[wisb] Madison CBC: Final Results
- From: Aaron Stutz <agstutz@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Paul Noeldner <paul_noeldner@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Ed Saur <esaur1010@xxxxxxxxx>, Ross Michaels <rbm@xxxxxxxxxx>, "wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Tony & Carol <kalander@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Steve Thiessen <stevethiessen@xxxxxxxxxxx>, Max Witynski <birdmax922@xxxxxxxxx>, Chuck Heikkinen & Delia Unson <deliachuck@xxxxxxxxx>, Judy Olson <judyolson518@xxxxxxx>, David Drake <ddrake2@xxxxxxxx>, Jim Berkelman <jberkelman@xxxxxxxx>, Levi Wood <Woodlevi@xxxxxxx>, "Peter A. Fissel" <pfissel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Marty & Terry Evanson <mtevanson@xxxxxxxxx>, Adrian Lesak <aalesak@xxxxxxxxx>, Dave Sample <dwsample414@xxxxxxxxx>, JAMES F SCHWARZ <jfschwar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, EDGAR P SPALDING <spalding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Edgar Spalding <spalding@xxxxxxxx>, Mike McDowell <mcdomik@xxxxxxxxx>, JAMES F SCHWARZ <jfschwar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Paul W. Schwalbe" <p.g6schwalbe@xxxxxxxxx>, sumner matteson <sumnermatteson@xxxxxxxxx>, Mark Martin <goosep@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 18:36:15 -0600
Hello all,
Here are a final results of the Madison CBC with a little analysis
thrown in for good measure...
The numbers:
92 species and 99 count week species
39,614 individual birds (record high 50,816 in 2012) .
116 observers & 51 parties
262.30 party hours (185.25 on foot, 77.05 by car) Record High by 10
hours in the data I have dating to 1990.
796.55 party miles (144.55 on foot, 652 by car)
8.8 owling hours over 49.25 miles
8 feeder watchers for 12.5 hours.
Species totals (most to least abundant below)
Analysis:
Record Highs:
A few rarities were "record high" Red-throated Loon, Thayer's Gull and
Northern Saw-whet Owl, but those don't really count.
Guess the theme on most of the other record high species?
Downy Woodpecker 402 (previous high 386 in 2009)
Hairy Woodpecker 145 (previous high 112 in 2008)
Northern Flicker 38 (previous high 28 in 2008)--Peter Bridge and I had a
"flock" of 12 on the tip of Governor's Island. We observed them landing
on the ice, sliding to pools of water on top of the ice and awkwardly
taking a drink.
Pileated Woodpecker 10 (previous high 2)
Canada Goose (15,000+). Concentrated due to frozen water on surrounding
smaller, shallower bodies of water? My group had 4000+ on NE Lake Mendota.
At or near record high:
Tufted Titmouse 46 (Tied record high from 2011)
Red-bellied Woodpecker 223 (Record high is 229 in 09)
White-breasted Nuthatch was also near record high...
So why were woodpeckers record high? Speculation...Partly due to
increased effort (record high party hours). Also a changing landscape
(field birds are harder and harder to come by in the Madison CBC circle
while suburban trees get taller and taller). More of the landscape is
suburban and appealing to Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and
White-breasted Nuthatches. At the other end of the spectrum...Only 1
group had Snow Bunting, Horned Lark, and Rough-legged Hawk. Pheasants
and Kestrels are hard to come by and Lapland Longspurs were completely
absent this year.
Interestingly years with record high feeder birds typically correlate
with frozen lakes, rivers, and creeks. Birders concentrate their time
at feeders because the lakes are desolate wastelands of ice and
ice-fishermen. This was not the case this year.
The 10 Pileated Woodpeckers don't fit the pattern above. They are not
suburban feeder birds. Do others care to speculate on this one? Other
than the resident birds in the Arboretum were these young of the year
seeking out territories of their own?
Other interesting observations...
Diving duck diversity was lower on the NE ends of Lakes Mendota and
Monona than on the the west ends...
Why? Was the ice shelf greater on the east/northeast sides making
feeding more difficult? The NE ends of the lakes were dominated by C.
Goldeneyes and C. Mergansers with decent numbers of Bufflehead and
little else. Almost all the other species came from the west sides of
the lakes.
Bluebirds:
Bluebirds have only been observed during 15 of the 65 years of the
Madison CBC, but over the last decade they have been observed almost
every year. Increased population due to a robust Bluebird Trail program
in the state?
The 99 CW species total has me wondering when this CBC will blow past
its record high count day total of 95 and hit the 100 species mark. It
will take just the right weather/effort conditions for this to occur.
Good gulls on the lakes or at the dump, more sea ducks, good geese
diversity and a few more half-hardy species are all it would take. That
said this count always amazes me. All the species you think might be
present in small numbers in various nooks and crannies around town ARE
actually present.
A great big thank you to all the participants. Let's do it again next
year.
Species Totals:
15,463 Canada Goose
4,217 European Starling
2,706 House Sparrow
2,438 Mallard
1,252 Dark-eyed Junco
1,162 Black-capped Chickadee
903 Common Merganser
897 Tundra Swan
892 Herring Gull
766 Rock Pigeon
717 American Goldfinch
715 American Crow
687 Common Goldeneye
653 Northern Cardinal
557 House Finch
549 Mourning Dove
513 American Tree Sparrow
497 Northern Shoveler
453 Cedar Waxwing
418 White-breasted Nuthatch
402 Downy Woodpecker
370 Ring-billed Gull
287 Wild Turkey
244 American Robin
223 Red-bellied Woodpecker
196 Pine Siskin
179 Blue Jay
145 Hairy Woodpecker
129 Gadwall
126 Bufflehead
122 Cackling Goose
115 Red-tailed Hawk
94 Canvasback
61 Brown Creeper
46 Tufted Titmouse
38 Northern Flicker
29 Bald Eagle
27 Redhead
27 Cooper's Hawk
25 Hooded Merganser
23 White-throated Sparrow
21 Great Horned Owl
18 Horned Lark
13 Eastern Bluebird
12 American Coot
12 Song Sparrow
11 American Black Duck
10 Green-winged Teal
10 Ring-necked Duck
10 Pileated Woodpecker
10 Snow Bunting
8 Barred Owl
8 Belted Kingfisher
8 Golden-crowned Kinglet
6 Eastern Screech Owl
6 Red-breasted Nuthatch
6 Purple Finch
5 American Kestrel
5 Hermit Thrush
5 Swamp Sparrow
4 Snow Goose
4 American Wigeon
4 Red-breasted Merganser
4 Ring-necked Pheasant
4 Winter Wren
3 Common Loon
3 Sharp-shinned Hawk
3 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
3 White-crowned Sparrow
3 Red-winged Blackbird
3 Brown-headed Cowbird
2 + White-winged Scoter
2 Ruddy Duck
2 Great Blue Heron
2 Northern Harrier
2 Sandhill Crane
2 Northern Saw-whet Owl
2 Northern Shrike
2 Fox Sparrow
1 + Greater White-fronted Goose
1 Mute Swan
1 Lesser Scaup
1 + Red-throated Loon
1 Horned Grebe
1 Rough-legged Hawk
1 Merlin
1 + Virginia Rail
1 + Thayer's Gull
1 Red-headed Woodpecker
1 Carolina Wren
1 Common Grackle
1 Common Redpoll
CW Trumpeter Swan
CW Wood Duck
CW Northern Pintail
CW + Iceland Gull
CW Lesser Black-backed Gull
CW Glaucous Gull
CW Gray Catbird
Aaron Stutz
Lake Mills, Jefferson County
####################
You received this email because you are subscribed to the Wisconsin Birding
Network (Wisbirdn).
To UNSUBSCRIBE or SUBSCRIBE, use the Wisbirdn web interface at:
//www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn
To set DIGEST or VACATION modes, use the Wisbirdn web interface at:
//www.freelists.org/list/wisbirdn
Visit Wisbirdn ARCHIVES at: //www.freelists.org/archives/wisbirdn
Other related posts:
