The sixty first Cedar Creek Bog Christmas Bird Count was held on Sunday under less than ideal conditions. Rain and low visibility definitely reduced the bird activity, as well as the visibility and audibility of the birds that were out. But, the troublesome wintery conditions that cancelled CBC's to the north and west held off for most of the day and only shortened the count by about an hour or two for most participants.
We found 36 species, but another eight species seen in the count period before the storm were missed. While most species (including all hawks and woodpeckers) were found in significantly low numbers, two species set records. 234 Wild Turkeys were observed (previous high 142) and 52 Northern Cardinals (previous high 50). The woods were barren. Only a dozen small birds were seen on Carlos Avery. Most birds were found at feeders, even though many apparantly quality feeder set-ups were unoccupied. The most interesting bird: Fox Sparrow. Finch numbers were lower than expected, with the exception of Pine Siskins (131), 90 or which were in one flock. Only 5 Red-headed Woodpeckers were still on territory. Steve Weston on Quiggley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net:http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives:http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
