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