CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT - A SNAPSHOT OF WINTER BIRDS

Eastern Bluebirds favor orchards during winter.

During the winter months, it is not uncommon to hear the question, “Where are all the birds?”

A flip answer would be - “They’ve gone south” - which they have. Most of the birds which fill our landscapes during the summer are tropical birds which return to the tropics in Central and South America during our winter months. Most of the warblers, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers fall into this category. Many other birds move to the milder climate of the southern states: This includes many species of waterfowl, wading birds, and raptors, plus some of the hardy songbirds.

On the other hand, boreal species from the north also move south, driven by changes in the weather, but also, and probably more importantly, by the availability of food in their northern homes. Food availability means that some winters they more or less stay home, while other winters they irrupt southward. When there is an irruption, we may notice their numbers. When they stay home, we may ask that question about where they are.

Common Redpoll has irrupted into New England this winter.

As we watch our feeders, or wander about on our skis or snow shoes during winter months, it often seems as though we are seeing very few birds compared to what we remember seeing in other years. For example, two years ago during the holidays, my feeders were inundated with northern birds. Flocks of Common Redpolls, and mixed flocks of Evening Grosbeaks and redpolls descended in swarms. I was filling my bulk feeders twice a day. This year as of the time of writing, my feeders have been visited by a small flocks of 15 redpolls, while the grosbeaks have been completely absent.

In October, flocks of 200+ Pine Siskins swarmed about my feeders. During December they have been absent. Where are they? Undoubtedly, they have gone further south, in spite of the dependable food source at my feeders ... because ... birds do not simply rely on bird feeders, but in fact, derive most of their food most of the time from naturally occurring food sources. If those sources do not seem adequate, they move on.

White-breasted Nuthatch is a year-round feeder bird.

There are two citizen science projects which provide a snapshot of where the birds are during the winter. One is the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is primarily a feeder count which is conducted on the President’s Day weekend in February. To learn how you can participate (in the comfort of your home) visit this website: www.birdsource.org/gbbc.

The second citizen science project is the Christmas Bird Count. In its 113th year, the CBC engages over 60,000 people in about 2500 locations.

There are several Christmas Bird Counts done in southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire. I participate in the Brattleboro Area CBC on the third Saturday in December, so that is the one I can write about.  Here is a snapshot of where the birds are around Brattleboro.

Many participants returned from their day of counting speaking of how hard it was to find birds and how low the numbers were. But when the counts were tallied, the number of birds counted (4100) was slightly above the ten year average (3900).

With open water in the Connecticut and West Rivers, waterfowl were well represented by Canada Goose, Mallard, and American Black Duck. Most significant was the number of Hooded Mergansers. Consistently present on the count, this year the 138 “hoodies” was five times greater than in any previous year.

The winter finches and boreal species showed no consistency as a group. The American Goldfinch was hard to find and the count was the lowest in the last 15 years. Pine Siskin, so abundant in October, was absent. Evening Grosbeak, consistently present the last 11 years was absent. There are usually a few Purple Finches in December; not this year.

Pine Grosbeaks appear in SE Vermont every 5 or 6 years.

On the other hand, Pine Grosbeaks appear every 5 to 6 years. This was their year. Common Redpolls show a consistent pattern of being present every other year. This was the year they were expected, and they did not disappoint; counters tabulated the largest number of redpolls (almost 300) in recent years.

Sparrows were hard to find, but the winter sparrows, American Tree Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco were within their expected numbers, along with small numbers of Song and White-throated Sparrows.

Red-bellied Woodpecker has continued its expansion in Vermont.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker which first nested in Vermont in Brattleboro in 2001 continued its steady population increase.

Blue Jay and American Crow had their smallest numbers in years. Putney Mountain Hawk Watch counts migrating Blue Jays (when not counting hawks); they counted hundreds of jays. Apparently, the Blue Jays kept on moving because they were difficult to find in the Brattleboro area.

Other common feeders birds were present in average or above average numbers: Black-capped Chickadee (up), White-breasted Nuthatch (up), Downy Woodpecker (down slightly), Tufted Titmouse and Northern Cardinal (steady).

American Robin often winter in Vermont, feeding on fruit.

Some species are seen in flocks, and may be very localized. Horned Larks were in Vernon (180). Eastern Bluebirds were mostly in Dummerston (total 59 verses 10 year average 25). American Robins were scattered, but with a large flock in an old Dummerston orchard (total 244 verses 10 year average 44). Only one small flock of Cedar Waxwings (31) was found around Sunset Lake.

There are always a few birds which should have migrated, but have not. Brattleboro recorded this year a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Common Yellowthroat (a first CBC record for Brattleboro).

If you are a reader who is worried about a lack of birds at the bird feeders, I say, “Don’t be.” The CBC suggests that the birds are still around. Except when humans really screw up the environment, the birds are resilient and adaptable. Their population numbers go through regular and natural fluctuations. Once the counters on a CBC thaw out and examine the count numbers, this is confirmed (for most species) year after year.

Stay warm, and if the birds don’t come to your feeders, go out and look for them. Good birding!!

Reprise OMG Birds

In the "omigosh" category, I returned to the Wissahickon on Wednesday for the morning light on the 50+ Wood Ducks wintering in the river.

And ... 2 more images of the Eastern Bluebirds from last Saturday ...

Eastern Bluebird dining on a grasshopper

Good Birding!!

2 OMG Birds

Two birds in the "omigosh" category caught my breath over the weekend.

Saturday in old farmland outside of Philly, Eastern Bluebird (sky blue above and rich earth below) provided OMG moments ...

Eastern Bluebird

At least six Eastern Bluebirds were feeding in a field, often in a watch and strike manner ...

The way they continually returned to the bird house, including checking its inside, makes me think that this may have been mom and dad with the kids they raised here ...

Sunday along the Wissahickon River in Fairmount Park, there were dozens of wintering Wood Ducks ...

Wood Duck - drake and two hens

In N.A., the plumage of the drake Wood Duck is only rivaled by the Harlequin Duck. For sheer flashiness, I tip the scale toward the Woodie ...

Wood Duck - drake

"Only" five Woodies in this photo, but many more in larger and smaller groups were up and down the river ...

Wood Duck - 2 drakes & 3 hens

Good Birding!!

Just because ...

No particular reason ... just because ... hope you had a good July 4 ...

Northern Cardinal

Eastern Bluebird

American Goldfinch

Nostalgic for Spring

For the last three months, my wardrobe as rotated between 2 pair of flannel lined pants, 7 flannel shirts, supplemented with 2 wool vests. During this period, I have gone outside wearing my red & black plaid wool coat, with 2 exceptions when I opted for a slightly less bulky jacket.

Yes, I am nostalgic for Spring and even Summer, and I hope that early next week I can offer some definitive cures for wardrobe monotony. For the moment, however, I remember a few images from Spring, 2010 ...

Broad-winged Hawk

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Eastern Bluebird

Yellow Warbler

Good birding!

Nostalgic for Spring, 1

Winter drags on. The January thaw was a blip. The February thaw has reduced the snow pack in my back yard by about 6". Only 19" remain. The predictions call for a return to the deep freeze.

I am nostalgic for Spring. So I returned to a few images from the distant past - the long ago Spring of 2010 ...

... like a bluebird, a spot of deep blue sky, singing atop a snag ...

Eastern Bluebird

... or a goldfinch molting into his nuptial plumage, a yellow that will define the primary color ...

American Goldfinch

... or the primal pursuit in the open, but still cold, river waters of the drake merganser for the right to mate with a hen ...

Common Merganser

... and a robin busy with nest building, her pairing issue resolved.

American Robin

Good birding!

Unexpected Winter Birds

Dark-eyed Junco in February - a common winter sparrow

It is only a matter of time before winter arrives in full fury. Freezing nighttime temperatures are becoming more common than frosty nighttime temperatures.

You see the effects of this reality whenever you look at your bird feeders, go out for the mail, wander in the woods, or amble a town street. Most species which fill our woods and fields with song and movement from late Spring through early Fall are gone.

Internet bird notes and e-mail bird list-serves provide regular updates about what is being seen where; in particular they report on the unusual and unexpected birds for this time of year and our corner of the world. When someone from outside of the active bird watching community sees something that strikes them as unusual or unexpected, the report often comes with a surprised, “I’ve never seen that bird around here” ... or an implied, “What is that bird doing here at this time of year?”

Red-bellied Woodpecker in February

In the category of “never seen that bird before,” there are two which often bring such a response in southeastern Vermont. One is the Red-bellied Woodpecker. A feathered flatlander, this southern species has been extending its range northward. The first confirmed nesting in Vermont was in Brattleboro in 2001. Like the Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, it does not migrate.

An aside: Birders have an imprecise vocabulary for describing bird populations: Abundant (you can’t miss it) - Common (you will probably see it) - Uncommon (you might see it if you are lucky, but no surprise) - Rare (you are really lucky if you see) - Accidental (you won’t see it because it just doesn’t belong here).

Red-bellied Woodpecker is uncommon in southeastern Vermont. You might see it, but it’s no surprise. It may even live in your neighborhood, in which case you will think it is common. The Red-bellied Woodpecker population in our area has grown significantly since its first nesting in 2001. It may not be too long before it will be as common as the Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. The Red-bellied is larger than the Hairy Woodpecker. It has a red stripe over the top and back of its head, a plain white breast, a barred black and white back, and a red belly that is almost never seen.

Caroline Wren in December

Also uncommon is the Carolina Wren. Like the Red-bellied Woodpecker, this is a southern species which is moving northward. Unlike our other wrens, the House, Winter, and Marsh Wrens, it does not migrate, though in severe weather it may “withdraw” (which may mean that many individuals get done-in by the severe weather). The Carolina Wren is solitary, or in pairs. It stays on territory year-round, and defends its territory against other intruding Carolina Wrens. It has the delightful habit of singing year-round. If you have a Carolina Wren, you may hear its rich, rolling, triplet notes that sound something like “tea-kettle, tea-kettle, tea-kettle” or “chur-ee, chur-ee, chur-ee.”  This wren will sing any time during the day, and any time during the year, except in the most atrocious weather.

American Robin in January

In the category of “What is that bird doing here at this time of year?”, there are also two that commonly elicit the question. The first is often reported with words such as, “I just saw a robin!” This is followed by, “It sure doesn’t look like spring out there to me!” or “Aren’t they supposed to go south for the winter?” No, it is not spring and won’t be for some months, and, yes, and they do go south. But for American Robins which nest far north in Canada, this is the south! Most range maps for the robin show it as a year-round resident in southern New England, barely fifty miles to the south of my home. Birds are not very good at reading range maps, however, and consequently robins may be seen in our region any month of the year. Some robins, I am sure, winter in our woods. Others move north and south with changes in the weather.

American Robin in February

I grew up watching robins hunting earth worms on the lawn of my city home, and so concluded that robins eat worms. But like most birds, they are omnivorous. Worms provide protein for nestlings during Spring and Summer, but during the rest of the year, berries and fruit with their high sugar content fuel a robin’s energy needs and keep its metabolism functioning.

In Spring, the robins disperse in pairs to raise their young. They are seen everywhere. If you don’t see or hear a robin when outdoors during the breeding season, you simply are not looking or listening. But in winter, they gather in flocks and wander about. Int the last ten years, the Brattleboro Area Christmas Bird Count has recorded robins every year except one. The number counted has ranged from one robin, to over 150 robins. During winter, there is no assurance that you will see a robin on any given day, but on any given day you may see a robin.

What is true for the American Robin is also true for another member of the thrush family, the Eastern Bluebird. If the response to the winter sighting of a robin is surprise, the response to a winter sighting of a bluebird is likely to be astonishment. Some of the reason for this reaction to the bluebird in winter is undoubtedly due to its recent rarity. For many years, bluebirds were so uncommon, that any sighting at any time of the year was greeted with joy and astonishment. The population recovery of the bluebird has been a conservation success story.

Eastern Bluebird in November

During breeding season, the bluebird disperses in pairs. The rest of the year, it gathers in small, loose flocks. Like the robin, it is a year-round resident in southern New England. Like the robin, it does not read range maps and may be seen any month of the year in southern Vermont. Like the robin, it migrates in late fall and early spring, perhaps. The Brattleboro CBC has counted an average 20 bluebirds during the last ten years.

There is no need to be astonished, or surprised, at seeing a bluebird during the winter. On the other hand, elation at a winter bluebird sighting is always in order. Few birds have the ability to catch my breath the way a bluebird does. In the words of naturalist John Burroughs, the Eastern Bluebird is the “bird that carries the sky on its back and the earth on its breast.”

Good Birding!

near Kimberton, Pennsylvania

In the farmland near Kimberton, Pennsylvania, (beyond Valley Forge) there is mostly open farmland, with patches of trees lining pastures and agricultural fields - a very different habitat from my home in southeastern Vermont but with many similar birds ... a few samples of the birds near my daughter's home ...

Eastern Bluebird ...

Baltimore Oriole ...

On the edge of an old farm pond, Solitary Sandpiper ...

... and in the narrow band of woods next to her home, several Wood Thrush singing in the morning and evening - such a delight to hear the flute notes of this wonderful songster ...

Also, a grandparents day with our grandson, and a soccer game, Mother's Day brunch with the mothers of my grandchildren and their mother. Next up ... a few days of birding in Cape May. It's just one thing afgter another -life can be tough!

Good birding!

Champions of the Christmas Bird Count

The 110th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) got under way on December 14 and will continue through January 5. This is a massive citizen science project. Last year’s CBC involved almost 60,000 participants: 11,700 in Canada, 46,600 in the United States, 1700 in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. 9200 were stationary feeder watchers; the rest were in the field. The field counts are done in prescribed areas with a fifteen miles radius. In 2008 there were 2124 count circles which reported; a good number of counts were canceled due to the weather.

In the past, I have had some beef with some of the reporting on the Christmas counts in some birding circles, and in some birding publications, including the official publication of the CBC. There has been a tendency to place emphasize on the counts that get the highest number species or the biggest total of birds, as though the CBC was a contest that someone could win. For example, in a report from a couple of years ago, a count circle in Texas “regained its crown at the top of the species list at 235; last year’s champ [also in Texas] found some wonderful birds, but lost the top spot.” I have deliberately edited out the names, because there are no champs and no crowns in the CBC. It is not a sport and a contest, and there should be no implications in that direction. If the Texas birders want to have a strutting testosterone contest with one another and with areas in California, then they should do that at another time.

The real champions of the CBC are the thousands of counters who go out in the field searching for birds when most sensible people are hunkered down by a warm fire sipping hot toddies. The champions of the CBC are the like counters in Vermont and New England. They are like the people who did the Springfield and Bellows Falls count circles. They are like the thirty people who did the Brattleboro area who set out on the coldest Saturday morning any of the veterans could remember for a count day ... when the temperature was two degrees above zero. Through the day it crept up to the low twenties, but the damp cold penetrated clothing in a way that the early morning cold did not.

Sorry Texans, but listing 200+ species on a Christmas Bird Count does not make you a champion. Doing a Christmas Bird Count in the grip of a Canadian, Northern Great Plains, or New England winter does make you a champion. Doing a count in the face of a Gulf Coast storm might also qualify a Texan, but not a mere long list of birds. I would suggest that finding a 150 or more species in California or Texas - the states where most of the highest counts occur - is no more of an accomplishment than finding 20+ species in the Yukon, 40+ species in North Dakota, or 50+ species in Vermont. In fact, in Texas or California it is probably easier to find 150 species than it is to find 20 in many northern count areas. In the Brattleboro area, we barely managed 50. In Randolph they began the day at minus12 degrees, ended it at 17 degrees, and tallied 34 birds. The Brattleboro team which did the Marlboro area found 14 species. A counter in Winhall listed 12 species on her route.

Simply put, the champs and heroes of the CBC are the volunteers who do the counts whatever the foul conditions may be as one year turns to the next, and regardless of how many wintering species there may be.

Collectively, the Christmas bird counts provide data on such subjects as numbers, migration, irruption patterns, range expansion (or contraction), accidentals, endangered or threatened species, long-term population trends, and much more. It is fodder for the analysts, statisticians, and macro-biologists.

The information garnered by any one count area needs to be examined in the context of other counts. But the individual counts, with caution, can give us a glimpse of local situations as well.

For example, many people have asked me where all the birds are this winter, because they are not seeing them at their feeders. The Brattleboro area CBC gives a mixed report on common feeder birds. The number of Black-capped Chickadees was the lowest in the last ten years. The White-breasted Nuthatch also had a low count. On the other hand, Tufted Titmouse was about average, as was Mourning Dove. Downy and Hairy Woodpecker counts were up from the last two years, but within the expected range. Blue Jay had the highest count on record, as did Northern Cardinal. Dark-eyed Juncos were very common around feeders and in the woods and had the highest number in the last seven years.

The finch count was another matter. American Goldfinch numbers were low, and the winter finches are simply not here this year. Pine Siskins which irrupted last year were absent. Common Redpolls have been following a pattern of being here every other winter; this should have been their “on” year, but they were entirely absent. We counted only one Purple Finch. House Finches, which rely on feeders during the winter, were half of their recent numbers.

Pigeon and starling numbers were lower than usual; House Sparrow numbers were about average. These are the birds that everyone loves to hate, but they are an important food source for wintering hawks, and an indication of conditions (though don’t press me on what they are indicating).

Among the hawks, the Red-tailed was the most common; we counted sixteen, a record. Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, and Northern Goshawk were also recorded. The first two often hunt around bird feeders. One of the highlights of the day for me was the sharpie which stooped on a bird feeder, having used a barn as cover for its attack.

Nearly every winter I hear people express surprise when they see robins or bluebirds. These two thrushes are seen every month of the year, even in the midst of the most wintry of winter months. The robin has only been missed twice in the last twelve years; 25 were counted this year. The Eastern Bluebird has been counted every year for the last twelve years on the Brattleboro count; this year there were 33 in several small flocks. The flock of eight male bluebirds which we found along Black Mountain Road was one of the day’s highlights.

In the Brattleboro area, we recorded 50 species, including our first ever Green-winged Teal. That is a relatively low number for recent years. However, we were solidly into winter’s grip with very little open water on ponds or rivers. Understandably, waterfowl and gulls which favor open water were fewer in numbers and species. The CBC often records a bird that normally should have migrated but for some reason lingered; usually weather conditions are milder when we record such species. This year the “winter accidentals” were absent: no catbird, sapsucker, heron, towhee, grackle, or summer-nesting sparrow.

Like most count groups across the country, the Brattleboro area counters gathered for a potluck party in the evening. After plate fulls of good food, vinous libations, and warm companionship, most still had not chased the cold from the bitter day out-of-doors. Will they do it again next year? You bet! People like that - people who are just a little bit nuts - are the champions of the Christmas bird count.

Good birding!

A single flock of Cedar Waxwings was found on the Brattleboro CBC, but that flock numbered over 250 birds. They were feeding on fruit trees just off Route 5 near the C&S warehouse.

Eastern Bluebird

Sunday was too nice of a day to spend it inside watching football (although I did watch some) - my favorite companion went with me as we wandered about the Brattleboro Retreat meadows. Plenty of geese in the waters (a few Lesser Canadas among them) - Hooded & Common Mergansers and puddle ducks. Highlight was certainly the small flock of bluebirds in the woods around the cornfield ...