Lakewood Christmas Bird Count
December 27, 2015
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LAKEWOOD
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Sunday, December 27, 2015.
Time out
in the field 06:45 to 15:30
74
Participants Nancy Howell,
Compiler – Lakewood Circle
njh24425@hotmail.com,
nhowell@cmnh.org
Western Cuyahoga
Audubon Society
www.wcasohio.org
The 2015
Lakewood Circle (west side of Cleveland) Christmas Bird Count
was well covered by 74 participants. December 2015 was one of
the more unusual months, weather-wise, and most likely
contributed to the species found … or not. Meteorologists
reported that December 2015 had been the warmest December on
record for our area with temperatures throughout the month well
above normal. On count day, temperatures began at 50 degrees
with overcast skies and lots of rain and drizzle. As the day
wore on, temperatures steadily declined to the low 40’s and, for
some, the upper 30’s. Very little wind was a blessing, but the
rain which lasted half of the day, then persisted as drizzle,
made for some difficult birding – difficult to see, to hear and
even the birds didn’t want to get wet. The mild weather left
Lake Erie and any inland waters; lakes, streams and rivers, wide
open. Nothing to concentrate water birds. Similarly, songbirds
were not concentrated by food sources due to the mild weather.
As one
reads through the list it may be noticeable that many species,
normally seen at the time of the Christmas Count, are missing or
were seen in low numbers. The list includes
63 species
on count day and
5 count week for a total
of 68 species. As of
January 8, 2016, with all lists accounted for, below are the
results of the 2015 Lakewood Circle (OH) Christmas Bird Count.
Following the species list is commentary on the findings and
lastly the list of participants.
Rare,
unusual or unexpected species are
bold, while count week (CW)
species are in italics.
Mild weather
and rain were the two weather items that influenced the 2015
Lakewood Circle (OH) Christmas Bird Count. A few other choice words
regarding the rain were indicated by some participants, but they are
not fit to print (just kidding). Lake Erie and all inland lakes,
ponds and rivers were free of ice. Rain before and on count day
caused rivers and streams to be swollen and in some areas,
dangerously swiftly. Waterfowl species and numbers were considerably
lower than in past years. Dabbling duck diversity (ooh, say that
fast, three times) was low with no species out of the ordinary.
Diving and big water ducks, were down greatly. One Redhead, one
Greater Scaup were pathetically low numbers and the Redhead was not
even sighted on Lake Erie, it was located on a small pond. Common
Goldeneye had respectable numbers. Two species of scoter – Surf and
White-winged – were nice finds. The only merganser tallied was the
Red-breasted Merganser, again with very low numbers. No Canvasback,
Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Common
Merganser or Ruddy Ducks were noted. Mild weather, open water and,
perhaps, the birds not even arriving from the north, all seem to add
up to the poor showing of waterfowl.
Common Loons,
Horned and Pied-billed Grebes were good finds on Lake Erie. A dozen
Double-crested Cormorants and a few American Coot rounded out the
list of water birds on the lake.
Wild Turkey
were noted by a couple of groups this year which is nice since
sometimes they are missed.
Nine Great
Blue Heron as well as 9 Belted Kingfisher were counted, some along
the high waters of streams and rivers and some along lakes and
ponds.
Hawks, eagles
and falcons were observed by a number of groups, but nothing
unusual. No matter the weather, they had to be out hunting for their
meals.
Ring-billed,
Herring and Bonaparte’s Gull numbers were lower than in past years,
again due to the open waters of Lake Erie. Five Great Black-backed
Gulls and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls made nice additions to the
list.
Scraping up
any owls was difficult. One Barred Owl was found on the day of the
count. The Great Horned Owl was noted during count week.
As we get
into the species of birds that may be found at birdfeeders, in
backyards, and parks, numbers of many species were lower. Woodpecker
showings were respectable. American Crow numbers dipped a bit, but
again, were the birds just spread so widely that they were not
counted or are their populations truly down? A single Brown Creeper,
3 Carolina Wrens and 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets made the list.
Eastern Bluebirds were found by a couple of groups and over 500
American Robins were tallied with some groups reporting large
flocks. Compare this with the 2014 CBC American Robin tally of only
159 birds. Cedar Waxwing made for a nice addition to the count.
During count week a single Gray Catbird was photographed in a
residential area of Lakewood which was nice.
Sparrow
species were typical of what is generally found in the count circle.
American Tree Sparrow and Dark-eyed Juncos numbers were fairly high,
Song and White-throated Sparrows were in good number, Swamp Sparrows
should be more common, but their numbers are consistently low. Five
Fox Sparrows were a good find for count day and a winter plumaged
Chipping Sparrow was a great addition to count day.
Red - winged
Blackbirds and Common Grackle seem to be becoming winter regulars in
the count circle. While not many, they do add to the list. Two
Brown-headed Cowbirds, while maybe not the most delightful of
species, also made the list this year. American Goldfinch were
fairly abundant, but House Finch numbers seemed to slip a bit. House
Sparrows seemed to be everywhere.
************************************************************************************
Well-deserved
thanks go out to all of the following who birded by car, on foot,
watched feeders, did some owling, etc. Apologies to those who I may
have missed despite looking over the lists again and again. Don’t
forget to look and plan ahead for 2016.
Jay
Abercrombie, Alison Ball, Ken and Lois Ballas, Mary Bartos, Kit and
Dennis Birch, Kathleen Bradley, Nancy Brewer, Scott Brozell, Erik
Bruder, Diane Busch, June Cangey, Lee and Mary Cavano, Frank
Comodeca, Bill Deininger, David Dvorak Jr., Mark Eberling, Brenda
and Todd Eiben, Maria and Charles Finchum, Bob Finkelstein, Joanne
and Terry Gorges, Kurt Grenig, Sharon Hanse, Jim Heflich, Heather
Hodges, Nancy and Don Howell, Mary Lou Hura, Debra Jesionowski, Anna
Julnes, Joan Kafer, Rich Kassouf, Ethan Kistler, Tom Kosicki, Jeff
and Marian Kraus, Jeff and Irene Krise, JoAnn Kubicki, Ray Kutnar,
Emily Larsen, Becky Lauer, Fred Losi, Paula Lozano, Terri Martincic,
Jim McCarty, Mary Lou McGuire, Liz McQuaid, Aaron Milenski, Tamyra
Mouginis, Kathy Murphy, Penny O’Connor, Donna Owen, Michael Pasek,
Chris Pierce, Marty Reynard, Craig Rieker, Tom and Mary Anne Romito,
Larry Rosche, Jeremiah Roth, Gaye Rule, Lisa Schlog, Linda Sekura,
Judy Semroc, Mark Shaver, Paul Sherwood, Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr. and
Bev Walborn.
|
CBC birders Mark, Kit, & Dennis © Penny O'Connor Lots of rain made the Rocky River swell! © Penny O'Connor Nancy finds blooming forsythia. © Penny O'Connor |