Here's the final report, finally, on the 21st Denver Urban
Christmas Bird Count, held Jan. 1, 2009. We ended up with 93 field workers and
28 people counting in their backyards, a high number for any Christmas count.
We tallied 39,361 birds of 90 species (just shy of our highest
species count, 91; two others have had 90). Most abundant bird: Canada Goose,
as usual; the 16,980 geese comprised 43% of all the birds that we counted. Next
came 4963 starlings (12.6%), followed by 2579 Rock Pigeons, 2093 Mallards, 2091
Ring-billed Gulls, 1373 House Sparrows, and 1365 House Finches.
I had the impression of fewer land birds; if you exclude starlings
and crows, we had 4406 passerines, 91% of the average. The 4664 ducks were 78%
of average, the 197 raptors 115%. Species with notable high counts included 403
Northern Flickers (previous highest count only 261) and 106 Buffleheads
(average 36; they have gradually increased from 10 the first year). The 794
robins topped our counts (except for 675 the first year of the count, we've
never had more than 335).
The 28 backyard feeder watchers recorded 2752 birds (including
geese), more than eight of the field parties. They reported 1108 geese, 341
House Sparrows, 236 House Finches, 230 starlings, and 200 robins.
Fourteen species appeared in only one count area. Bob Brown's group
at Cherry Creek Res. heard the count's first Sora (making 137 total from all
counts), the only new species for this year. Other rarities included a
Blue-winged Teal and the only Golden-crowned Kinglets, that Doris Cruze and
company found along the South Platte, two Tundra Swans at Rocky Mountain
Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and two black Brants that Jackie King and
Dave O'Reilly saw in Green Valley, southeast of the Arsenal. Dick Schottler's
group found the count's only Double-crested Cormorants and Yellow-rumped
Warblers. The Tuesday Birders recorded our only White-fronted Goose and Brown
Creepers. Paul Slingsby's hikers discovered a Dipper along Cherry Creek, at
Holly Street plus the only Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Cat Anderson and Candy Gray,
as usual, found the only Eastern Screech-Owl, along the Highline Canal.
If any of you have an interest in the gory details, I can email
some Excel spread sheets with the count totals by area and the cumulative count
totals, 1998-2008.
For Denver Audubon
Hugh Kingery
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