[TN-Bird] Murfreesboro CBC totals (we win for most total individuals on a TN CBC)

From: Scott Somershoe <ssomershoe@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 20:27:02 -0600

Ten dedicated birders did the Murfreesboro CBC on Sat, Dec 27th.  I'm just
tallying up since I've been really under the weather since the count.
Here's some highlights:

72 species, which is pretty good considering the count area is mostly
developed and it was dreary and rained in the afternoon.  Misses were
Eastern Phoebe, Savannah Sparrow.

1 American Woodcock at the Stone's River Battlefield at dawn
6 Eastern Screech Owls
1 Northern Pintail
~950 Black Vultures (if that's really a highlight)
1 Gray Catbird
86 Rusty Blackbirds
25 Pine Siskin (not my group and I still haven't seen one this year!)

The BIG jaw dropper was at least 2 million Common Grackles, 100,000+
American Robins, 80,000+ European Starlings (probably way more), plus 8000+
blackbird spp (cowbirds/red-wingeds) coming to the long time roost just off
I-24 near S Rutherford Blvd.  This roost has been present for years, but
I'd done zero scouting and we took a chance that it'd be good as we saw
thousands of robins coming out of what had to be the roost at dawn.  It was
amazing. And we only see birds coming to the roost from the SE, with only
some birds counted coming from due east, where as we can see birds coming
in from other directions if you scan out far enough. Anyway, robins poured
through at about 1500 per min for 30 min, and about 4:15, the grackles
started. I didn't expect what we saw, so I more or less estimated/counted
for a couple time periods, then did some math, and decided it all seems
quite within the realm of reality (there was more to it than that, but the
point is this is not a wild guess). A bare MINIMUM is 80,000 grackles
passing by per MINUTE for 25 minutes. I counted by 1000's for 4-5 min and
got 350,000 birds. The sky was nearly completely covered with grackles (and
some starlings) from the SE and E several times (80-100K in view at
once?).  I think 2.5 million grackles is reasonable, but I'll stick with 2
million since it seems more reasonable (as ridiculous as that seems).
Stephen and Jack Zipperer, and Daniel (never caught last name) was with me
for this phenomenon.  Jaw dropping.

For those interested, we park on Lee Rd about here (35.802378,-86.379536)
and the birds roost in the big wood lot to the NW.  This is a dead end road
and the local residents may ask what you're doing if you're parked on the
side of the road.  Every day I've been to the roost is different.  Sunny
days the birds come in late and in huge flocks and go until it's almost to
dark to see, while cloudy days birds start coming in earlier and it's more
spread out and ends before it's too dark.  I'd be there by 3:30-3:45 and
wait for the show.

Good birding!
Scott Somershoe

[TN-Bird] Murfreesboro CBC totals (we win for most total individuals on a TN CBC)

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