The Lake Lure Christmas Count was held on January 3rd, and it was the most
successful in its 6-year history. Our 20 participants in 11 parties found
74 species which was a big increase from last year's total of 66. The
rarest birds on the count were a pair of Merlins (only the second Rutherford
County record) found by Bill and Anita Hooker. Other uncommon birds
included Bald Eagle, Harrier, and Catbird. New species for the count, in
addition to the Merlin and Catbird, were Wood Duck, White-crowned Sparrow,
and Common Grackle, bringing the cumulative total to 85 species.
We also had good numbers of several species including -
* 730 Robins compared to just 23 last year (with a similar number of
party-hours)
* 205 Waxwings (24 last year)
* 110 Blue Jays (22 last year)
* 10 Thrashers (1 last year)
And it was a great count for warblers -
* 23 Pines (1 last year)
* 43 Yellow-rumps (8 last year)
I guess the big freeze around Christmas didn't have too much of an impact on
them.
We only had 1 big miss this year - Fish Crow, even though we had nearly 350
Common Crows. And the count still hasn't had a House Sparrow (though few
would complain about that).
We'd love to have you join us for next year's count. Just send me an e-mail
if you're interested.
Mike Resch
