FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Bristol Christmas Bird Count Results

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The Bristol Christmas Bird Count held Sunday, Dec. 28, totaled 82 species -- 7 
short of 
the region's record high count at Bristol in 1998. 
This is Northeast Tennessee's and Southwest Virginia's oldest count, first held 
Dec. 1931.

The total is 2 species below our previous five year average.  It is equal to 
the past 10 year
average and 7 above 20 year average.

There were 21 birders in six party sectors.

The total number of individual birds was just 6,353  almost half of the count's 
10-year average.

This may reflect mild weather on the count day.  The lower number produced 
significant
decreased in observations of Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, House Finch, 
Carolina
Chickadee, Eastern Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren
and Dark-eyed Junco.  Most are frequent at feeders, despite the count not
having any observers reporting only as feeder watchers.

NOTEWORTHY MISSES:  Eared Grebe,  Bonaparte's Gull.

This year's list:

Horned Grebe   3
Pied-billed Grebe  37
Common Loon  15

Great Blue Heron  16
Black-crowned Night-Heron   2 ( 2nd consecutive year, record high)

Bufflehead   259  (stable population since 1997,  Avg. Year = 252)
American Black Duck   8
Ring-necked Duck  31
Gadwall  30
Common Goldeneye   1
Canada Goose   740 ( population growth leveled off for 3rd year at 127 above 10 
year average)
Snow Goose   5 (record high)
Mallard   377  ( just over  50% of 10 year average)
Hooded Merganser   129 ( population down about 25 % of 10 year average, second 
lowest in 10 years )
Lesser Scaup   3
Green-winged Teal   3
American Wigeon   9  ( 57 below 10 year average )

Bald Eagle   1
Cooper's Hawk   2
Sharp-shinned Hawk  2
Red-tailed  Hawk  18 ( second lowest in 10 years)
American Kestrel  18 ( 36% less than 10 year average )
Merlin  1 (4th consecutive year )
Black Vulture  19
Turkey Vulture  123

Wild Turkey  7

American Coot   32

Killdeer  19

Common Snipe  3

Herring Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull   241

Mourning Dove   219  (lowest in 15 years)
Rock Pigeon (Rock Dove)  144 (lowest in 13 years)

Barred Owl  1
Eastern Screech Owl  4
Great Horned Owl  6

Belted Kinfisher  16

Northern Flicker  21
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  14 (ties count record high)
Downy Woodpecker  27
Hairy Woodpecker  8
Pileated Woodpecker  20
Red-bellied Woodpecker  20

Eastern Phoebe  8

American Crow  551
Blue Jay  117
Common Raven  1 ( 9th consecutive year, 16 years since first in 1983)

Carolina Chickadee  123
Eastern Tufted Titmouse  48  ( about 50% of 10 year average)

Brown Creeper   4
White-breasted Nuthatch  22

Carolina Wren  73
Winter Wren   9

Golden-crowned Kinglet  35
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   17

Eastern Bluebird   108
American Robin   211
Hermit Thrush   6

Northern Mockingbird   98

Loggerhead Shrike   2 ( continues to be regular )
European Starling   823
Cedar Waxwing   88

Palm Warbler   7  ( 3rd year ever, previous high count 1)
Pine Warbler   1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  96 ( 3rd highest count)

Northern Cardinal  146
Dark-eyed Junco  53 (very low, 33% of 10 year average)
Chipping Sparrow   7
Field Sparrow   10
Savannah Sparrow  20 (record high count, 6th year on count)
Song Sparrow  154
Swamp Sparrow  8
White-crowned Sparrow  168 ( 2nd highest count)
White-throated Sparrow   180
Eastern Towhee   25

Red-winged Blackbird   93 (highest count in 20+ years)
Common Grackle   30
Eastern Meadowlark   7 (lowest count in 13 years)

House Finch  95
Purple Finch  32  (second highest since 1977)
American Goldfinch  201
House Sparrow   11 (ties lowest count record) 

Compiled by Richard Lewis for 23rd consecutive year !
Wallace Coffey's 45th consecutive count year and in his count sector.

Participants:  Bert Hale, Lorraine Hale, Lindzey Hale, Bob Quillen, Rick Knight,
Tom McNeil, Marion Finucane, Bill Grigsby, Wallace Coffey, Rack Cross, Andy 
Jones,
Mike Poe, Dexter Newman,  Richard Lewis, Vickie Lewis, Larry McDaniel,
Dave Worley, Janice Martin, Ruth Smith, Ron Carrico, Rob Biller.

Let's go birding....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN







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