The 2021 North Nassau Christmas Bird Count was held on Saturday December
18. Persistent drizzle and temperatures hovering around 40F didn't make for
pleasant birding or a lot of bird activity. The heavy overcast also didn't
lend aid to photography. The warm December had plus and minus attributes;
the ponds were open and a good number of dabbling ducks were seen including
the Eurasian Wigeon at Mill Pond, Oyster Bay. But sea ducks were in very
small numbers, presumably still feeding to the north. Thanks to all who
participated (even those who ran off to look for the mega rare Northern
Lapwing), *i*t’s the teams’ participation that made this event a
success. Ebird's
trip report feature combined with Google Spreadsheet is being used to
compile the results. We're hoping for an in person compilation and dinner
next year.
Overall CBC results:
- There were 62 participants!
- 104 species were recorded
- 20 species were “saves”
- Rarities included:
- Cackling goose (Caumsett SP)
- Eurasian wigeon (Mill Pond Oyster Bay)
- Orange-crowned warbler (Private)
- Exceptional for the North Nassau CBC
- Common Eider (only seen in 2 of the previous 10 years)
- Black-crowned night heron (0/10)
- American woodcock (3/10)
- Northern saw-whet owl (2/10)
- White-crowned sparrow (0/10)
- Misses were:
- Purple Finch (seen 8 of last 10 years)
- Pine warbler (7/10)
- Eastern Phoebe (6/10)
- Wilson’s snipe (7/10)
- American coot (6/10)
- Pied-billed grebe (6/10)
- Common merganser (6/10)
- Black scoter (7/10)
- Northern shoveler (7/10)
- 11-year lows were:
- Mute Swan (52)
- Greater Scaup (566)
- Sharp-shinned Hawk (4)
- Ring-billed gull (1039)
- Black-capped chickadee (78)
- House sparrow (141)
- 11-year highs were:
- Great blue heron (69)
- Eastern screech owl (25)
- Great horned owl (17)
- Yellow-bellied sapsucker (35)
- Yellow-rumpled warbler (57)
- Savannah sparrow (19)
- Common grackle (1661)
Saves were:
- Sector 1 (Port Washington): Snow Bunting, Peregrine Falcon, Great
Cormorant
- Sector 3 (Glen Cove): Surf Scoter
- Sector 6 (Huntington): Cackling Goose; Common Eider; Northern Gannet;
Northern Harrier; Ruddy Turnstone; Sanderling; Dunlin; White-crowned Sparrow
- Sector 7 (Cold Spring Harbor): Black-crowned night heron; Northern
Saw-whet Owl
- Sector 8 (Old Brookville): Chipping Sparrow
- Sector 11 (Muttontown): House wren; American Woodcock
- Sector 12 (Mill Pond/Oyster Bay): Eurasian Wigeon
- Sector 15 (Brookville-Syosset): American Kestrel; Orange-crowned
Warbler
Compilers
Jennifer Wilson Pines
Stephane Perreault
Brendan Fogarty
Glenn Quinn
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NYSbirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01
Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
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