[Bristol-Birds] Bristol Christmas Bird Count Results
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2007 04:28:17 -0500
The Bristol Christmas Bird Count, the region's oldest count first conducted in
1931,
was held Sunday, 31 Dec 2006. The count is one of three sponsored by the
Bristol Bird Club.
Twenty (20) observers in 6 parties found 81 species which is about average for
the past
10 years. The average for the past 10 years is 82.9. The average number of
species
for the previous 20 years is 77.8. The all-time high was 91 species in 2004
which is the record
high count for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
The best birds were:
Northern Saw-whet Owl at Steele Creek Park found by Joe McGuiness and Kim
Stroud.
It was a new species for the park. The only other Bristol count record was one
in 1999.
Tundra Swan 1 at Middlebrook Lake. It had been recorded just one other time in
1992.
Two Loggerhead Shrikes are notable as were 2 House Wrens.
Red-breasted Merganser and Ruddy Duck were nice finds as was an
adult Bald Eagle near the Central Holston Community along the South Fork
Holston River.
The Black-crowned Night Heron was not found on the count at
Clear Creek Lake. It has been there the last five or six years.
However, it was present the day after the count.
Forty (40) Red-bellied Woodpeckers set a new record high for that species. The
former record had been 38 birds in 2000 and 2002.
Canada Geese (338) continued their decline in the count
circle. The population peaked at 882 bird in 2001 following a steady 20 year
increase after having been introduced to the area in the late 1970's. Birds
first showed up with a population liftoff in 1980 and doubled on the Bristol
count from 2000 to 2001. It has since quickly diminished about 66 percent.
Likewise, Mallards remain low across the count circle with 378 birds. This is
dramatically lower than the 2000 count when the population exploded and
doubled in one year to a total of 1,349 birds. The Mallard population then
dropped back to 312 in 2002. We are not sure if the
peak represented a large influx of migrant Mallards wintering here in 2000 or
if something more related to the trend of the Canada Goose is taking place
in the count circle. This year's number was down from the 10 year average by
270 birds and down 159.75 from the 20 year average.
Six (6) Eared Grebe marked the eighth year the species has been found on the
count,
including its first appearance in 1996.
Of interest is the Bufflehead wintering population which grew quickly in the
early 1990's with the construction of the South Holston Weir Dam. By 1998 we
were enjoying about 300 birds per count but that number had plunged about 50%
by 2004 & 2005. Numbers rebounded this year to near normal.
Meanwhile Hooded Mergansers, which have enjoyed a great deal of prosperity at
Middlebrook Lake and Clear Creek Lake in Bristol have continued to decline.
In 2001 to 2004 we enjoyed record years at about 300 birds but that has dropped
significantly to about 77 birds. The birds often move back and forth between
the
two impoundments within the winter season . The majority were again
at Clear Creek Lake this year as in the 2005 count. Just 5 birds were at
Middlebrook.
Middlebrook Lake may be losing its ability to sustain winter-long populations.
This may be a food source problem.
Diurnal raptors remain stable across the count circle. Red-tails are constant
and in good numbers as is the Cooper's Hawk. The Sharp-shinned is likewise
steady but in expected low numbers.
Even the Mourning Dove was down some 359 birds from its 10-year-average and
down almost 300 from the 20-year-average. This year's count was just 208 !
The big winter surge of Ring-billed Gulls into urban shopping centers and malls
hasn't developed during this warm winter.
Snow Goose 1
Canada Goose 388
Mute Swan 4
Tundra Swan 1
Green-winged Teal 17
American Black Duck 4
Mallard 378
Gadwall 16
American Wigeon 53
Ring-necked Duck 71
Bufflehead 247
Hooded Merganser 77
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Ruddy Duck 1
Wild Turkey 8
Pied-billed Grebe 55
Horned Grebe 6
Eared Grebe 7
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 15
Black Vulture 12
Turkey Vulture 34
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 17
American Kestrel 12
American Coot 41
Killdeer 40
Wilson's Snipe 4
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull 546
Rock Pigeon 425
Mourning Dove 339
Eastern Screech Owl 10
Great Horned Owl 6
N. Saw-whet Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 19
Red-bellied Woodpecker 40
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 9
Downy Woodpecker 36
Hairy Woodpecker 10
Northern Flicker 25
Pileated Woodpecker 15
Eastern Phoebe 11
Blue Jay 171
American Crow 823
Common Raven 7
Carolina Chickadee 147
Tufted Titmouse 72
White-breasted Nuthatch 37
Brown Creeper 5
Carolina Wren 131
House Wren 2
Winter Wren 6
Golden-crowned Kinglet 51
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7
Eastern Bluebird 93
Hermit Thrush 4
American Robin 34
Northern Mockingbird 83
Cedar Waxwing 72
Loggerhead Shrike 2
European Starling 2622
Yellow-rumped Warbler 47
Northern Cardinal 166
Eastern Towhee 40
Field Sparrow 2
Savannah Sparrow 1
Fox Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 109
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 200
White-crowned Sparrow 109
Dark-eyed Junco 128
Snow Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Eastern Meadowlark 7
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 45
American Goldfinch 63
House Sparrow 70
The species totals for each count party were:
59 Wallace Coffey, Andy Jones, John Moyle, Chris O'Bryan
58 Tom McNeil, Joe McGuiness, Kim Stroud
56 Rack Cross, Carol Cross, Dianne Draper
50 Larry McDaniel, Ron Harrington, Fred Martin, Janice Martin, Ruddy Morales,
Randy Smith
42 Richard Lewis
32 Rob Biller, Don Holt, David Kirschke
Footnotes:
Richard Lewis compiled the count for his 27th consecutive year. Wallace Coffey
participated in the count for his 48th consecutive year.
Let's go birding.....
Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
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