Beech Creek Christmas Bird Count, December 29, 2010

Beech Creek Christmas Bird Count

29 December 2010

        A record high of 17 participants assembled in Town Bluff under overcast skies and facing an ominous weather forecast.  However, the wind was light and the temperature very acceptable for birding, even if the lighting was not good.  We decided on dividing the group into seven parties, more than we might normally have on this count, in the hopes that the areas which could only be birded on foot could be covered before the weather deteriorated.  Some brief light showers began at about 11:00 a.m. but the real rain started at noon and continued with only a few slack spells for the rest of the day.  Most of the circle seems to have received about one inch of (badly needed) rain, but that was much less than areas to the north and to the south.  In view of the adverse weather, groups dispersed after they finished what was doable in their assigned areas, so the normal end-of-day tally was not practical.

        However, probably to the surprise of most participants, the approximately 7,800 birds of 85 species found in 47 party-hours of birding was very much normal in almost all respects.  Birds on or very near the water are probably not fazed by the rain, while in other habitats, the birds are there but not quite as active thus leaving a perception that there are not as many birds.  There certainly were difficulties in seeing some species normally seen at significant distances on or rear Steinhagen Lake.  Comparisons of numbers of some species with two and three years ago may be distorted by the prolonged drawdown of the lake that occurred then.

        Although the weather made it difficult to see ducks at a distance in Steinhagen Lake, we recorded a variety of species significantly greater than in recent years. It was nice to see Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup and especially Redheads all back after several lean years. It was also nice to see Canvasback flying back and forth instead of just as distant specks in the middle of the lake.  At the turn of the century, we began to see Hooded Mergansers regularly, typically in various small stock ponds, but this was the first time in three years that we found the species.  Two groups found a record total of 15.

        Pied-billed Grebe populations in and around the lake fluctuate quite widely, and currently the cycle is near a high point, so 85 of them is high but within expectations.  Double-crested Cormorants, not very popular with other lake users, have increased dramatically in recent years.  The small number detected this year, however welcome it would be, may be because it is one of the few water-based species that were artificially low as a result of the viewing conditions.  Anhingas seem to be continuing to thrive throughout the region, and a good number were found.

        Herons and Egrets, were very much normal.  We have, in recent years, usually found either Tricolored Herons or Little Blue Herons, but not both in the same year, in small numbers, so finding both was nice.  White Ibis have colonized the Wildlife Management Area in the north part of the lake, and we usually see them in flying flocks, so it is perhaps not surprising that the number seen on this count were in the low end of normal.

        Paradoxically, Black Vulture numbers were high but Turkey Vulture numbers were low.  This was perhaps another artifact of the weather conditions, with the Black Vulture roosts being seen, but the less gregarious Turkey Vultures probably staying low and scattered.  While it was disappointing to miss Osprey, equaling last year's high of six Bald Eagles was unexpected in the conditions, but welcome nonetheless.  There is not much ideal marsh habitat for Northern Harriers within the circle, so we do not find them every year.  Less easily explained, however, is not finding any Accipiters for the third year in a row in a circle dominated by wooded areas with plenty of small birds.

        Common Moorhens are not particularly common in the circle, but may well be so in the areas at the north end of the lake. The number seen was the highest in many years.  American Coot populations exploded in the first part of the decade, and the number seen was in line with the previous two years.

        There is not much habitat in the circle for the true sandpipers.  Five Spotted Sandpipers, a species seen on perhaps half the recent counts, were nice finds.  Killdeer numbers recorded were low, but they may just have been made quiet by the conditions.  More surprisingly, no Wilson's Snipe or Woodcock, species seemingly in high numbers further south in the region, were encountered.

        Gulls and terns are usually seen at a distance, and it was only at the very end of the day that one Forster's Tern was found near Highway 190 on the east side of the lake.  Ring-billed Gulls were detected.

        Eastern Screech and Barred Owls were heard, but no Great Horned Owl showed up. Another group of species of special interest in the wooded areas of the circle are woodpeckers, all the more so in the wake of the two major hurricanes in 2005 and 2008.  In the circle, dead and fallen trees have been removed from many of the areas with extensive birding access (parks and campgrounds etc), so the picture we see may not be truly representative.  We did not find any Red-headed Woodpeckers, a species dependent on dead trees.  Red-bellied Woodpecker numbers were on the high end of normal, while Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were more in the middle of the range.  Downy Woodpecker numbers were low for the third year in a row.

        Eastern Phoebe numbers were normal, but no other flycatchers were found. Neither were any Loggerhead Shrikes, a species which thrives more in wide open areas.

        We usually get one White-eyed Vireo as we did this year, but only one Blue-headed Vireo is very much below normal.  Both Blue Jay and American Crow numbers were well within normal ranges.

        Carolina Chickadees were present in good numbers, while Tufted Titmouse numbers are back up after five relatively lean years.  It was nice to find White-breasted Nuthatches again, after last finding the species in 2004 and 2002 before that.  It seems likely that there is a very small population of this essentially non-migratory species in the area, but they are not often seen.  Brown-headed Nuthatches were found in normal numbers, but for some reason, the population in the circle has not increased to anything like the extent that it has only a few miles south.  Brown Creepers are not at all easy to detect, so 12, a new high for the count, was good.

        Wrens are a prominent part of the avifauna of the wooded areas in the circle.  Carolina Wrens were detected in normal numbers, although their strident calls may not have been as repetitive as in better weather.  House Wren numbers were quite normal, while Winter Wrens, at nine, were on the high side.  This area is one of the wintering strongholds in the area of this species.  Golden-crowned Kinglets have been reported in high numbers almost everywhere in the region, especially towards the coast.  Numbers have always been good in the circle, but were higher than normal, while Ruby-crowned Kinglets seemed unchanged in number.  Historically, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have been difficult to find in the circle in winter.  The number found was back to normal after two years of significantly elevated numbers.

        Eastern Bluebird numbers were quite low, while Hermit Thrushes were normal. American Robins were found by most, but not all parties, "everywhere" but the totals were well within the normal range.  Gray Catbirds were found, but not by as many parties as we have come to regard as normal.  While Northern Mockingbirds were in the circle, and in normal numbers, European Starlings were not found for the first time since 1991.  Cedar Waxwings were perhaps not as obvious as they can be sometimes, but totals were normal nonetheless.

        Most warbler species were present in normal numbers, even Yellow-rumped Warblers, whose persistent chip notes made them seem to be everywhere.  Pine Warbler numbers, however, were low, even though we totaled 71. Common Yellowthroat is not always found on the count, but is surely regular in the lake edge habitat.

        Towhees are back after a few lean years.  One Rufous-sided (Eastern or Spotted) Towhee was found last year, but before that, one has to go back to the 2004 count to find this species that used to be very regular. Six Eastern Towhees this year is hopefully the beginning of the resurgence of the species as a wintering species in the area.

        Conditions were not ideal for other sparrow species, which tend to lay low in adverse weather conditions.  This may particular have affected detection of Chipping Sparrows (low) and Savannah Sparrow (none).  Swamp and Song Sparrows were found, and White-throated Sparrow totals were at the high end of normal.  Dark-eyed Juncos were seen for the fourth consecutive year after a long period with none found.

        Northern Cardinals were in normal numbers.  Red-winged Blackbirds were also normal, while Eastern Meadowlarks were low again.  The circle does not have a lot of open country of this species. Several flocks of Common Grackles were seen and even two Brown-headed Cowbirds, not necessarily very welcome.

        It was perhaps a little surprising that no Purple Finches showed up, as they seem to be in somewhat increased numbers in the region.  American Goldfinch numbers were on the low side of normal.  Finding House Sparrow in a circle with relatively limited human activity is always a challenge, but we succeeded again. The last "miss" was 1998!

        Thanks are due to all those who participated in the trying conditions: Kathleen Appelbaum, Sherry Gibson, Lisa and Keith Hansen, Drue Jarvis, Don Jeane, Rose Ann and Harrison Jordan, Dave Roemer, Amy Silver, Wanda and Charles Smith, Ken Sztraky, Bill Wright, Karl and Laureen Yust

 Thanks are also due to the Big Thicket National Preserve for sponsoring this count.

Species seen:

DUCK, Wood (27); GADWALL (5); WIGEON, American (1); MALLARD (20); CANVASBACK (309); REDHEAD (16); DUCK, Ring-necked (63); SCAUP, Lesser (10); MERGANSER, Hooded (15); DUCK, Ruddy (3); GREBE, Pied-billed (85); CORMORANT, Double-crested (13); ANHINGA (7); HERON, Great Blue (19); EGRET, Great (34); EGRET, Snowy (13); HERON, Little Blue (1); HERON, Tricolored (1); NIGHT-HERON, Black-crowned (cw); IBIS, White (25); VULTURE, Black (83); VULTURE, Turkey (43); OSPREY (cw); EAGLE, Bald (6); HAWK, Red-shouldered (13); HAWK, Red-tailed (4); KESTREL, American (12); FALCON, [species] (1); MOORHEN, Common (11); COOT, American (1964); KILLDEER (26); SANDPIPER, Spotted (5); GULL, Ring-billed (10); TERN, Forster's (1); COLLARED-DOVE, Eurasian (8); DOVE, Mourning (29); DOVE, Inca (28); SCREECH-OWL, Eastern (1); OWL, Barred (1); KINGFISHER, Belted (7); WOODPECKER, Red-bellied (78); SAPSUCKER, Yellow-bellied (40); WOODPECKER, Downy (20); FLICKER, Northern (32); WOODPECKER, Pileated (34); PHOEBE, Eastern (38); VIREO, White-eyed (1); VIREO, Blue-headed (1); JAY, Blue (52); CROW, American (155); CHICKADEE, Carolina (107); TITMOUSE, Tufted (67); NUTHATCH, White-breasted (3); NUTHATCH, Brown-headed (4); CREEPER, Brown (12); WREN, Carolina (46); WREN, House (7); WREN, Winter (9); KINGLET, Golden-crowned (58); KINGLET, Ruby-crowned (101); GNATCATCHER, Blue-gray (3); BLUEBIRD, Eastern (48); THRUSH, Hermit (6); ROBIN, American (2232); CATBIRD, Gray (3); MOCKINGBIRD, Northern (45); THRASHER, Brown (3); WAXWING, Cedar (216); WARBLER, Orange-crowned (12); WARBLER, Yellow-rumped (134); WARBLER, Yellow-r.(Myrtle) (67); WARBLER, Pine (71); YELLOWTHROAT, Common (3); TOWHEE, Eastern (6); SPARROW, Chipping (177); SPARROW, Song (11); SPARROW, Lincoln's (4); SPARROW, Swamp (22); SPARROW, White-throated (263); JUNCO, Dark-eyed (18); JUNCO, Dark-eyed (Slate-col.) (11); CARDINAL, Northern (137); BLACKBIRD, Red-winged (200); MEADOWLARK, Eastern (6); GRACKLE, Common (150); COWBIRD, Brown-headed (2); GOLDFINCH, American (192); SPARROW, House (9); SPECIES, total (85); Number of Individuals (7836); Number of observers (17); Parties (9); Party-hours total (47.0); Party-miles total (99.1).

John A. Whittle