108th christmas bird count summary for florida

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first recorded during a Georgia CBC (count week last year was the only previ- ous record). The 863 American Avocets (840 at Savannah alone) was a new high count, topping last year’s 739. Dunlin also set a new record with 15,386, with a high count of 4975 at Sapelo Island. Savannah’s 373 Long-billed Dowitchers provided most of the state’s record total of 380, and a Wilson’s Phalarope there was the third Georgia CBC record. Bonaparte’s Gulls were also found in record numbers with 767, led by 380 at Savannah for the coastal high, and 221 at Lake Oconee for the inland high. A Green-breasted Mango spending the winter at a feeder (Dublin) was a first state record and only the third ever United States CBC record, and the only one outside of Texas. A count week Say’s Phoebe at Lake Blackshear was the state’s second CBC record. A Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Augusta was the state’s fourth CBC record, and a Barn Swallow at Harris Neck (count week) was the tenth. The state total of 115 Red-breasted Nuthatches was the highest ever, and the species was recorded on 18 of 25 counts. The majority of them were in north Georgia, with Amicalola Falls leading the way at 39. Horned Larks were again very low with four, following a 10-year trend in the state. A male Yellow Warbler at Savannah was the third state CBC record (second with good details), and the six Prairie Warblers (found on 4 counts) was a new high. Savannah had three of them, but the most surprising was significantly upstate at Floyd County. The state total of 10,958 Chipping Sparrows was a new high total by more than 2000, and the high count was Dublin with 2729. The 191 Fox Sparrows was also a new high state count, led by 42 at Callaway Gardens and 36 at Carter’s Lake. The last 10 years’ counts have averaged only 59, but this year many counts registered high counts for this sparrow. Two Lapland Longspurs at Savannah were the first CBC records for Georgia in 40 years. FLORIDA Bill Pranty 8515 Village Mill Row Bayonet Point, Florida 34667 [email protected] A record number of Christmas Bird Counts, 66, was conducted in Florida this season. Counts at Dry Tortugas N.P. and Perdido Bay were not con- ducted (the latter count may be permanently discontinued), while counts were begun at Jackson County and STA-5 Clewiston. Florida’s CBCs accounted for 8143 accepted observa- tions of 341 taxonomic forms and more than 1.56 million individuals. The tax- onomic forms comprise 278 native species, all 13 of Florida’s countable exotics, 24 non-countable exotics, four subspecies or morphs, two hybrids, and 20 species-groups. The 31 Purple Swamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio) at STA-5 Clewiston added one species to the Christmas Bird Count database. Both of these exotics are breeding in natural wetlands in southern Florida and have been targeted for eradication by wildlife agencies. Eight CBCs exceeded 150 species: Cocoa and West Pasco (164 each); Merritt Island N.W.R. (161); Jacksonville and Zellwood-Mount Dora (160 each); St. Petersburg (156); South Brevard (152), and Aripeka-Bayport (151). Six CBCs tallied more than 50,000 individuals: Econlockhatchee (87,439); Cocoa (81,595); Lakeland (78,348); Jackson County (73,566); St. Petersburg (52,529); and STA-5 Clewiston (50,828). The Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Palm Warbler were reported on all 66 counts. In contrast, 34 other native species were seen on only one CBC each, with 20 of these representing single individuals. THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 67 Count circles in FLORIDA Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Glynn County, Georgia. Photo/Jerry Amerson

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Page 1: 108th Christmas Bird Count summary for Florida

first recorded during a Georgia CBC(count week last year was the only previ-ous record). The 863 American Avocets(840 at Savannah alone) was a new highcount, topping last year’s 739. Dunlinalso set a new record with 15,386, witha high count of 4975 at Sapelo Island.Savannah’s 373 Long-billed Dowitchersprovided most of the state’s record totalof 380, and a Wilson’s Phalarope therewas the third Georgia CBC record.Bonaparte’s Gulls were also found inrecord numbers with 767, led by 380 atSavannah for the coastal high, and 221at Lake Oconee for the inland high. AGreen-breasted Mango spending thewinter at a feeder (Dublin) was a firststate record and only the third everUnited States CBC record, and the onlyone outside of Texas.

A count week Say’s Phoebe at LakeBlackshear was the state’s second CBCrecord. A Northern Rough-wingedSwallow at Augusta was the state’s fourthCBC record, and a Barn Swallow atHarris Neck (count week) was the tenth.The state total of 115 Red-breastedNuthatches was the highest ever, and thespecies was recorded on 18 of 25 counts.The majority of them were in northGeorgia, with Amicalola Falls leadingthe way at 39. Horned Larks were againvery low with four, following a 10-yeartrend in the state. A male YellowWarbler at Savannah was the third stateCBC record (second with good details),and the six Prairie Warblers (found on 4counts) was a new high. Savannah had

three of them, but the most surprisingwas significantly upstate at FloydCounty. The state total of 10,958Chipping Sparrows was a new high totalby more than 2000, and the high countwas Dublin with 2729. The 191 FoxSparrows was also a new high statecount, led by 42 at Callaway Gardensand 36 at Carter’s Lake. The last 10years’ counts have averaged only 59, butthis year many counts registered highcounts for this sparrow. Two LaplandLongspurs at Savannah were the firstCBC records for Georgia in 40 years.

FLORIDABill Pranty8515 Village Mill Row

Bayonet Point, Florida 34667

[email protected]

A record number of Christmas BirdCounts, 66, was conducted in Floridathis season. Counts at Dry TortugasN.P. and Perdido Bay were not con-ducted (the latter count may bepermanently discontinued), whilecounts were begun at Jackson Countyand STA-5 Clewiston. Florida’s CBCsaccounted for 8143 accepted observa-tions of 341 taxonomic forms and morethan 1.56 million individuals. The tax-onomic forms comprise 278 native

species, all 13 of Florida’s countableexotics, 24 non-countable exotics, foursubspecies or morphs, two hybrids, and20 species-groups. The 31 PurpleSwamphens (Porphyrio porphyrio) atSTA-5 Clewiston added one species tothe Christmas Bird Count database.Both of these exotics are breeding innatural wetlands in southern Floridaand have been targeted for eradicationby wildlife agencies.

Eight CBCs exceeded 150 species:Cocoa and West Pasco (164 each);Merritt Island N.W.R. (161);Jacksonville and Zellwood-Mount Dora(160 each); St. Petersburg (156); SouthBrevard (152), and Aripeka-Bayport(151). Six CBCs tallied more than50,000 individuals: Econlockhatchee(87,439); Cocoa (81,595); Lakeland(78,348); Jackson County (73,566); St.Petersburg (52,529); and STA-5Clewiston (50,828). The Double-crestedCormorant, Great Blue Heron, GreatEgret, Mourning Dove, BeltedKingfisher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, GrayCatbird, Northern Mockingbird,Yellow-rumped Warbler, and PalmWarbler were reported on all 66 counts.In contrast, 34 other native species wereseen on only one CBC each, with 20 ofthese representing single individuals.

THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 67

Count circles inFLORIDA

Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus),Glynn County, Georgia.Photo/Jerry Amerson

Page 2: 108th Christmas Bird Count summary for Florida

The five species that exceeded 80,000individuals each were the AmericanRobin, Red-winged Blackbird, LaughingGull, American Coot, and Tree Swallow.

Undocumented rarities are not men-tioned in the following summary.Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks num-bered 3454 individuals statewide, with1000 each at Sarasota and STA-5Clewiston. The latter CBC also reported1000 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks. TwoGreater White-fronted Geese gracedGainesville, and two Brant enlivenedMerritt Island N.W.R. There were 3537Muscovy Ducks on 46 counts, and 3850mostly feral Mallards on 47 counts.Eradication of the latter species shouldbe a top priority for wildlife agencies;323 hybrid Mallard x Mottled Duckswere reported on six CBCs. Long-tailedDucks were documented at Cocoa andMerritt Island N.W.R., adjacent countsin Brevard County.

Two Red-throated Loons photographedat Emeralda-Sunnyhill furnished one ofvery few documented inland records inFlorida. Of the state’s 1413 CommonLoons, 720 were at ChoctawhatcheeBay! CBCs tallied 10,707 AmericanWhite Pelicans on 42 counts, and20,657 Brown Pelicans on 43 counts,including Browns inland at Lakeland(77) and Lake Placid (count week).Among Florida’s 128,238 wading birdswere 129 “Great White Herons,” six“Wurdemann’s Herons,” 215 ReddishEgrets, 52,712 White Ibises, 6986Glossy Ibises, 1399 Roseate Spoonbills,and 5307 Wood Storks.

Ospreys totaled 3367 individuals onevery CBC except Jackson County, and1366 Bald Eagles were tallied on 62counts. Lake Placid and Long Pine Keyeach produced duos of White-tailedKites, while 94 Snail Kites were foundon seven counts. Accipiter tallies were245 Sharp-shinned Hawks on 52 countsand 371 Cooper’s Hawks on 60. Therewere 64 accepted Short-tailed Hawks on14 counts, with singles north toEconlockhatchee and Cocoa. CrestedCaracaras numbered 60 on nine CBCs,with half of these from STA-5

Clewiston. Statewide falcon totals con-sisted of 2426 American Kestrels, 73Merlins, and 65 Peregrine Falcons.

A Yellow Rail was glimpsed briefly atLong Pine Key, while the sole Black Railwas heard at West Pasco. Slightly morethan half of Florida’s 200 PurpleGallinules were at Lakeland. About12,642 Sandhill Cranes were tallied,with 5200 at Gainesville, 1500 at LakePlacid, and 1200 at Melrose. Only threeWhooping Cranes were found, two atAripeka-Bayport and one at CrystalRiver. Snowy Plovers numbered 81 onnine counts, while 75 Piping Ploverswere found on 11 counts. Red Knotstotaled 1326 birds on 22 counts. KeyLargo-Plantation Key produced 10Semipalmated Sandpipers, one of thesenicely photographed.

Tallies of black-backed gulls were 176Lessers on 19 counts and 262 Greats on15. A first-year Iceland Gull was pho-tographed at Jacksonville, and asimilar-aged Glaucous Gull was pho-tographed at Cocoa. The only acceptedCommon Tern was an adult photographedat Key Largo-Plantation Key. BlackSkimmers totaled 6195 individuals on34 CBCs, including 1300 at Jacksonville.

CBC participants tallied 11,258Eurasian Collared-Doves; every CBCexcept those in Biscayne and Evergladesnational parks contributed to the total.White-winged Doves numbered 886 on

35 CBCs. Sixteen species of psittacidswere tallied, mostly at Dade County.Monk Parakeets continued their recentdownward trend, numbering 1473 on23 counts. On the other hand, Black-hooded Parakeets have never been morenumerous, with 1117 individuals on 12counts, including 835 at St. Petersburg.Budgerigars continue to hang on, with12 at Aripeka-Bayport and 7 at WestPasco, but extirpation cannot be toomany years away. Fort Lauderdale againproduced the nation’s only Smooth-billed Anis (6). Considerable pre-dawneffort allowed St. Petersburg to set theall-time high of 191 Eastern Screech-Owls. Burrowing Owls numbered 203on eight counts, including 164 at FortMyers. All five Lesser Nighthawks werefound in Everglades National Park, withtwo at Coot Bay and three at Long PineKey. Florida’s 171 hummingbirds weredivided into 105 Ruby-throated, sevenRufous, two Black-chinned, one Buff-bellied, and 56 not specificallyidentified. Twenty-eight Red-cockadedWoodpeckers were found on eightcounts, while 42 Hairy Woodpeckerswere reported on 11.

Zellwood-Mount Dora produced 423tyrannids, including 26 Least Flycatchers(the entire state total!), the sole Ash-throated Flycatcher, 50 WesternKingbirds, three Scissor-tailedFlycatchers, and one Say’s Phoebe. ACassin’s Kingbird that spent its secondwinter (at least) in Hendry Countyhelped inaugurate the STA-5 ClewistonCBC, while a Tropical/Couch’s Kingbirdenlivened Kissimmee Valley. Numbers ofother tyrannids included 187 GreatCrested Flycatchers on 23 counts, 76Western Kingbirds on 13 counts, and 23Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on nine.Loggerhead Shrikes numbered 2024 on61 CBCs, with 200 of these at PeaceRiver. Single Bell’s Vireos were docu-mented at Choctawhatchee Bay andSarasota. Florida Scrub-Jays totaled 288on 20 counts. The inaugural JacksonCounty CBC produced five HornedLarks, while Tallahassee furnished all 11of the state’s White-breasted Nuthatches.

68 AMERICAN BIRDS

Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans),STA5-Clewiston, Florida.Photo/Garrett Legates

Page 3: 108th Christmas Bird Count summary for Florida

Nine Red-whiskered Bulbuls were tal-lied at Kendall Area. The FloridaOrnithological Society RecordsCommittee and the American BirdingAssociation Checklist Committee bothrecently ratified the Common Myna asan established exotic in Florida. Thisseason, 33 were found on six counts,including two at Ten Thousand Islands.It was not an invasion year for CedarWaxwings, with 2005 on 23 CBCs,including the southernmost atCorkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. One oftwo Sprague’s Pipits at ApalachicolaBay-St. Vincent N.W.R. was wonderful-ly photographed.

Twenty-three warbler species wereaccepted this season, the rarest beingBlackburnian at Cocoa, Prothonotary atCoot Bay-Everglades N.P., and Worm-eating at Zellwood-Mount Dora. Asalways, the two most numerous specieswere Yellow-rumped (49,529) and Palm(16,601), both species occurring onevery count. Summer Tanagers wereobserved on eight counts, while aWestern Tanager enlivened Tallahassee.The two most abundant sparrows wereChipping (6232) and Savannah (4268).Reports of the sharp-tailed sparrows,which I believe represent a greatlyunder-appreciated identification chal-lenge, were evenly divided between 81Nelson’s and 82 Saltmarsh, a ratio great-ly different from previous years. Detailsof all sharp-tailed sparrows in Floridawill be requested beginning next CBCseason to better understand their distri-

bution. The sole Fox Sparrow camefrom Jackson County. There were 211Painted Buntings on 29 counts, includ-ing 61 at Cocoa and 24 at West PalmBeach. Single Yellow-headed Blackbirdswere documented at Kendall Area andLakeland. There were 41 BronzedCowbirds at Dade County and two oth-ers at Sarasota. Only nine Spot-breastedOrioles were found on four counts fromWest Palm Beach to Kendall Area.Pensacola and Tallahassee each suppliedsingle Bullock’s Orioles. House Finchestotaled 1316 individuals on 36 counts,while Lake City furnished the state’s solePurple Finch. There were 2410 HouseSparrows on 50 counts, and 34 NutmegMannikins at Pensacola.

I appended with the “Details Desired”code 42 observations that should havebeen documented, and I deleted 46reports of extremely rare and/or oftenmisidentified species because of insuffi-cient or no details. I am extremelygrateful to those compilers who careful-ly vet the data from their counts, a taskthat greatly simplifies my editing. Ithank Bruce Anderson and JonGreenlaw for assisting me with review ofsome of the documentation forms.Dates and locations for all FloridaCBCs, along with a letter of instructionto compilers, are posted to the websiteof the Florida Ornithological Society(http://fosbirds.org). I urge all CBC par-ticipants and especially compilers toread this letter before and after partici-pating on a Florida CBC. Let’s all work

to improve documentation of rare birdsreported on Florida CBCs.

Correction: In my summary for the107th CBC season (American Birds, 61:68), I wrote that two Red-throatedLoons were seen at Jacksonville, but thisis incorrect; the birds were found at St.Augustine. I thank James Wheat forcatching this error.

OHIO/WEST VIRGINIA/KENTUCKYChuck Hocevar13 Bow Circle, #212

Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

[email protected]

After a number of years of relativelymild weather and predictable observa-tions, this season provided a notableexception to those trends. Many ofOhio’s Christmas Bird Counts were can-celled, rescheduled, or adversely affectedby the weather. Some counts weremoved, only to find that the weatherwas worse on the later date. Many com-pilers commented on how the snow,hail, rain, or freezing rain hamperedtheir efforts in the field. There were nospringlike temperatures this year. Youcould be in the field in 15 degreeFahrenheit weather in Van Wert or themid-50s at East Fork. In spite of thesecircumstances, 159 species were noted,with 157 of those found on count day.The Toledo, Caesar Creek, andCincinnati counts reported high speciestallies of 96, 95, and 94, respectively.Toledo and Cincinnati reports were wellprepared, and Cincinnati actuallyremoved reported species because ofinsufficient supporting evidence. Itshould be noted, however, that 65 per-cent of the Ohio CBCs tallied fewerthan 70 species during their efforts.Several counts, limited by weather orresources, found less than 40 species.

Waterfowl was found in good num-bers with many unusual speciesrepresented. Greater White-frontedGeese were reported on three counts,with an additional count week report.Cackling Geese were observed from ahalf-dozen Ohio CBC locations. A sin-gle Ross’s Goose was located at

THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 69

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), Key Largo-Plantation Key, Florida.Photo/M. Brennan Mulrooney