To the birding community:
Below are the results for Kings County Christmas Birding Count Circle.
In the lowest count since 1981, with inclement snowy weather a factor among other things, 110 species were recorded.
Reflecting the historic irruption of Snowy Owl this winter, it showed with a record 15 birds ( including five seen in a restricted landfill area) , smashing the previous high of 4 ( I think from 1937).
Most evident was a shocking drop in Black-capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse numbers along with several other winter resident species which also evident in todays' Central Park (NYC) figures.
Please note the numbers below for Kings CBC are not final, or preliminary due to still ongoing count week and subject to revised figures.
Thanks to compiler Rick Cech for his tireless effort compiling and keeping/maintaining the records , assisted by Paul Keim assisting on count night, Mary Eyster organizing the CBC teams, Heidi Nanz setting up dinner prep and the countless members and birders helping out in any fashion. And as well thanks to the Prospect Park Alliance for use of their gorgeous venue ,the Audubon Boathouse.Anyone we forgot to mention, the Brooklyn Bird Club thank them for their voluntary effort.
Happy Holidays to all, and a New Year full of great birds.
--Peter
We had 28 new low counts (11 of which were all-time), versus 8 high counts (3 all-time).
Brooklyn XMas Count Annual Report: 2013
Bold = All time high / low
Italic = 10-year high/low
Low count stats exclude miss years
Species
|
#
| |||
Snow Goose
|
130
| |||
Brant
|
15723
| |||
Cackling Goose
|
2
|
NEW FOR COUNT
| ||
Canada Goose
|
1607
| |||
Mute Swan
|
171
| |||
Wood Duck
|
10
|
IRR; ALL-TIME HIGH (by almost 4x)
| ||
Gadwall
|
126
| |||
American Wigeon
|
126
| |||
American Black Duck
|
732
| |||
Mallard
|
888
|
10-yr hi
| ||
Northern Shoveler
|
484
| |||
Northern Pintail
|
2
| |||
Green-winged Teal
|
98
| |||
Canvasback
|
2
|
All-time low (tie)
| ||
Greater Scaup
|
1778
| |||
Lesser Scaup
|
81
| |||
Surf Scoter
|
46
| |||
White-winged Scoter
|
19
| |||
Black Scoter
|
64
| |||
Scoter (sp.)
|
2
| |||
Long-tailed Duck
|
249
| |||
Bufflehead
|
621
| |||
Common Goldeneye
|
11
| |||
Hooded Merganser
|
109
|
All-time high
| ||
Red-breasted Merganser
|
571
| |||
Ruddy Duck
|
279
| |||
Ring-necked Pheasant
|
1
|
All-time low (tie)
| ||
Red-throated Loon
|
27
| |||
Common Loon
|
66
| |||
Pied-billed Grebe
|
5
| |||
Horned Grebe
|
99
| |||
Red-necked Grebe
|
1
| |||
Northern Gannet
|
208
| |||
Double-crested Cormorant
|
130
| |||
Great Cormorant
|
52
| |||
Great Blue Heron
|
12
|
10-year low
| ||
Northern Harrier
|
12
|
All-time low
| ||
Sharp-shinned Hawk
|
5
| |||
Cooper's Hawk
|
9
|
10-year low
| ||
Red-tailed Hawk
|
13
|
10-year low
| ||
American Kestrel
|
1
|
10-year low
| ||
Merlin
|
1
|
10-year low
| ||
Peregrine Falcon
|
3
|
10-year low
| ||
Clapper Rail
|
3
|
IRR
| ||
American Coot
|
46
| |||
Black-bellied Plover
|
20
| |||
Semipalmated Plover
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
Killdeer
|
17
|
10-year high
| ||
Greater Yellowlegs
|
7
| |||
Ruddy Turnstone
|
3
|
IRR
| ||
Sanderling
|
401
| |||
Purple Sandpiper
|
23
| |||
Dunlin
|
38
| |||
Wilson's Snipe
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
American Woodcock
|
1
| |||
Bonaparte's Gull
|
242
| |||
Ring-billed Gull
|
6797
| |||
Herring Gull
|
1616
|
All-time low
| ||
Great Black-backed Gull
|
150
|
All-time low
| ||
Rock Pigeon
|
704
| |||
Mourning Dove
|
150
| |||
Monk Parakeet
|
10
|
10-year low
| ||
Snowy Owl
|
15
|
IRR; ALL-TIME HIGH (by c. 4x)
| ||
Belted Kingfisher
|
1
|
10-year low
| ||
Red-headed Woodpecker
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
Red-bellied Woodpecker
|
33
| |||
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
|
22
| |||
Downy Woodpecker
|
30
| |||
Northern Flicker
|
8
|
All-time low
| ||
Blue Jay
|
62
| |||
American Crow
|
70
|
All-time low
| ||
Horned Lark
|
50
| |||
Tree Swallow
|
4
|
IRR
| ||
Black-capped Chickadee
|
4
|
All-time low
| ||
Tufted Titmouse
|
4
|
All-time low
| ||
White-breasted Nuthatch
|
5
|
10-year low
| ||
Brown Creeper
|
1
|
10-year low
| ||
Carolina Wren
|
34
| |||
Winter Wren
|
2
| |||
Hermit Thrush
|
11
| |||
American Robin
|
33
|
10-year low
| ||
Gray Catbird
|
5
| |||
Northern Mockingbird
|
32
|
10-year low
| ||
European Starling
|
924
|
All-time low
| ||
American Pipit
|
2
|
10-year low
| ||
Cedar Waxwing
|
3
|
10-year low
| ||
Orange-crowned Warbler
|
2
|
IRR
| ||
Nashville Warbler
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
135
|
All-time low
| ||
Palm Warbler
|
1
| |||
Eastern Towhee
|
2
|
10-year low
| ||
American Tree Sparrow
|
59
| |||
Chipping Sparrow
|
4
| |||
Field Sparrow
|
6
| |||
Savannah Sparrow
|
36
| |||
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
Sharp-tailed Sparrow (sp.)
|
1
|
RARE
| ||
Fox Sparrow
|
50
|
10-year high
| ||
Song Sparrow
|
247
| |||
Swamp Sparrow
|
86
|
10-year high
| ||
White-throated Sparrow
|
377
| |||
Dark-eyed Junco
|
207
| |||
Snow Bunting
|
251
|
10-year high
| ||
Northern Cardinal
|
153
| |||
Red-winged Blackbird
|
111
| |||
Eastern Meadowlark
|
1
|
10-year low
| ||
Rusty Blackbird
|
3
|
IRR
| ||
Common Grackle
|
2
| |||
Brown-headed Cowbird
|
356
| |||
House Finch
|
156
| |||
American Goldfinch
|
164
| |||
House Sparrow
|
418
| |||
Total: 110 species
38,991 individuals
