unusual observations includeda Northern Gannet at Fremont and aGreen Heron lingering in Van Wert.The Gannet was said to be pho-
tographed, but copies were not forward-ed to the CBC regional editor. Black andTurkey vultures continue to be found inincreasing numbers, with 845 BlackVultures reported from 13 areas and 968Turkey Vultures found on 17 Ohiocounts. The same trends continue withOhio’s Bald Eagle populations. Eagleswere located on 45 Ohio counts with270 individuals reported; exactly half ofthem were adults. Single NorthernGoshawks were found this season atopposite ends of the state, with reportsfrom Cleveland and Portsmouth.Falcons were well documented, with 15Merlin found at 13 locations and ninePeregrines located on seven counts.Virginia Rail is a hard bird to find at thistime of year, but it is regularly recordedon the Millersburg CBC; with Ohio’sonly record coming from this location,this season was no exception. SandhillCranes were observed from seven loca-tions, with more than 400 individualslingering in the state. Two PurpleSandpipers apparently found their wayto the Lake Erie shores, with reports ofsingle birds at Mentor and Lake ErieIslands. American Woodcock were hardto find this year; reports of single birdscame from Cleveland and Ragersville.
Thayer’s and Iceland gulls wererecorded in Cleveland, and an addition-al well-documented report came fromthe inland location of Mansfield. LesserBlack-backed and Glaucous gulls werenumerous this year. Owls were plentifulduring this count period with a dozenBarn Owls being found on 5, Long-eared Owl reported from 10,Short-eared Owl from 12, and NorthernSaw-whet Owls on 3 Ohio CBCs. Theonly observation of Snowy Owl camefrom Cuyahoga Falls, where a lone indi-vidual was located. Two of the moreunique observations of this season camefrom Mansfield and Wooster, whererecords of a Rufous Hummingbird and alingering Least Flycatcher were submit-ted. There were no reports this season ofLoggerhead Shrike; however, NorthernShrike was numerous, as was AmericanPipit. House Wren was only found ontwo Ohio CBCs, and three MarshWrens were reported from Wooster. Twoof the most intriguing reports of thisseason came from Wilmot and OttawaN.W.R., where a Cape May Warbler anda Clay-colored Sparrow were located,both seen by multiple observers andsupported with photos. Large numbersof Lapland Longspurs and Snow
70 AMERICAN BIRDS
Count circles inOHIO/WEST VIRGINIA/KENTUCKY
Buntings were found this year. It isworth noting three other rare winterobservations: a well-documentedDickcissel located in Wooster, a Yellow-headed Blackbird in Toledo, and fivePine Grosbeaks in Wooster. Brewer’sBlackbirds were reported from a surpris-ing three counts this year. CommonRedpolls were particularly numerous,recorded from 25 count areas. AlthoughPine Siskins were found with ease, theonly winter finch found was the 30Evening Grosbeaks reported statewidefrom four locations. As a side note, withalmost 70 CBCs organized in Ohio, itwas interesting to note that only 10species were reported from every count,and this tally did not include birds likeRock Pigeon and European Starling.
The Ohio effort during this seasonwas remarkable. Ohio field workersspent more than 1700 hours in cars, butalmost 2600 hours on foot in the field;the estimated number of miles traveledon foot totaled in excess of 2230. Ohiofielded 1778 field observers, withMillersburg and Cincinnati leading the waywith 129 and 128 observers, respectively.
For the first time in several years theweather played a significant role in theoutcome of this year’s West VirginiaCBCs. There were no springlike temper-atures this season, and in the case ofPocahontas County a low temperatureof 2 degrees Fahrenheit was reported.Partly or mostly frozen water was notunusual, and there were reports ofcounts having their dates changed inthis region as the result of bad weather.
The weather did not stop WestVirginia observers from locating a num-ber of highly unusual species. Amongthe lingering species were a Yellow-breasted Chat reported from Ona, anIndigo Bunting from Raleigh County, acount week White-eyed Vireo fromParkersburg, and an undocumentedNorthern Oriole from the Athens-Princeton area. Well-documentedobservations of Northern Goshawk andSandhill Crane came from Canaan andCharles Town, respectively. In spite ofthe marginal weather, West Virginia par-
ticipants located 124 species statewide.Twenty-two species of ducks, swans,
and geese were found in West Virginia,with single reports of Snow Goose,American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler,Canvasback, Redhead, and CommonGoldeneye submitted. Unusual water-fowl included six Long-tailed Duckslocated at the Pipestem Area and twoSurf Scoters lingering at Charleston.Several Common Loons were found atOna, and there were a number of reportsof Double-crested Cormorants fromthree West Virginia counts. In additionto the aforementioned NorthernGoshawk, 39 Bald Eagles were found ona dozen West Virginia counts, withadults outnumbering immature birdsnearly two to one. An adult and animmature Golden Eagle were located atthe Pipestem Area. Merlins andPeregrine Falcons were each observed onthree of West Virginia’s CBCs.
Statewide, only 10 individual RuffedGrouse were found on five counts, whileWild Turkeys were found in significantnumbers from 15 locations. SeveralVirginia Rails were reported fromCharles Town, and the state’s onlyrecord of American Woodcock this sea-son was at Canaan. One of the moreinteresting observations of the seasoncame from Huntington, where a well-documented Forster’s Tern was foundlingering in the count area. Of WestVirginia’s 124 species, 22 were reportedfrom every count area.
A Short-eared Owl was reported fromPocahontas County, while Charles Townobservers recorded two Long-earedOwls. The only West Virginia report ofBarn Owl came from Moorefield. Thestatus of vultures in the state remainedcomparable to prior years with 157Black Vultures located from eightcounts, while 688 Turkey Vultures werelocated from 17 CBCs. Other lingeringspecies included a Blue-headed Vireo atRaleigh County, Gray Catbird atHampshire County, and a Lincoln’sSparrow at Charles Town. WestVirginia’s only record of LoggerheadShrike this season came from Inwood,
and the report of a large group ofAmerican Pipits at Ona was also uniquethis season. Winter Finches remainedhard to find during the count period,with only a few scattered reports of PineSiskins and a single record of 10 EveningGrosbeaks at Canaan.
West Virginia observers included 299individuals in the field and an addition-al 41 monitoring feeders. This groupcovered more than 4000 miles by carand an additional 391 miles on foot.Including the 283 miles covered bynocturnal fieldwork, West Virginiaparticipants covered more than 4600miles during this count period.
Kentucky observers generally have themost pleasant weather of all the statesreporting in this region, but with nospringlike weather noted, this year wasan exception. Not one of the CBCsreporting this season had high tempera-tures above 49 degrees Fahrenheit. Inaddition, most lows were below freezingand windy conditions were common.The Land Between the Lakes countreported more than three inches of rainon count day, and the Louisville countwas postponed a week, only to find badweather again on the later date.Kentucky observers still totaled morethan 550 hours to provide adequate cov-erage. In addition, they drove 3758 milesand walked an additional 127.5 miles.There were 187 field participants, withan additional 25 watching their feeders.
Kentucky observers located 25 speciesof waterfowl during this count period.
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 71
Merlin (Falco columbarius), BeaverCreek, Ohio. Photo/Robert Lane
The most noteworthy included BlackScoters during count week at LandBetween the Lakes and 15 GreaterScaup at Calloway County. In addition,Common and Red-breasted merganserswere found in small numbers, as well asa couple of reports of Snow Geese. A lateBlue-winged Teal was reported fromLouisville, and a feral Muscovy was alsotallied. American White Pelicans madetheir appearance at Calloway County oncount day, as well as at Land Betweenthe Lakes during count week. A loneGreat Egret lingered at Land Betweenthe Lakes, and a small number of Black-crowned Night-Herons again remainedat Louisville. Thirty-nine Bald Eagleswere located on seven counts this sea-son, including 28 adults and 11immature birds. A Rough-legged Hawkand the state’s only report of PeregrineFalcon again came from Louisville. Intotal 622 Turkey Vultures were foundfrom 10 counts and 551 Black Vultureswere recorded from nine circles.
Land Between the Lakes continued toreport unusual gull and tern species forthe state, and this season’s observationsincluded Thayer’s Gull on count dayand Lesser Black-backed Gull duringcount week. Forster’s Terns were alsolocated on this count, as well as atCalloway County. Least Sandpiper wasobserved at Calloway County on countday and at Land Between the Lakes dur-ing count week. Observations ofSandhill Cranes were submitted fromfour Kentucky circles, and EurasianCollared-Dove and Loggerhead Shrikewere recorded from multiple counts thisseason. There are always good numbersof Yellow-rumped Warblers found in thestate at this time of year, but other war-blers are more noteworthy. Thus reportsof Pine Warbler at Frankfort and PalmWarbler at Somerset were noteworthy.Other unusual observations include aLapland Longspur at Lincoln’s Birthplaceand a Dickcissel in Hopkinsville. Winterfinch reports were again sparse, with afew scattered reports of Pine Siskin anda single report of four EveningGrosbeaks at Lexington. Twenty-three
species were reported on every CBC inKentucky this season.
Calloway County led the state bylocating 83 species on count day. Inspite of the weather, the Land Betweenthe Lakes observers were able to locate80 species. On the other side of the coin,possibly as a result of the weather, therewere a good number of Kentucky CBCsthat did not find 60 species, includingone that tallied fewer than 40.
TENNESSEEStephen J. StedmanDepartment of English and Communications,
Box 5053
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN 38505
A record 30 Christmas Bird Countswere conducted in Tennessee during the108th season. This year’s “new” countwas Kingsport, which actually returnedto the state CBC fold following anabsence of 17 years—welcome back!During these 30 counts, 152 countablespecies were observed, as well as one—Whooping Crane—not yet countable.In addition, two species were present ascount week species only. Consequently,data for 155 avian taxa were obtained,with 19 species recorded on just oneCBC (excluding the count week onlyspecies) and 25 appearing on all counts.Reelfoot Lake once again accumulatedthe most species—109—but three othercounts surpassed the 100-species barrier,including Knoxville’s first-ever appear-
ance in that stratospheric echelon.Weather during the count period wasmixed, with some days offering goodweather for bird counting and others,notably New Year’s Day, offering poorconditions. However, little snow or icecover affected CBCs except at far east-ern, high elevation sites.
The state total for Greater White-fronted Goose (8931) was four times thehighest total ever achieved. Ross’s Geesewere tallied during four counts and dur-ing the count week of a fifth count, themost ever. Five Cackling Geese inMemphis were unique, while Memphisand Bristol once again accounted for theonly Mute Swans. Three Blue-wingedTeal—two at Knoxville and one atSavannah—were the only reported. ABlack Scoter on the Franklin-CoffeeCounty CBC and another during countweek at Memphis were also the onlyones reported. Chattanooga tallied theonly Long-tailed Duck.
Besides count week Ruffed Grouse atElizabethton and Roan Mountain,Bristol’s two grouse were the only count-ed. Turkeys continued to fare well andbobwhites poorly. Pied-billed Grebeswere widespread (26 counts, the mostever) and common (1256, also the mostever). Horned Grebes were found on, orduring count week of, more counts (15)than ever before, but their total number(508) was down from totals of recentyears. One Red-necked (Reelfoot Lake)and three Eared (Bristol) Grebes werethe only ones reported. Chattanooga’s
72 AMERICAN BIRDS
Count circles inTENNESSEE
American Bittern was unique, as wasMemphis’s Green Heron. Great BlueHerons, absent only from the count inGreat Smoky Mountains National Park,were found in moderate to good num-bers on all 29 remaining counts, themost ever.
Knoxville registered the state’s loneOsprey. Northern Harriers were count-ed in the lowest number per party hourof effort (0.04) since 1988, but Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks fared wellwith state totals of 61 (fourth highestever) and 109 (second highest ever),respectively. Crossville accounted for theseason’s lone Rough-legged Hawk, andClay County had the only GoldenEagle. Merlins were widespread on eightcounts, while single Peregrines atChattanooga and Nickajack Lake werethe only noted.
Four Virginia Rails at Chattanoogaand three at Savannah were the only railsreported. Two introduced, migratoryWhooping Cranes counted at Nashvillestayed through the ensuing winter, giv-ing rise to the hope they might becomea regular species there. DeKalb Countycounters found 572 Killdeers, the mostthis season. The state’s lone SpottedSandpiper was tallied at Kingsport,where it had wintered during severalpreceding years. A Lesser Black-backedGull at Franklin-Coffee County and anAllen’s Hummingbird noted duringcount week of the Shady Valley countwere the season’s significant rarities; theformer was photographed prior to thecount and found again count day, whilethe latter, a banded bird, was found deadtwo days prior to count day. Singlebanded Rufous Hummingbirds fre-quented feeders in Norris, Knoxville,and Elizabethton.
Rarely registered on Tennessee CBCswere a White-eyed Vireo and a countweek Barn Swallow at Reelfoot Lake. ATree Swallow at Cross Creeks was uniquethis season. Forty-four LoggerheadShrikes were counted statewide, thesecond-lowest state total in 60 years,despite the fact that more counts wereconducted than ever before. The number
of shrikes per party hour of effort wasalso second lowest on record (0.0284), adecrease by one order of magnitude fromthe 1970s, when, for instance, the equiv-alent figure was 0.2871 during the 72ndCBC. During the current CBC seasonthis shrike was observed on 12 counts—Buffalo River reporting 15, Reelfoot Lake6, and 10 other counts from one to 4—and it was registered during count weekon a 13th count, a detection rate that alsoinvites little optimism about the future ofthis intriguing, but fast-decreasing, species.
Knoxville recorded the state’s loneFish Crow, heard only. Twenty-eightravens were counted, not an impressivetotal by past standards, but they turnedup on seven eastern counts, the mostever. Red-breasted Nuthatches staged awidespread irruption with mostly smallto moderate numbers present at 23 sites,Shady Valley with 49 being the majorexception. White-breasted Nuthatcheswere counted in the highest total num-ber (1111) and in the highest numberper party hour (0.7171) ever, reflecting along-term and healthy increase in thisspecies’ state population. Sedge (1 atReelfoot Lake) and Marsh (1 each atReelfoot Lake and Chattanooga) wrenswere barely present, undoubtedlyreflecting severe drought conditionsduring the preceding year.
Frugivores were apparently not overlyaffected by the poor soft mast crop avail-able this winter, consequent to thedevastating freeze of early April 2007.For instance, Cedar Waxwings andYellow-rumped Warblers were present inmoderately good numbers. However,the state total for Pine Warbler (28) wasthe lowest since the 85th CBC. FourOrange-crowned and 26 Palm warblerswere found, but no other warblers foundtheir way onto CBC checklists. The onlyacceptably described American TreeSparrows were two found at the state’smost reliable site—Reelfoot Lake. Forthe first time ever the state total forEastern Meadowlark (1443) fell belowthe total number of party hours of effort(1549.2), cause for continued concernabout this decreasing grassland obligate.
Many thanks to all CBC compilersand especially to the cohort of 300-plusfield observers who collectively made theCBCs happen.
MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMADavid King U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
3909 Halls Ferry Road
Vicksburg, MS 39180
Larry Gardella3549 Audubon Road
Montgomery, AL 36111
There were 28 Christmas Bird Countsconducted in the region this year—11 inAlabama and 17 in Mississippi—downone from last year’s number because ofthe loss of the Tuscaloosa, AL, count.Counters recorded a total of 209 species,with Alabama having 195 species andMississippi 188. The total of 838,000birds, with roughly 433,000 fromMississippi and 405,000 from Alabama,was down from last year and a littlebelow the 20-year average.
Gulf Shores just missed the 150-species mark, coming in at 149. Theywere followed closely by SouthernHancock County at 148, then JacksonCounty at 143. The greatest inland totalwas from Eufaula N.W.R. at 124.Fifteen counts broke the 100-speciesbarrier. Gulf Shores had the highesttotals in the region with 46 species, fol-lowed by Wheeler N.W.R. with 33,Guntersville with 20, and SouthernHancock County with 19. SouthernHancock County had the most species
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 73
Immature Green Heron (Butoridesvirescens), Grenada, Mississippi.Photo/Gene Knight