Here's the quick-and-dirty about the Ithaca Christmas Bird Count which happened today, New Year's Day 2011:
First, it's not over yet. You still have almost two hours to find within the count circle as I start writing this (well about a half hour, now that I'm finishing it):
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Second, there are a few species which have been reported very recently, but have not been tallied for today. If you observed any of these species on January 1, 2011 in the count circle, please say so:
Tundra Swan - were at Stewart Park and Treman Marine Park
American Wigeon - were at Stewart Park
Northern Pintail - was at Stewart Park
Ring-necked Duck - were at Stewart Park and Treman Marine Park
King Eider - was at Stewart Park, mouth of Cayuga Inlet and previously around Myers Point and also Sheldrake Point
Red-throated Loon - southeastern area of Cayuga Lake
Short-eared Owl - there's been 1 behind the airport
Snow Bunting - there were about a thousand on the west peak of Mount Pleasant a week ago)
The above group of 8 species are now in the second-rate category of Count Week birds, meaning they were observed during the three days before or after the count day, but not on the count day itself. But some recently observed species we don't even have nailed down as Count Week birds, so if you found them this past Wednesday 29 Dec, Thursday 30 Dec, or Friday 31 Dec, or if you find them Sunday 2 Jan, Monday 3 Jan, or Tuesday 4 Jan, we can still get some credit if someone will admit to finding them:
Glaucous Gull - try Stewart Park or the Cornell compost facility
Lapland Longspur - there was one in corn stubble along the south side of Mt Pleasant Rd near the drive to the radio towers
Other species that might be around or show up in the next 3 days even though we tried en masse and failed to find them today include:
Greater White-fronted Goose
Wood Duck
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Killdeer
Bonaparte's Gull
White-crowned Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Red Crossbill
Hoary Redpoll
Evening Grosbeak
Finally here's the 95 species we did find (at the tally some people were saying 94), plus UNOFFICIAL NUMBERS subject to change as they are evaluated, especially birds that move around alot, or if I screwed up in my scribbling from the sidelines at the tally:
SNOW GOOSE - 1 (Stewart Park ice shelf, by Ken Rosenberg et al)
CACKLING GOOSE - 2 (Stewart Park, by Ken Rosenberg)
CANADA GOOSE - "6071"
GADWALL - 1 (east side of lake, by Jay & Perri McGowan)
AMERICAN BLACK DUCK - 46
MALLARD - 1330
CANVASBACK - 3 (Stewart Park? by Steve Kelling)
REDHEAD - 941
GREATER SCAUP - 19
LESSER SCAUP - 1 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg et al)
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - 1 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg)
LONG-TAILED DUCK - 1 (east side of lake by Jay & Perri McGowan)
BUFFLEHEAD - 9
COMMON GOLDENEYE - 14
HOODED MERGANSER - 4
COMMON MERGANSER - 75
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - 1 (Stewart Park, by Ken Rosenberg)
RUDDY DUCK - 10
RING-NECKED PHEASANT - 1 (Ellis Hollow? by Ton Schat & Laura Stenzler)
RUFFED GROUSE - 10
WILD TURKEY - 128
COMMON LOON - 6
PIED-BILLED GREBE - 5
HORNED GREBE - 2 (east side of lake by Jay & Perri McGowan)
GREAT BLUE HERON - 6
TURKEY VULTURE - 22 (new high?)
BALD EAGLE - 2
NORTHERN HARRIER - 6
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK - 8
COOPER'S HAWK - 20 (new high, previous high 19)
NORTHERN GOSHAWK - 1 (Hammond Hill? by Steve Fast)
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK - 2
RED-TAILED HAWK - 246 (new high; previous high 172)
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - 7
AMERICAN KESTREL - 3
MERLIN - 1 (uphill from Cass Park by Stefhan Ohlstrom & Dave Nutter)
PEREGRINE FALCON - 1 (Cayuga Inlet near fish ladder by Paul Anderson)
AMERICAN COOT - 462
RING-BILLED GULL - "341"
HERRING GULL - "275"
ICELAND GULL - 1 (Stewart Park by Susan Danskin & Gary Kohlenberg)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 3 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg)
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL - 32
ROCK PIGEON - 1697
MOURNING DOVE - 1000
EASTERN SCREECH-OWL - 56 (new high)
GREAT HORNED OWL - 22
BARRED OWL - 6 (new high; previous high 5)
BELTED KINGFISHER - 10 (ties the high?)
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER - 218 (new high; previous high 186)
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER - 4
DOWNY WOODPECKER - 564 (new high; previous high 550)
HAIRY WOODPECKER - 174 (new high; previous high 147)
NORTHERN FLICKER - 46 (new high; previous high 44)
PILEATED WOODPECKER - 63 (new high; previous high 43)
NORTHERN SHRIKE - 2
BLUE JAY - 1107
AMERICAN CROW - "12727" (new high; previous high 5761)
FISH CROW - 17
COMMON RAVEN - 18
HORNED LARK - 55
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE - 5080 (new high; perhaps for anywhere anytime? better than us and Edmonton last year anyway)
TUFTED TITMOUSE - 576 (new high; previous high 521)
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH - 73
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH - 552 (new high; previous high 544)
BROWN CREEPER - 44 (new high)
CAROLINA WREN - 81 (new high; previous high 43)
WINTER WREN - 2
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET - 69
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET - 1 (gotta track down where by whom; Bob McGuire?)
EASTERN BLUEBIRD - 186 (new high; previous high 176)
HERMIT THRUSH - 1 (Monkey Run South, by Susan Danskin & Gary Kohlenberg)
AMERICAN ROBIN - 382
GRAY CATBIRD - 1 (Wilkins Road, by Marty Schlabach (& wife & stepson MaryJean & Phil?))
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD - 30
EUROPEAN STARLING - 5437
CEDAR WAXWING - 536
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER - 1 (Black Diamond Trail near Glenwood Heights Rd, by Marty Schlabach (& family?))
EASTERN TOWHEE - 2
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW - 387
FIELD SPARROW - 4 (Ellis Hollow by John Fitzpatrick)
SONG SPARROW - 37
SWAMP SPARROW - 8
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW - 132
DARK-EYED JUNCO - 863
NORTHERN CARDINAL - 509
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD - 4
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD - 12
PURPLE FINCH - 24
HOUSE FINCH - 687
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL - 2 (over Cornell Plantations by Linda Orkin)
COMMON REDPOLL - 370
PINE SISKIN - 16
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH - 1384 (new high?)
HOUSE SPARROW - 824
Please correct my errors and omissions as well as reporting new birds.
--Dave Nutter
First, it's not over yet. You still have almost two hours to find within the count circle as I start writing this (well about a half hour, now that I'm finishing it):
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Second, there are a few species which have been reported very recently, but have not been tallied for today. If you observed any of these species on January 1, 2011 in the count circle, please say so:
Tundra Swan - were at Stewart Park and Treman Marine Park
American Wigeon - were at Stewart Park
Northern Pintail - was at Stewart Park
Ring-necked Duck - were at Stewart Park and Treman Marine Park
King Eider - was at Stewart Park, mouth of Cayuga Inlet and previously around Myers Point and also Sheldrake Point
Red-throated Loon - southeastern area of Cayuga Lake
Short-eared Owl - there's been 1 behind the airport
Snow Bunting - there were about a thousand on the west peak of Mount Pleasant a week ago)
The above group of 8 species are now in the second-rate category of Count Week birds, meaning they were observed during the three days before or after the count day, but not on the count day itself. But some recently observed species we don't even have nailed down as Count Week birds, so if you found them this past Wednesday 29 Dec, Thursday 30 Dec, or Friday 31 Dec, or if you find them Sunday 2 Jan, Monday 3 Jan, or Tuesday 4 Jan, we can still get some credit if someone will admit to finding them:
Glaucous Gull - try Stewart Park or the Cornell compost facility
Lapland Longspur - there was one in corn stubble along the south side of Mt Pleasant Rd near the drive to the radio towers
Other species that might be around or show up in the next 3 days even though we tried en masse and failed to find them today include:
Greater White-fronted Goose
Wood Duck
Mute Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Green-winged Teal
Surf Scoter
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Killdeer
Bonaparte's Gull
White-crowned Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Red Crossbill
Hoary Redpoll
Evening Grosbeak
Finally here's the 95 species we did find (at the tally some people were saying 94), plus UNOFFICIAL NUMBERS subject to change as they are evaluated, especially birds that move around alot, or if I screwed up in my scribbling from the sidelines at the tally:
SNOW GOOSE - 1 (Stewart Park ice shelf, by Ken Rosenberg et al)
CACKLING GOOSE - 2 (Stewart Park, by Ken Rosenberg)
CANADA GOOSE - "6071"
GADWALL - 1 (east side of lake, by Jay & Perri McGowan)
AMERICAN BLACK DUCK - 46
MALLARD - 1330
CANVASBACK - 3 (Stewart Park? by Steve Kelling)
REDHEAD - 941
GREATER SCAUP - 19
LESSER SCAUP - 1 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg et al)
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - 1 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg)
LONG-TAILED DUCK - 1 (east side of lake by Jay & Perri McGowan)
BUFFLEHEAD - 9
COMMON GOLDENEYE - 14
HOODED MERGANSER - 4
COMMON MERGANSER - 75
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - 1 (Stewart Park, by Ken Rosenberg)
RUDDY DUCK - 10
RING-NECKED PHEASANT - 1 (Ellis Hollow? by Ton Schat & Laura Stenzler)
RUFFED GROUSE - 10
WILD TURKEY - 128
COMMON LOON - 6
PIED-BILLED GREBE - 5
HORNED GREBE - 2 (east side of lake by Jay & Perri McGowan)
GREAT BLUE HERON - 6
TURKEY VULTURE - 22 (new high?)
BALD EAGLE - 2
NORTHERN HARRIER - 6
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK - 8
COOPER'S HAWK - 20 (new high, previous high 19)
NORTHERN GOSHAWK - 1 (Hammond Hill? by Steve Fast)
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK - 2
RED-TAILED HAWK - 246 (new high; previous high 172)
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK - 7
AMERICAN KESTREL - 3
MERLIN - 1 (uphill from Cass Park by Stefhan Ohlstrom & Dave Nutter)
PEREGRINE FALCON - 1 (Cayuga Inlet near fish ladder by Paul Anderson)
AMERICAN COOT - 462
RING-BILLED GULL - "341"
HERRING GULL - "275"
ICELAND GULL - 1 (Stewart Park by Susan Danskin & Gary Kohlenberg)
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - 3 (Stewart Park by Ken Rosenberg)
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL - 32
ROCK PIGEON - 1697
MOURNING DOVE - 1000
EASTERN SCREECH-OWL - 56 (new high)
GREAT HORNED OWL - 22
BARRED OWL - 6 (new high; previous high 5)
BELTED KINGFISHER - 10 (ties the high?)
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER - 218 (new high; previous high 186)
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER - 4
DOWNY WOODPECKER - 564 (new high; previous high 550)
HAIRY WOODPECKER - 174 (new high; previous high 147)
NORTHERN FLICKER - 46 (new high; previous high 44)
PILEATED WOODPECKER - 63 (new high; previous high 43)
NORTHERN SHRIKE - 2
BLUE JAY - 1107
AMERICAN CROW - "12727" (new high; previous high 5761)
FISH CROW - 17
COMMON RAVEN - 18
HORNED LARK - 55
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE - 5080 (new high; perhaps for anywhere anytime? better than us and Edmonton last year anyway)
TUFTED TITMOUSE - 576 (new high; previous high 521)
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH - 73
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH - 552 (new high; previous high 544)
BROWN CREEPER - 44 (new high)
CAROLINA WREN - 81 (new high; previous high 43)
WINTER WREN - 2
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET - 69
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET - 1 (gotta track down where by whom; Bob McGuire?)
EASTERN BLUEBIRD - 186 (new high; previous high 176)
HERMIT THRUSH - 1 (Monkey Run South, by Susan Danskin & Gary Kohlenberg)
AMERICAN ROBIN - 382
GRAY CATBIRD - 1 (Wilkins Road, by Marty Schlabach (& wife & stepson MaryJean & Phil?))
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD - 30
EUROPEAN STARLING - 5437
CEDAR WAXWING - 536
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER - 1 (Black Diamond Trail near Glenwood Heights Rd, by Marty Schlabach (& family?))
EASTERN TOWHEE - 2
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW - 387
FIELD SPARROW - 4 (Ellis Hollow by John Fitzpatrick)
SONG SPARROW - 37
SWAMP SPARROW - 8
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW - 132
DARK-EYED JUNCO - 863
NORTHERN CARDINAL - 509
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD - 4
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD - 12
PURPLE FINCH - 24
HOUSE FINCH - 687
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL - 2 (over Cornell Plantations by Linda Orkin)
COMMON REDPOLL - 370
PINE SISKIN - 16
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH - 1384 (new high?)
HOUSE SPARROW - 824
Please correct my errors and omissions as well as reporting new birds.
--Dave Nutter
