HOWDY!
The Walkerton CBC in the Middle Peninsula
includes parts of King William, King and Queen,
Hanover, and New Kent counties and much of the
tidal fresh-water portions of the Mattaponi and
Pamunkey Rivers. This year our count was on
Sunday January 4. There were 10 groups with a
total of 32 observers (including 9 under 17 years
old). We logged 91.75 party-hours, including 6.5
hours by boat along the Mattaponi, and 5.5
party-hours owling. Thanks to many of the
landowners in the area we had access to much
private property that is usually inaccessible to
birders. It was a beautiful warm day (up to 73 F)
full of basking turtles, singing spring peepers
and chorus frogs, jumping green frogs, moths,
bats, a mourning cloak butterfly, and a water
snake.
If my intial calculations are correct; here are
the HIGLIGHTS:
We totalled 96 species including TWO NEW species
to the count (Great Egret, House Wren), bringing
the species total for the nine years of this
count to 109. The MOST EXCITING bird of the count
was probably the Golden Eagle that was seen in
two sectors. This may be(?) the same bird that
was seen in the same area in the past two years,
each year with less white in the wings and tail.
The following 20 species had NEW HIGH counts for
the count circle. Numbers in () are (previous
average; and range in the eight previous years of
this count). (The thoroughness of the coverage
in this relatively new count area increased every
year until it stabilized at approximately this
year's level of coverage two years ago.)
double-crested cormorant 38 (1; 0-5)
black vulture 151 (46; 8-67)
turkey vulture 501 (138; 30-224)
ring-necked duck 348 (65; 3-206)
lesser scaup 9(1, 0-4)
bald eagle 39 (11; 0-31)
killdeer 322 (86; 8-177)
greater yellowlegs 33 (1; 0-3)
american woodcock 6 (1; 0-3)
rock pigeon 21 (5, 0-12)
hairy woodpecker 26 (6, 2-19)
horned lark 92 (27; 0-78)
brown creeper 10 (3; 1-8)
ruby-crowned kinglet 71 (24, 6-43)
gray catbird 4 (1, 0-3)
savannah sparrow 55 (12, 0-36)
song sparrow 352 (158; 46-267)
red-winged blackbird 8196 (2279; 75-7288)
brown-headed cowbird 54 (10; 0-31)
The following species had dramatic DECLINES
EITHER from last year's unusual high (which had
almost identical coverage) OR in comparison with
the average of the eight previous years. Numbers
in () are (last year; previous average). An *
marks those species with numbers significantly
below the average.
black duck 92 (198; 54)
mallard 201 (468; 192)
wood duck 10 (8; 15)
*wild turkey 7 (59; 26)
bobwhite 9 (23; 5)
great horned owl (light rain) 2 (10; 4)
belted kingfisher 23 (35; 12)
red-headed woodpecker 8 (33; 10)
red-bellied woodpecker 83 (145; 35)
yellow-bellied sapsucker 27 (40; 25)
downy woodpecker 52 (90; 25)
winter wren 9 (16, 7)
eastern bluebird 166 (482; 135)
hermit thrush 24 (44; 18)
chipping sparrow 10 (59; 6)
field sparrow 29 (77; 20)
white-throated sparrow 1007 (1417; 592)
white-crowned sparrow 5 (33; 5)
dark-eyed junco 762 (1307; 410)
*house finch 16 (118; 71)
The most NOTABLE MISS was pine warbler.
It was also interesting to note the VERY PATCHY
distribution of sparrows and doves. Suitable
habitat in some sectors turned up few birds
despite thorough efforts. The same was true for
kestrels, (but the kestrels were not necessarily
where the sparrows were).
We also had fairly high counts (ABOVE AVERAGE)
for the following. (Average; range)
great-blue heron 34 (15; 2-54)
tundra swan 52 (12; 0-93)
canada goose 4278 (1680; 68-6032)
green-winged teal 81 (32; 0-316)
pintail 178 (69; 0-370)
gadwall 38 (18; 0-90)
common goldeneye 20 (4; 0-25)
bufflehead 50 (13; 0-54)
hooded merganser 66 (14; 0-89)
common merganser 11 (3; 0-31)
harrier 7 (5; 2-9)
red-shouldered hawk 16 (10, 2-24)
red-tailed hawk 32 (19; 3-33)
american kestrel 13 (7; 1-17)
wilson's snipe 81 (36; 3-114)
mourning dove 732 (160; 39-956)
screech owl 5 (1; 0-5)
barred owl 7 (4; 0-15)
pileated woodpecker 38 (14; 3-59)
eastern phoebe 14 (12; 1-27)
blue jay 142 (47; 14-142)
american crow 469 (427; 56-672)
carolina chickadee 90 (79; 20-155)
tufted titmouse 78 (52; 7-101)
white-breasted nuthatch 26 (17; 1-46)
carolina wren 137 (42; 20-155)
golden-crowned kinglet 62 (38; 11-74)
mockingbird 52 (31; 10-110)
brown thrasher 12 (5; 1-19)
yellow-rumped warbler 150 (106; 3-199)
cardinal 221 (91; 30-295)
towhee 50 (15; 4-71)
meadowlark 161 (54; 9-176)
goldfinch 146 (71; 4-172)
Because of the mobility of birds allowing them to
move from one sector to another, it is always
difficult to accurately assess the numbers of
such birds as eagles and canada geese on a CBC.
These numbers are raw numbers; it is likely that
the bald eagle total may be more like 30-35.
The complete data will soon be posted on the CBC
website.
Next year's count will again be the last Sunday
in the count period. Please let me know in
October if you would like to participate. It is
a beautiful part of the state not far from
Richmond and Fredericksburg.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
GOOD BIRDIN'
Fred
=====
Frederick D. Atwood fredatwood@xxxxxxxxx
Flint Hill School, 10409 Academic Dr, Oakton, VA 22124
703-242-1675
http://www.agpix.com/fredatwood
http://www.flinthill.org
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