There was some discussion of potential multiple-counting of Tundra Swan flocks, but not a flock-by-flock analysis, and I don't think any adjustments were made among sectors at the compilation. Sector leaders may have tried to adjust among parties in their sector beforehand. I think it would be a good and interesting thing to try to figure out.
My notes from the compilation were:
Sector IV: 23
Sector V: 40
Sector VI: 116
Sector VII: 95
Sector VIII: 122
Total: 396
For my part, I was on Cliff Park Road just above Taylor Place on West Hill in the City of Ithaca when I heard and saw my first flock at 2:08pm. I counted 14 birds, but I could have been off by one, so this could have been your group of 15. They were east of me headed south up the Cayuga Inlet valley.
I was at the south end of Richard Place at 2:58pm when another flock went by, also well to my east, southbound up Inlet Valley. It was a larger group and harder to count because they were massed in a C which I was viewing from the side, not a simple V or line, and I had trouble getting my scope on them through the trees, so they were already past me when I finally got a look and then I looked at the time. I estimated 60 birds, but this could have been a flock of 53. They . .
Later I heard another flock but never saw them and did not count them or note the time.
I gave Sector VII leader Marty Schlabach the numbers and I think the times of my flocks. I don't know what accounted for the total of 95 for Sector VII, whether it was additional flock of 21 or someone else's more reliable counts overall.
--Dave Nutter
On Jan 03, 2013, at 03:03 PM, Bill Evans <wrev...@clarityconnect.com> wrote:
The other issue I’ve been wondering about is counts of migrating birds crossing the count circle, in particular migrating swans this year. Perhaps this was addressed at the compilation dinner, otherwise I suspect the 396 total that Dave posted in his quick summary involves flocks being counted multiple times. Unless flock size and timing is noted, I don’t see how this can be avoided except perhaps if we take the highest count by one survey party.While covering section VI, I noted southbound swan flocks of 19, 15, 29, and 53 between 2:15 and 3PM (I have exact times and trajectories if anybody’s interested). All these flocks likely passed over sections VIII & IX and some would have been visible from sections V & VII. Unless redundant counts were somehow culled out at the compilation, I wouldn’t be surprised if these four flocks made up the bulk of the 396 swans in Dave’s quick summary.Typically in the past we’ve had no substantial visible migration on count days, though I remember one year more than a decade ago when the count coincided with the passage of a brutal cold front and there was massive southbound evacuation of 1000s of Canvasback and other Aythya. As I recall, there wasn’t a problem in double counting that year because only one party in section VIII happened to witness the event.Bill E--Cayugabirds-L List Info:Archives:Please submit your observations to eBird!--
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