Friday, February 25, 2022

2021 Christmas Bird Count

 

American kestrel

The 2021 Christmas Bird Count was very productive this year.  Closing in on the counties record of 84 species found in one day, the 20 plus participants counted every bird within a 24 hour period the weekend before Christmas and observed 81 species and 15,954 individual birds.

A hermit thrush sneakily hiding deep in the brush

This count gives the Audubon Society long term data of bird populations in the winter for many of the counties in the United States.  Adams County, Ohio has been counting bird species around this same time of year for the Audubon's Christmas Bird Count since 1974.

Red-breasted nuthatch photo by Rich McCarty

Many birds encountered are very common and birds that live in the area year round.  Others are winter visitors like red-breasted nuthatch, hermit thrush, winter wren, fox sparrow, purple finch, most ducks and many more.  But some are rare visitors that only get recorded once every several years like Merlins, ruby-crowned kinglets and rusty blackbirds, all of which were found this winters count.

Eastern screech owl gives away its roosting spot by calling back to our imitating whistles

Below are the 81 species found on this years Christmas Bird Count.  The number represents how many individuals.

Red-winged blackbird  613
Rusty blackbird   1
Eastern bluebird  116
Bufflehead   1
Northern cardinal  186
Gray catbird   1
Carolina chickadee   166
American coot   6
Brown-headed cowbird   1
Brown creeper   4
American crow   236
Mourning dove   555
Rock dove   132
Ring-neck duck   100
American black duck   6
Ruddy duck   1
Wood duck   6
Bald eagle   6
House finch   32
Purple finch  57
Northern flicker  32
American goldfinch 177
Canada goose  387
Common grackle 538
Northern harrier  5  
Cooper's hawk  6
Sharp-shinned hawk  2
Red-shouldered hawk  38
Red-tailed hawk  27
Great blue heron  9
Blue jay  226
Dark-eyed junco  80
American kestrel  41
Killdeer  6
Belted kingfisher  13
Gold-crowned kinglet  31
Ruby-crowned kinglet 
Common loon  1
Mallard  63   
(Continues)
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are the only winter woodpeckers that do not breed here
 photo by Rich McCarty

(continued)
Eastern meadowlark  45
Hooded merganser  18
Merlin  2
Northern mockingbird  15
Red-breasted nuthatch  3
White-breasted nuthatch  70
Barred owl  3
Eastern screech owl  6
Great horned owl  2
Ring-necked pheasant  2
Eastern phoebe  1
American Robin  4046
Yellow-bellied sapsucker  8
Lesser scaup  70
Wilson's snipe 1
Field sparrow  30
Fox sparrow  9
House sparrow  51
Song sparrow  119
Swamp sparrow  20
American tree sparrow  6
White-crowned sparrow  10
White-throated sparrow  234
European starling  5804
Green-winged teal  19
Brown thrasher  1
Hermit thrush  11
Tufted titmouse  74
Eastern towhee  19
Wild turkey  5
Black vulture  218
Turkey vulture  71
Yellow-rumped warbler  159
Cedar waxwing  311
American woodcock  4
Downy woodpecker  52
Hairy woodpecker  18
Pileated woodpecker  17
Red-bellied woodpecker  86
Red-headed woodpecker  2
Carolina wren  40
Winter wren  3

Cedar waxwings hang around in groups but are usually found by hearing their high pitch whistles
photo by Rich McCarty

It varies year to year, mostly depending on the weather of the day, on how many birds are found.  Adams Counties CBC has been lucky to have a dedicated group of returning volunteers that count the same territories each year, which helps gather a more accurate census of which birds are within the count circle.
Some common birds like Mourning doves can have high numbers during the count

Fox sparrows seem to like the ragweed fields along the floodplain of Ohio Brush Creek

Thanks to all that participate in the Adams County Christmas Bird Count, and for spending an entire day close to Christmas immersing themselves in an intense count!

Common grackle bullies other birds at a feeder during the count


Posted by Mark Zloba