[birdky] RPT: Ballard County CBC results . . . guess who's back :o)

["Palmer-Ball, Brainard (EPPC OOS KNPC)" <Brainard.Palmer-Ball@xxxxxx>]

Five observers participated in the Ballard County CBC yesterday, December
21st.  It was a cloudy day, but conditions could have been worse (there are
several inches of snow on the ground there today!). Highlights included the
following:

92 species -- a new high count (misses - in order of magnitude - were
Pied-billed Grebe, Rock Pigeon, Rusty Blackbird, vultures, Cedar Waxwing,
and LeConte's Sparrow.

Spotted Towhee -- our gorgeous, western friend has returned to the same
tangle of vegetation along Bethel Church Road that he inhabited last winter!
Scott Record and I pulled up, pished for a few seconds, and his scratchy
little call greeted us!  The local utility company has altered the site
tremendously, clearing all of the vegetation near the road, but there's
still quite a bit of cover and two huge new brush piles.

Common Yellowthroat -- female observed near the entrance to the Ballard WMA,
hopping around on the ice among some dense herbaceous cover.

Least Sandpiper -- 1 on receding flooded area on WMA

Brewer's Blackbird -- an elusive flock of up to 40 along Smokey Road and KY
310 southeast of Oscar. Most were observed at or near where birds were noted
off and on last winter and recently.

19 spp of waterfowl including a Mute Swan, at least 3 Ross's Geese, 3000+
Snow Geese, 500+ Greater White-fronted Geese, all the regular dabblers, and
a smattering of divers including a few Greater Scaup and Common Goldeneye

the 3 common gull species -- a coup for this count

Eastern Phoebe -- 3

Eurasian Collared-Dove -- 2 dug out at the end of the day, unlike Rock
Pigeons which were absent from the list!

Ruby-crowned Kinglets -- 17!

Red-headed Woodpecker -- hickory and oak mast is non-existent and so were
Red-headed Woodpeckers . . . save for ONE that Scott spied out in a
cornfield snatching corn kernels!

Blue Jays -- seemed by all accounts to be in normal numbers in the rural
countryside, despite the dearth of mast.

Berry-eaters -- lower than average in numbers including American Robins,
Yellow-rumped Warblers, Brown Thrashers (in large part due to the missing
crop of sugarberry fruits).

bpb, Louisville
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[birdky] RPT: Ballard County CBC results . . . guess who's back :o)