The Bristol Christmas Bird Count, held Sunday Dec. 28, totaled 82 species --
seven 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 count area includes portions of Washington Co., VA. and Sullivan Co., TN
The total is two species below the previous five year average. It's equal to
the recent 10 year
average and seven above the 20 year average.
The total number of individual birds was just 6,353 almost half of the 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, 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.
The count had 21 birders in six party sectors.
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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