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  1 

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

2020 Adams County Christmas Bird Count

An eastern towhee (Pipilio erythrophthalmus) puffs up in honor of another CBC.

 The Adams County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 19, 2020.  This annual count finds birders in predetermined locations recording every bird they encounter, sight or sound.  

A pair of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) watch over their new nest site.

Eleven territories make up the Adams County circle.  Upwards of 22 people searched the fields and woods and neighborhoods of the county finding 76 species between 6:30am and 5:30pm on count day.  The weather was cooperative and the numbers of birds did not disappoint.  The total number of individual birds found that day was 23,625.  That's a lot of birds to count!

American tree sparrows (Spizelloides arborea) visit our area only in winter.

All habitats are searched for specific birds.  Ducks of course, as well as eagles are found near the rivers.  Fields are hang out spots for many sparrows like the American tree, white-crowned and field sparrows.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  Photo by Rich McCarty

Forests are checked for wintering visitors like hermit thrushes, brown creepers and golden-crowned kinglets.

Golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa) exposes its bright head stripe when excited.

Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

This red-breasted nuthatch is another winter visitor can be found in pine stands, but more easily found visiting bird feeders eating suet and black oil sunflower seed.

Purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus)

Although many of the winter visitors can be hard to find, this year produced large numbers of seed eating birds like purple finches and evening grosbeaks.  The latter has not be found on CBC in over 25 years but 8 were seen this year. 

  

Large numbers of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were found this year including this colorful young male.

This years count had record numbers of 9 species:  ring-necked duck, black vulture, American woodcock (new this year), red-shouldered hawk, red-headed woodpecker, northern flicker, European starling, swamp sparrow and red-winged blackbirds.

Winter wrens (Troglodytes hiemalis) are extremely hard to find, and see. And harder to snap a shot of!

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Above and below are a couple of our resident birds found every year on the count, so they rarely get cameras pointed in their direction.  But some birds like the downy woodpecker and American goldfinch have been counted all 40 years the count has taken place in Adams County.

American goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

One of the best places to count many birds at once is a house with bird feeders.  There you can find many common residents, or if you get lucky, find a wintering  rarity like the yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Not to be confused with the red-bellied woodpecker below, which also has yellow on its belly, but red as well.  Yellow-bellieds have no red on their belly.  And most male woodpeckers have red on their heads, but it doesn't make them red-headed woodpeckers.....I know, confusing.

Red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Every year some unusual birds show up and make the count exciting.  This year was the first time that American woodcocks (not pictured, only heard) were displaying right before dark as they would in March.  Never heard before in December, and new for the count, this was a pleasant surprise.  And this did not occur just in one field, but two!  Miles apart!

Here are the birds recorded on Dec. 19, 2020:

Canada goose  544

wood duck  1

American black duck  17

mallard  154

green-winged teal  1

ring-necked duck  186

bufflehead  1

lesser scaup  3

hooded merganser  27

ruddy duck  1

N. bobwhite quail  1

wild turkey  39

pied-billed grebe  1

great blue heron  10

black vulture  417

turkey vulture  5

northern harrier  1

coopers hawk  2

bald eagle  6

red-shouldered hawk  22

red-tailed hawk  45

killdeer  17

American woodcock  3

rock pigeon  177

mourning dove  640

barn owl  1

eastern screech owl  6

great horned owl  13

barred owl  4

belted kingfisher  11

red-headed woodpecker  33

red-bellied woodpecker  79

yellow-bellied sapsucker  4

downy woodpecker  41

hairy woodpecker  17

norther flicker  72

pileated woodpecker  27

American kestrel  55

eastern phoebe  2

blue jay  350

American crow  411

Carolina chickadee  120

tufted titmouse  103

red-breasted nuthatch  7

white-breasted nuthatch  53

brown creeper  6

winter wren  5

Carolina wren  64

golden-crowned kinglet  15

eastern bluebird  89

hermit thrush  5

American robin  560

brown thrasher  2

northern mockingbird  24

European starling  16121

cedar waxwing  9

yellow-rumped warbler  39

American tree sparrow  12

field sparrow  19

fox sparrow  12

dark-eyed junco  206

white-crowned sparrow  9

white-throated sparrow  128

song sparrow  75

swamp sparrow  42

eastern towhee  29

northern cardinal  281

red-winged blackbird  273

eastern meadowlark  33

common grackle  1341

brown-headed cowbird  204

house finch  8

purple finch  27

American goldfinch  101

evening grosbeak  8

house sparrow  148

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)

In all, it was a great day to be outside hunting for as many bird species as possible, and our number reflected it.  Thanks to all the dedicated participants that brave the winter elements every year to record numbers for long term data curated by the Audubon Society.  

Posted by: Mark Zloba

Adams County Christmas Bird Count

With the coming of winter in Adams County, there are a few annual events you can rely on.  Piercing cold temps, slick roads, wet boots, sore throats, taxes and my favorite, the Adams County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) 

Cold day in Adams County, Ohio

This is not an event where we count Christmas birds (there is no such thing).  Instead, groups of participants gather in territories to count all birds seen or heard, like cedar waxwings, gold-crowned kinglets and Wilson's snipe (there is such a thing).  Much of the Edge of Appalachia Preserve (EOA) is within the "circle" or countable area which is a 15 mile radius centering at the courthouse in West Union, Ohio.


Typical view when driving around EOA searching for wintering birds

Many of the birds utilizing Ohio in the winter are not the same birds you might see in the summer.  Many of our resident birds leave, following food sources to the south, and birds you see in the winter may have come from the north for the same reasons.  The Audubon Society wanted to keep track of the numbers of wintering birds species and individuals in every state in the winter. So they chose the count to take place in the weeks leading up to, or just past Christmas.

Purple finch, a winter visiting species eating sunflower seeds from a very nice guy's feeder!

As compiler, I take all the numbers of individual birds and species each group counts in their pre-determined territories, and combine them for the Audubon Society who has been keeping this data for 118 years.  Adams County has been a part of the Christmas Bird Count for at least 40 years.

CBC teams count all birds encountered, even if large flocks fly by like these Canada geese

This year, on December 16, 2017, the groups in all 11 territories found a total of 79 species and 9734 individuals.  Not bad for the small number of 23 folks that came out to count that day.

The territory around the preserve (which is a small portion of the entire circle) usually finds close to 50 species of birds and close to 900 individuals on average that count day.  This year, the preserve territory produced 53 species and 702 individuals.  With a lot of forest in this territory, we feel obligated to find difficult wintering forest species like hermit thrush, red-breasted nuthatch, yellow-bellied sapsucker, brown creeper and ruffed grouse.  Only the latter was not found this year, and interestingly has not been counted on our CBC for at least 6 years.  A trend that CBC data can capture in its records.

CBC is a nice way to get out and enjoy some of our more common resident birds like this Downy Woodpecker.



Fox sparrow, another winter visitor is sometimes hard to find on the day of the count. 4 were found this year.

Dark-eyed Junco, another winter visitor will frequent feeders if you have them

Here is the tally for all birds found on December 16, 2017. Snow Goose 1

Canada Goose 837

Wood Duck 9

Gadwall 9   record high number

American Black Duck 66

Mallard 616   record high number

Green-winged Teal 3

Ring-necked Duck 3

Lesser Scaup 285   record high number

Bufflehead 12

Hooded Merganser 46

Wild Turkey 18

Pied-billed Grebe 1

Great Blue Heron 8

Black Vulture 173

Turkey Vulture 15

Northern Harrier 5

Sharp-shinned Hawk 3

Cooper's Hawk 5

Bald Eagle 6

Red-shouldered Hawk 6

Red-tailed Hawk 47

American Coot 1

Sandhill Crane 3 Second time found during Adams Co. CBC

Killdeer 5

Ring-billed Gull 2

Rock Pigeon 274

Mourning Dove 405

Eastern Screech-Owl 10

Great Horned Owl 5

Barred Owl 5

Belted Kingfisher 7

Red-headed Woodpecker 7

Red-bellied Woodpecker 50

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3

Downy Woodpecker 47

Hairy Woodpecker 17

Northern Flicker 19

Pileated Woodpecker 16

American Kestrel 65

Eastern Phoebe 3

Blue Jay 214

American Crow 395

Horned Lark 49

Carolina Chickadee 95

Tufted Titmouse 105

Red-breasted Nuthatch 3

White-breasted Nuthatch 87

Brown Creeper 4

Winter Wren 3

Carolina Wren 41

Golden-crowned Kinglet 18

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1

Eastern Bluebird 224

Hermit Thrush 1

American Robin 976

Brown Thrasher 3

Northern Mockingbird 16

European Starling 2998

Cedar Waxwing 52

Yellow-rumped Warbler 85

American Tree Sparrow 36

Field Sparrow 51

Fox Sparrow 4

Dark-eyed Junco (Slatecolored) 171

White-crowned Sparrow 35

White-throated Sparrow 92

Song Sparrow 99

Swamp Sparrow 5

Eastern Towhee 9

Northern Cardinal 248

Red-winged Blackbird 20

Eastern Meadowlark 39

Common Grackle 49

Brown-headed Cowbird 55

House Finch 48

Purple Finch 15

American Goldfinch 136

House Sparrow 134

Total Individuals 9734

Total Species Reported 79

Yellow-bellied sapsucker is the woodpecker that leaves lines of holes on trees. Photo by Robyn Wright-Strauss

White-breasted nuthatch, a resident bird commonly hears in the forest sounding like a nasally Long Islander saying "Hank, Hank, Hank'. Photo by Robyn Wright-Strauss.

Some notable species found this year were Sandhill cranes, which have only been counted 1 other time on count day,  a snow goose which has only been found 3 years, a ruby-crowned kinglet was found for the 10^th time and 3 Eastern phoebe’s were counted which can be difficult here in the winter.

 Bald eagles seem to be getting more and more frequent as we tied the record high with 6.  Along with brown thrashers which also had a tie with the record high of 3.  The only record high numbers of individuals this year were Mallards at 616, Gadwall at 9 and 285 Lesser Scaup.

A very far away shot of a bald eagle. 6 were found on count day.

Many thanks to all who participate, and if you are looking for a fun adventure next winter, join your local CBC next year.  Info can be found at www.christmasbirdcount.org

Posted by: Mark Zloba