2009 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT

The 62nd annual Burlington area Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday, December 20, 2009.  There are some interesting results to report.  We saw 70 species this year with a total of 13,275 birds.  Low snow accumulations made walking easier than some previous years, but because of cold temperatures and 15-20 MPH winds, land birds took cover in protected places and around bird feeders and ducks were difficult to see on the open water.

There were no irruptive species this year.  Duck and owl species were reported, but not in any great numbers.  We did, however, set records for Domestic Duck X Mallard Hybrid (5), Iceland Gull (9), Great Black-backed Gull (270), Wild Turkey (180), Carolina Wren (7), Northern Cardinal (259), and Field Sparrow (6).  Rare Bird Documentation was submitted for the Field Sparrows since they were more than a month past their usual departure time.  We tied previous records for Peregrine Falcon and Chipping Sparrow with one each.  One Peregrine Falcon has been reported often in the past, but it is only the third time we have reported the Chipping Sparrow.

Looking back at our old records, it is interesting to see that our Christmas Bird Count is a demonstration of the continuing northward push of three species:

• We reported Carolina Wren for the first time in 1974 and then only 1 or 2 annually through the 1980’s and 1990’s, arriving at the 2009 count of 7.
• We reported Northern Cardinal for the first time in 1958.  We have watched its numbers grow steadily from less than 10 annually in the 1960’s, to 82 in 1975, in the one hundred range by 2000, and this year, 259!
• We reported 143 Tufted Titmouse this year, just short of the record 153 birds recorded in 2008.

Three additional species of interest were reported in this year’s Count.  Broad-winged Hawk and Fish Crow have never before been reported in the Burlington Circle.  Eastern Towhee was seen only once before in the Count Week of 1974. Rare Bird Documentation was completed on all three of these birds. In addition, we had great pictures of the Towhee seen by a Feeder Counter!

In addition to the 13 teams with a total of 57 people who participated in this year’s Christmas Bird Count, we had three more people who did Feeder Counts for a total of 60!  Thank you to the whole team and especially CBC Committee members, Bruce MacPherson, Bill Mercia, Eric Lazarus, and Shirley Johnson.  Eric Lazarus, our compiler, is invaluable for his computer skills.  Jim Osborn did a great job leading the Count reporting at the potluck where we all gathered when we finished counting.

Pictures of the Eastern Towhee, an Iceland Gull, and a Glaucous Gull are posted on our Flickr site at http://flickr.com/photos/greenmountainaudubon/. Thanks to Dennis Johnson and Larry Clarfeld for sharing these photos with us.