Thursday, December 23, 2021

Fwd: Kings cbc list

2021 Kings Xmas Count report from co-compiler Mike Yuan. 



The Brooklyn Christmas Bird Count (CBC), one of the most urban of counts in the state, was conducted on Saturday, December 18th, 2021, and compiled on Zoom. The count circle includes most of the borough of Brooklyn, western Jamaica Bay, and the western end of the Rockaway peninsula. On a gray and occasionally spitting day that turned out much nicer than feared, over 100 participants in 12 areas within the count circle recorded 49,961 individuals, representing 129 species. These totals exceed our average totals of 43,897 individuals and 123 species.
High Counts
We established all-time high counts of SANDERLING (1,121) more than doubling our average sum. Our intrepid team of kayakers who explored the inner regions of Jamaica Bay islands contributed the bulk of the DUNLIN (907) count. GREAT BLUE HERON (38) flourished in Prospect Park and along the Brooklyn coast. Perhaps helped by successful, undisturbed breeding in the borough, GREAT HORNED OWLs (4) were detected in several locations. 1,100 TREE SWALLOWs, composed mainly of one 1000-strong flock that has roamed the western Rockaways for well over a month, obliterated the previous high count of 180. Mild temperatures in late autumn assisted in the high counts of GRAY CATBIRD (48), BROWN CREEPER (18), and AMERICAN ROBIN (564).
Low counts
Continuing a downward trend, counters tallied an all-time low of GREATER SCAUP (483), which have wholly disappeared from Dead Horse Bay, where they once amassed in the thousands in winter. We are curious if this flock has shifted elsewhere, and if nearby count circles have seen an uptick in this species. SHARP-SHINNED HAWKs (2) were poorly represented, which corresponds to a notably weak flight of them along the coast this fall. A count of 3 COMMON RAVENs seemed low, as they’ve profoundly settled into urban areas, but their presence on this year’s count promoted their frequency status to Regular (seen 8 or more times in the last 10 years). It’s terrific to see increased sightings in the field reflected in the count’s moving average method of monitoring species’ presence and frequency.
Rare sightings
The Brooklyn CBC deems rare species as those seen 0 to 3 times in the last 10 years. Topping the rarities, Emily Peyton and former Brooklyn CBC compiler and database mastermind, Rick Cech, spotted a LARK SPARROW at Hendrix Creek, rare for winter in New York and a count first. An ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, seen at Owls Head Park the day before the count, benevolently stayed the night and became the 2nd occurrence of this species on the count.
CBCers in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and on the west side of Cross Bay Boulevard and noted a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, the 4th record and first seen on the count since 2004, a GREAT EGRET, a single SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, a drake EURASIAN WIGEON, and 3 flyover DOWITCHERs over the West Pond, likely LONG-BILLED due to the date, but ultimately left as a “sp.,” as Short-billed Dowitchers linger in the Northeast.
Rounding out the other rarities, Floyd Bennett Field counters and Jamaica Bay kayakers tallied a ten-year high count of 74 RED KNOTs. The north shore of Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Bridge Park, contributed sightings of BALD EAGLE and LAUGHING GULL to the rare list. Perhaps classified as rare for the last time, an ICELAND GULL was spotted over Prospect Lake and LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLs (6) were seen on Breezy Point beaches, and will be promoted to Irregular (seen 4-7 times in the last ten years) for next year’s count. Increased distribution of gulls in the area, and increased interest in gulls among birders will hopefully make them regulars on the count.
Worst Misses/Count Week birds
It was tough to miss COMMON GRACKLE, a species seen on 85% of our counts, and tougher to see eBird reports of large flocks of them in Brooklyn on adjacent days. We suffered a harsh about-face in missing BONAPARTE’s GULL, scarcer in the last ten years but seen on 90% of our counts, including an all-time high of 2,789 in 2020.
This compiler has a sweet and sour feeling towards “count week” birds, those species not seen on Count Day but seen on the three days before and after Count Day. While it’s nice to see a variety of species in the area, the sightings are a stinging reminder of what could have been. This year, a number of species were not seen on count day, but before and after, such as a potential count first NORTHERN PARULA, and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. Thanks to a recent AOS split, a SHORT-BILLED GULL, first seen on Tuesday, would have been a count first.
Other count week birds include TURKEY VULTURE, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, HOUSE WREN, NELSON’S SPARROW, and YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.
A complete report will be published later in the Brooklyn Bird Club’s Clapper Rail newsletter. Special thanks to co-compiler Chris Laskowski for keeping everyone honest, and teams coordinator Bobbi Manian for always finding a place for everyone. Much gratitude to the participants, area leaders, and the Brooklyn Bird Club for making the count truly amazing year after year, no matter what we see and total.
Thank you,
Mike Yuan
Co-compiler, Brooklyn CBC
Brooklyn, NY
Janet Zinn, Michele Dreger and 27 others
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Yuan 
Date: Thursday, December 23, 2021
Subject: Kings cbc list
To: Peter Dorosh <prosbird@gmail.com>


Hi Peter-

Thanks for your patience. I've been in Denver with family, but have completed this year's reports.

Here's the file for your blog.

-Mike

Brooklyn Xmas Count Annual Report: 2021
Total 
Species Seen
Snow Goose 690
Brant 14695
Canada Goose 2060
Mute Swan 117
Wood Duck 2
Northern Shoveler 351
Gadwall 335
Eurasian Wigeon 1 RARE
American Wigeon 142
Mallard 569
American Black Duck 713
Northern Pintail 10
Green-winged Teal 324
Ring-necked Duck 4 IRR
Greater Scaup 483
Lesser Scaup 63
Surf Scoter 12
White-winged Scoter 8
Black Scoter 33
Scoter (sp.) 12
Long-tailed Duck 184
Bufflehead 939
Common Goldeneye 28
Hooded Merganser 69
Red-breasted Merganser 522
Ruddy Duck 359
Ring-necked Pheasant 2
Pied-billed Grebe 20
Horned Grebe 63
Rock Pigeon 1316
Mourning Dove 623
Clapper Rail 3 IRR
American Coot 68
American Oystercatcher 9 IRR
Black-bellied Plover 53
Killdeer 1
Semipalmated Plover 1 RARE
Ruddy Turnstone 34 IRR
Red Knot 74 RARE
Sanderling 1121
Dunlin 907
Purple Sandpiper 44
Dowitcher (sp.) 3 RARE
American Woodcock 4
Greater Yellowlegs 8
Laughing Gull 6 RARE
  Total 
Species Seen
Short-billed Gull cw
Ring-billed Gull 8844
Herring Gull 1634
Iceland Gull 1 RARE
Lesser Black-backed Gull 9 RARE
Great Black-backed Gull 388
Red-throated Loon 104
Common Loon 109
Northern Gannet 1750
Great Cormorant 34
Double-crested Cormorant 152
Great Blue Heron 48
Great Egret 1 RARE
Black-crowned Night-Heron 8 IRR
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1 RARE
Turkey Vulture cw IRR
Bald Eagle 1 RARE
Northern Harrier 25
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 16
Red-shouldered Hawk cw IRR
Red-tailed Hawk 22
Barn Owl 3 IRR
Great Horned Owl 4
Snowy Owl 6 IRR
Northern Saw-whet Owl 2 IRR
Belted Kingfisher 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 37
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 18
Downy Woodpecker 64
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 50
American Kestrel 11
Merlin 8
Peregrine Falcon 12
Monk Parakeet 20
Eastern Phoebe 1 IRR
Ash-throated Flycatcher 1 RARE
Blue Jay 223
American Crow 83
Fish Crow 208
Common Raven 3 IRR
Horned Lark 8
Black-capped Chickadee 9
Tufted Titmouse 5
Tree Swallow 1100
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 19
Golden-crowned Kinglet 22
Cedar Waxwing 138
  Total 
Species Seen
Red-breasted Nuthatch 10 IRR
White-breasted Nuthatch 6
Brown Creeper 18
House Wren cw RARE
Winter Wren 5
Marsh Wren 1 RARE
Carolina Wren 77
Gray Catbird 48
Brown Thrasher cw IRR
Northern Mockingbird 136
European Starling 3236
Hermit Thrush 18
American Robin 564
House Sparrow 559
American Pipit 2
House Finch 155
Purple Finch 1 IRR
European Goldfinch 1 RARE
American Goldfinch 39
Snow Bunting 162
Lark Sparrow 1 RARE
Chipping Sparrow 6
Field Sparrow 8
Fox Sparrow 41
American Tree Sparrow 23
Dark-eyed Junco 95
White-throated Sparrow 1066
Nelson's Sparrow cw IRR
Savannah Sparrow 46
Song Sparrow 354
Swamp Sparrow 33
Eastern Towhee 9
Eastern Meadowlark 2 IRR
Baltimore Oriole 4 IRR
Red-winged Blackbird 80
Brown-headed Cowbird 103
Rusty Blackbird cw IRR
Common Grackle cw
Boat-tailed Grackle 16 IRR
Orange-crowned Warbler 4
Northern Parula cw RARE
Palm Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 2 IRR
Yellow-rumped Warbler 531
Northern Cardinal 217
  Total 
Species Seen
Species Count: 129
Number Seen: 49,961
NOTE:  "cw" = Count Week only


-"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold."

- Aristotle

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