Litchfield Hills Christmas Bird Count Results from White Memorial - 12/18/2011

December 18, 2011

Red-necked Grebe photo from www.nepabirdproject.org

Pied-billed Grebe photo by Bob Stanowski

Northern Shoveler photo by Paul Fusco from

www.paulfuscowildlifephotography.com

Northern Pintail photo from www.werc.usgs.gov

Winter Wren photo from www.birds.cornell.edu

Species Total

Canada Goose 336

Mute Swan 19

Gadwall 10

American Wigeon 2

American Black Duck 93

Mallard 506

Northern Shoveler 1

Northern Pintail 1

Ring-necked Duck 47

Lesser Scaup 7

Bufflehead 29

Common Goldeneye 20

Hooded Merganser 72

Common Merganser 100

Ruddy Duck 6

Bald Eagle 2

Cooper’s Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 6

Wild Turkey 15

Pied-billed Grebe 1

Red-necked Grebe 1

Great Blue Heron 1

American Coot 87

Ring-billed Gull 223

Herring Gull 2

Mourning Dove 93

Great Horned Owl 2

Barred Owl 1

Belted Kingfisher 1

Red-bellied Woodpecker 17

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1

Downy Woodpecker 32

Hairy Woodpecker 11

Northern Flicker 1

Pileated Woodpecker 1

Blue Jay 74

American Crow 325

Common Raven 1

Black-capped Chickadee 210

Tufted Titmouse 94

Red-breasted Nuthatch 6

White-breasted Nuthatch 70

Brown Creeper 7

Carolina Wren 1

Winter Wren 1

Golden-crowned Kinglet 10

Eastern Bluebird 8

Hermit Thrush 1

American Robin 56

Gray Catbird 1

Northern Mockingbird 1

European Starling 92

Cedar Waxwing 9

Yellow-rumped Warbler 1

American Tree Sparrow 19

Fox Sparrow 1

Song Sparrow 17

Swamp Sparrow 5

White-throated Sparrow 97

Dark-eyed Junco 314

Northern Cardinal 53

Red-winged Blackbird 4

Common Grackle 1

Purple Finch 18

House Finch 31

American Goldfinch 91

House Sparrow 15

Totals:

Species: 67

Individuals: 3,382

Weather: Sunny. Temperature 15 - 32° F. No snow cover. Water 95% Open; Wild food crop excellent.

Participants: Beverly Baldwin, Mike Doyle, John Eykelhoff, John Grabowski, Jim Kandefer, Marie Kennedy, John Marshall, Russ Naylor, Art Potwin, Donna Potwin, Dave Rosgen, Heather Shirlock, George Stephens.

Lingering Birds

Rusty Blackbird photo from

www.columbusaudubon.org

Fox Sparrow photo by Leo Kulinski

from www.whalesandwolves.com

Belted Kingfisher photo by Darlene Knox

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker photo by Leo Kulinski

from www.whalesandwolves.com

The relatively mild weather that has blessed Connecticut for much of the past 6 weeks should have been conducive to let late migrant birds linger around here for longer than they usually would. This is especially likely when there is an abundance of wild food, as there is this year. However, unlike the waterbirds discussed in my last post, there don't seem to be all that many migrant landbirds lingering around here. They do take more effort to find than waterbirds, but we have tried to look for them on a few occasions this month. This is not to say that we haven't had some success. Yesterday, I was greeted by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker when I went up onto the Museum's deck to fill the feeders. When they get hungry enough they will visit suet feeders. On the 7th, Mike Doyle had a Belted Kingfisher at Bantam Lake's Pt. Folly. They will occasionally stay through the winter if there is enough open water and an adequate supply of small fish to eat. On the 5th, Buzz Devine counted 86 Rusty Blackbirds in a flock along the north side of the Little Pond Boardwalk. Four days later, I saw 2 at Cemetery Pond. They are quite nomadic, and probably have gone farther south by now, but every year we find a few Rusties around here during the winter. Some Red-winged Blackbirds also spend the winter here. Our most recent report of them was from the Museum's feeders on the 10th. Though I haven't seen a Winter Wren or Fox Sparrow on White Memorial property since 11/25, that doesn't mean that 1 or 2 aren't around here somewhere. I have seen a Fox Sparrow elsewhere in Litchfield in the past week. It is a little odd that we haven't seen any big flocks of American Robins around here since 11/25, especially given the continued abundance of Winterberry Holly berries. They may be around; just not in places that we haven't visited lately. All that will change this coming Sunday, 12/18, when we plan to cover White Memorial's property and Bantam Lake as thoroughly as possible for the Litchfield Hills Christmas Bird Count. If you would like to help, please email me at dave@whitememorialcc.org. I still need people who can work independently censusing birds along some of our outlying trails, like the Cathedral Complex and Trail Rider's Jump.

Upcoming Christmas Bird Counts

December brings more than just holidays. It also brings the National Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count, which birders eagerly anticipate. This citizen science project has been running since 1900, and provides a wealth of data about wintering bird populations all over the western hemisphere. Connecticut is divided into 18 territories. Each territory is a 15 mile diameter circle. The Litchfield Hills circle is centered in the Milton section of Litchfield. Ray Belding is the compiler. He can be reached via email at hoatzin1@optonline.net. I (Dave Rosgen) am in charge of the White Memorial/Bantam Lake section of this circle. I could use the help of a few hardy, independent birders to cover some of our trails away from the places that I and my core team of experienced birders cover. You can contact me via email at dave@whitememorialcc.org. The Litchfield Hills CBC is scheduled to happen on Sunday, 12/18, unless a snow or ice storm postpones it. The nearby Woodbury-Roxbury CBC is scheduled for the day before, 12/17. Ken Elkins is a compiler of that count. He can be reached via email at kelkins@audubon.org . For a complete list of Christmas Counts, visit the CT. Ornithological Association's website, which is http://ctbirding.org.