Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC The 74th annual Ulster County Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir (NYML)Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was conducted this past Saturday, December 16,2023, under extremely mild and clear weather conditions. Organized by the John Burroughs NaturalHistory Society, thisyear’s count will be remembered for the fantastic weather and record-breaking diversity,establishing a new record high species count and adding several new species tothe historical count composite. Waterfowl, sparrows, wrens, and blackbirds were prominentin this year’s remarkable count. Combinedeffort (participation, field parties, and field party hours) continues toincrease and surpass historical averages.
A total of 65 participants (60 field observers and 5 feederwatchers) in 20 field parties tallied 25,850 individual birds representing 88species, plus two additional unique count-week species (Killdeer andClay-colored Sparrow). For historical context, our previous all-timerecord high count for this circle was 87 species in 2017, and our ten-yearaverage is 79 species/year. Total abundancein any given year is greatly influenced by the widespread presence or lack of afew species that tend to congregate in very large winter flocks (geese, crows,robins, starlings, and blackbirds). Thisyear, large flocks of Icterids inflated our abundance number well-above our 14,778ten-year average, eclipsing our previous all-time record high count of 22,307 in2017. A first ever Sedge Wren wasseen, heard, and photographed at close range under excellent viewing conditionson Hudson Valley Farm Hub private property, also representing a first winterrecord (December-February) for Ulster County based on the John BurroughsNatural History Society Checklist of Birds of Ulster County. Sedge Wren is rare in the county in Spring,Summer, and Fall, but has a recent history of occurring at the Farm Hub,including a pair that recently remained for the summer months. Congratulations toAnne Bloomfield, Silas Wareham, and the Farm Hub team for this outstandingrecord. Peter Schoenberger found a countweek Clay-colored Sparrow one day before the official count, on private farmlandsouth of the Farm Hub off Hurley Mountain Road. This rare find is also a first NYML count record, and a first UlsterCounty winter season record. A search ofthe farmland on count day by yours truly failed to produce the bird for a countday record. A lingering Double-crested Cormorant was observed andphotographed on Sturgeon Pool in Rifton, representing another first countrecord. Double-crested Cormorant is occasionallyfound in the county during mild winters, especially along the Hudson River, buthas managed to elude detection on the NYML CBC for the past 73 years, a count areathat is inland, lacking substantial bodies of open water in a typical winter. Congratulations to Deb Weltsch and her field party for this addition to the historical compilation, now advancing to 149 species with 5 additional count-weekonly species (species encountered three days before, or three days after thecount, but not on count day). Additional highlights include twoGreen-winged Teal in a small wooded swamp by Duke’s Pit, representingonly our third historical record for this count circle. Several species were detected for just the fifthtime; two Cackling Geese on Spring Lake off Lucas Avenue in Kingston, atotal of six Northern Pintail at two separate locations, a lone EasternPhoebe on Fording Place Road, and one Red Crossbill at a private residenceon Lapla Road. Two Wood Ducks in LouisaPond is our eighth historical record, and both Peregrine Falcon and a ChippingSparrow observed in a farm field off Hurley Mountain Road represent a ninthoccurrence. A raft of nineteen Gadwallon Stone Ridge Pond is our tenth record, and Northern Saw-whet Owl and AmericanPipits have only been recorded in eleven previous years, but havebecome more frequent in recent years, appearing on six out of the last ten counts. A count-week Killdeer on the Farm Hubwas our seventh historical record. Record high counts wereestablished or tied for the following 24 species (previous high count andten-year average in parentheses). Common Grackle – 11,019(ten thousand more than our previous high count, 45 avg.) Red-winged Blackbird – 1,145(nearly five times the 233 in 2020, 76 avg.) Gadwall – 19 (17in 2022, 4.4 avg.) Northern Pintail – 6 (5in 2014, 0.8 avg.) Ring-necked Duck – 137 (62in 2022, 15 avg., abundant open water, large rafts) Hooded Merganser – 83 (57in 2001, 17.4 avg.) Barred Owl – 11 (9in 2022, 5.8 avg.) Belted Kingfisher – 12 (tied12 in 2022, 5.6 avg.) Red-bellied Woodpecker – 154 (153in 2018, 116 avg.) Downy Woodpecker – 170 (169in 2018, 147 avg.) Pileated Woodpecker – 49 (40in 2018, 27 avg.) Merlin – 4 (tied4 in 2019 and 2016) White-breasted Nuthatch – 306 (267in 2014, 193 avg.) Brown Creeper – 31 (20in 2009, 11.4 avg.) Winter Wren – 29 (significantincrease from 16 in 2022, 7.5 avg.) Carolina Wren – 218 (significantlysurpassing 129 in 2022, 52 avg.) Golden-crowned Kinglet – 87 (80in 2017, 25 avg.) Eastern Bluebird – 236 (205in 2022, 146 avg.) Hermit Thrush – 24 (16in 2021, 8 avg.) White-throated Sparrow – 1,248(1,055 in 2020, 640 avg.) Savannah Sparrow – 29 (21in 2016, 9 avg.) Song Sparrow – 300 (289in 2020, 190 avg.) Eastern Towhee – 2 (thelast time we encountered two was 1959) American Goldfinch – 506 (495in 2017, 275 avg.) There were no new record lowcounts, and no species stands out as a particularly bad miss, but WildTurkey came close. None of the twentyfield parties encountered a turkey on count day, making the list asa result of one individual walking into a backyard feeder watch. The most noteworthy misses for this countcircle were Mute Swan (present 28 previous years), Common Goldeneye(33 years), Common Loon (20 years), Horned Grebe (40 years), Sharp-shinnedHawk (47 years), Rough-legged Hawk (24 years), and Snow Bunting (27years). Ruffed Grouse (46 years)and Evening Grosbeak (34 years) are no longer expected on thiscount. Environmental conditions were remarkablefor mid-December, with unseasonably mild temperatures and abundant open waterpreceding the count, and very mild air temperatures (31- 52°F) on count day, with1-5 mph NNW winds, frequent periods of calm, and mostly clear sunny skies. No precipitation, no snow cover, no frost inthe ground, and all bodies of water free of ice, including small secluded pondsand marshes that provide attractive habitat. A personal first for me while conducting a CBC, we observed severalPainted Turtles basking in sunlight in the Stone Church Road wetland at AshokanReservoir. A completereport with a list of participants and effort information will be published inthe John Burroughs Natural History Society newsletter at a later date. Appended below is the species list with number ofindividuals. Thanks to all of the field participants and feederwatchers for another nice job providing excellent coverage, to the sectorleaders for recruiting and organizing their field parties and submitting theirdata in a timely manner, and to Mark DeDea, Kyla Haber, and everyone thathelped with refreshments and arrangements at our post-count compilation in theHasbrouck Park stone building. Next year's Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir CBC is scheduled for the traditional firstSaturday of the count period, December 14, 2024. Steve M. Chorvas Mohonk Lake/Ashokan Reservoir CBCCompilerSaugerties, NY 2023 NYML CBCSummary List | Cackling Goose | 2 | | Canada Goose | 1,774 | | Wood Duck | 2 | | Gadwall | 19 | | American Black Duck | 93 | | Mallard | 281 | | Northern Pintail | 6 | | Green-winged Teal | 2 | | Ring-necked Duck | 137 | | Bufflehead | 8 | | Hooded Merganser | 83 | | Common Merganser | 42 | | Wild Turkey | 1 | | Double-crested Cormorant | 1 | | Great Blue Heron | 9 | | Black Vulture | 13 | | Turkey Vulture | 8 | | Northern Harrier | 10 | | Cooper's Hawk | 14 | | Accipiter sp. | 1 | | Bald Eagle | 15 | | Red-shouldered Hawk | 9 | | Red-tailed Hawk | 55 | | Killdeer | cw | | Ring-billed Gull | 9 | | Herring Gull | 502 | | Great Black-backed Gull | 4 | | Rock Pigeon | 321 | | Mourning Dove | 170 | | Eastern Screech-Owl | 7 | | Great Horned Owl | 8 | | Barred Owl | 11 | | Northern Saw-whet Owl | 2 | | Belted Kingfisher | 12 | | Red-headed Woodpecker | 6 | | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 154 | | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 36 | | Downy Woodpecker | 170 | | Hairy Woodpecker | 36 | | Northern Flicker | 55 | | Pileated Woodpecker | 49 | | American Kestrel | 3 | | Merlin | 4 | | Peregrine Falcon | 1 | | Eastern Phoebe | 1 | | Blue Jay | 493 | | American Crow | 213 | | Common Raven | 52 | | Horned Lark | 125 | | Black-capped Chickadee | 410 | | Tufted Titmouse | 504 | | Red-breasted Nuthatch | 3 | | White-breasted Nuthatch | 306 | | Brown Creeper | 31 | | Winter Wren | 29 | | Sedge Wren | 1 | | Carolina Wren | 218 | | Golden-crowned Kinglet | 87 | | Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 3 | | Eastern Bluebird | 236 | | Hermit Thrush | 24 | | American Robin | 557 | | Gray Catbird | 2 | | Northern Mockingbird | 38 | | European Starling | 1,164 | | American Pipit | 23 | | Cedar Waxwing | 22 | | Yellow-rumped Warbler | 3 | | American Tree Sparrow | 109 | | Chipping Sparrow | 1 | | Clay-colored Sparrow | cw | | Field Sparrow | 10 | | Fox Sparrow | 10 | | Dark-eyed Junco | 1,382 | | White-crowned Sparrow | 3 | | White-throated Sparrow | 1,248 | | Savannah Sparrow | 29 | | Song Sparrow | 300 | | Swamp Sparrow | 26 | | Eastern Towhee | 2 | | Northern Cardinal | 250 | | Red-winged Blackbird | 1,145 | | Eastern Meadowlark | 5 | | Common Grackle | 11,019 | | Brown-headed Cowbird | 10 | | House Finch | 224 | | Red Crossbill | 1 | | Purple Finch | 10 | | Pine Siskin | 43 | | American Goldfinch | 506 | | House Sparrow | 827 | -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") NYSbirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/nysbirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) birding_DOT_aba_DOT_org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
