[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted for the 84th time on 30 December 
2023, by 75 dedicated and talented participants in nine territories. December 
2023 has been one of the (if not the actual) warmest and most ice-free in 
memory, so the results of this particular count, which is held toward the end 
of the count period, and which includes a remarkably broad set of habitats, 
have been anticipated with special interest by New York area birders.

Two trends observed during this month’s preceding regional CBCs were felt very 
strongly in Southern Nassau: (1) marked local absence/low abundance of all 
species with northerly centers of winter abundance, and also of many species 
preferring forest habitats; and (2) prodigious new maxima for many species with 
southerly winter distributions. Common Goldeneye was missed, and Common 
Merganser was eked out in the form of a single individual. Bufflehead, which 
has been counted into four digits on this count, totaled 63, the lowest in more 
than two decades. Seventeen Horned Grebes were the most since 2019-2020, but 
still far below historical averages. Red-necked Grebe was missed for the third 
year in a row, after occurring each of the previous five. Landbirds with 
northerly winter ranges were also scarce: just seven American Tree Sparrows and 
63 Slate-colored Juncos were recorded (both were formerly counted in 
multi-hundreds); Snow Bunting fell below 100 for the sixth consecutive year. 
Forest birds with markedly low totals included Downy (55, 59% of ten-year 
average) and Hairy Woodpecker (8, 65% TYA), Black-capped Chickadee (64, 46% 
TYA), Tufted Titmouse (7, 31% TYA, and the lowest since 1968-1969), and 
White-breasted Nuthatch (9, 23% TYA).

Long Island happens to occupy a geographic position where winter temperatures 
trend near the freezing point of water. Because of this, relatively modest 
increases in average temperature translate into major changes in the extent and 
duration of freezing condistions, and, consequently, in the abundance of 
species sensitive to freezing conditions. Three Clapper Rails in two 
territories was a good count for this frequently missed species, as were 31 
Great Egrets (second only to 49 in 2001-2002, also a mild season). But 116 
Greater Yellowlegs and 791 Double-crested Cormorants are simply astonishing. 
The latter was routinely missed as recently as the early 1980s. Many of the 
unusual species summarized below also belong in this category. Other high 
counts deserving mention include 1550 Lesser Scaup (mostly in a mega-flock of 
more than a thousand in Five Towns) and 13 Orange-crowned Warblers, distributed 
across seven territories.

Bad misses were very very few: Common Goldeneye (cw), Red-necked Grebe, and 
Chipping Sparrow were the only species missed among those recorded on more than 
half of the past ten counts. Largely absent this year, Red-breasted Nuthatch 
was believed to have been missed at the compilation, but proved to have been 
found on count day in this very intensely birded part of the world. At the same 
time, the highlights were many and varied. Although the interior territories on 
this count often excel, and did very well this year, too, the outer beaches led 
the way in terms of excitement this year.

Tobay led all nine territories with nine saves, followed by Short with seven, 
and Atlantic with three. Baldwin (including Loop) led the interior areas with 
five saves, followed by Five Towns and Massapequa with two each and Hempstead 
and Mitchell with one each. Beginning with the species that are not truly rare 
on the Southern Nassau CBC, we note the number of individuals (if more than 
one), the territory, and the number of times it has been recorded, out of 84 
iterations. This last number vividly illustrates the disparate histories of so 
many species over the past century—for instance, Common Merganser was once 
common, with several counts over 250, whereas Cackling Goose was first recorded 
in 2004-2005.

Snow Goose (3, Five Towns, 48th record)
Cackling Goose (Baldwin, 7th record)
Wood Duck (Baldwin, 43rd record)
Eurasian Green-winged Teal (Baldwin, 17th record; not included in species total)
Redhead (Hempstead, 66th record)
King Eider (Short, 24th record)
Harlequin Duck (8, Atlantic, 45th record)
Common Merganser (Massapequa, 79th record)
Semipalmated Plover (5,* Short, 12th record)
American Woodcock (Massapequa, 50th record)
Dovekie (Short, 13th record)
Black-legged Kittiwake (Tobay, 29th record)
Laughing Gull (Atlantic, 15th record)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Tobay, 24th record)
American Bittern (3, Tobay, 73rd record)
Snowy Egret (Baldwin, 26th record)
Barn Owl (Atlantic, 58th record)
Eastern Screech-Owl (Baldwin, 32nd record)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Short, 42nd record)
Purple Finch (Tobay, 45th record)
Pine Siskin(2, Tobay, 42nd record)
Lapland Longspur (Short, 45th record)
Eastern Meadowlark (Mitchell, 67th record)
Common Yellowthroat (Tobay, 23rd record)
Palm Warbler (3, Sho

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC, 2 January 2022--Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted on Sunday, 2 Jan 2022. The weather 
preceding the count was highly unusual; in 40 years participating in CBCs in 
the Northeast, I cannot recall a November-December period so completely lacking 
in freezing conditions. The morning of the count was warm (min temp 48 F), 
calm, and very foggy, greatly hindering visibility. The fog cleared during the 
late morning, however, and temperatures rose to 60 F before the post-frontal 
northwesterly winds whipped up late in the day. 

The early morning conditions might be blamed for bad misses such as Razorbill 
and Bonaparte’s Gull, but the lack of wind also surely contributed to improved 
detection of many species, including many of the unusually large list of 
10-year maxima (discussed below), and a very unusual set of suite of 
usually-scarce species that were detected in multiples: 4 Wood Duck, 2 Clapper 
Rail, 7 American Woodcock, 2 American Bittern, 3 yellow-crowned Night-Heron, 5 
Eastern Screech-Owl, 5 Marsh Wren, 3 Chipping Sparrow, 5 Eastern Meadowlark, 3 
Palm Warbler, 5 Orange-crowned Warbler, and 2 Pine Warbler. The warm late fall 
and early winter weather undoubtedly influenced these positive records also, 
just as it surely contributed to numerous negative outcomes. Misses such as 
Common Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, and Lapland Longspur come to mind, as do 
some of the 10-year minima and other low counts, which tended to be 
concentrated among the waterfowl:

Ten-year Minima
Brant (16,025), Surf Scoter (12), American Coot (16), Ring-billed Gull (1884), 
Herring Gull (2205), Red-throated Loon (44), Common Loon (13—vs. the previous 
min of 94 and the ten-year average of 183!), Northern Harrier (11), Red-tailed 
Hawk (18), American Crow (70), House Sparrow (983), Snow Bunting (10), and 
Field Sparrow (2).

Other low counts:
American Wigeon (64), Northern Pintail (27), Redhead (1), Greater Scaup (85), 
Common Eider (3), White-winged Scoter (8), Black Scoter (91), Long-tailed Duck 
(111), Bufflehead (90—vs. ten-year average 315), Ruddy Duck (102), Horned Grebe 
(1), Red Knot (2), Great Cormorant (1), White-breasted Nuthatch (14), and 
American Goldfinch (85). 

Some of these species have been diminishing for some time (notably Redhead, 
Horned Grebe, and Great Cormorant), whereas others wouldn’t obviously be 
responding to the warm lead-up. Nevertheless, a general paucity of waterfowl 
and other aquatic birds was noticed on most or all of the prior CBCs on Long 
Island.

(Digressing for a moment to settle our debts and failures, the following were 
reported in the circle during the count week but not on count day: Blue-winged 
Teal, Osprey, Northern Shrike, Yellow-breasted Chat, Red Crossbill, and 
Dickcissel.)

Very curiously, and in contrast to the rather long lists of low numbers 
detailed above, a surprisingly large number of species bested their ten-year 
maxima:

Mourning Dove (988), Greater yellowlegs (70), Lesser Black-backed Gull (7), 
Great Egret (25), Black-crowned Night-Heron (142), Merlin (15), Monk Parakeet 
(363), Blue Jay (230), Golden-crowned Kinglet (57), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (24), 
Brown Creeper (19), Carolina Wren (171), Gray Catbird (49—vs. ten-year max 24), 
Hermit thrush (19), American Robin (919), Fox Sparrow (46), White-throated 
Sparrow (1285—vs. ten-year max 762). As noted above, the combination of an 
ice-free lead-up and a windless morning undoubtedly contributed to many of 
these results. The dramatic upsurge of White-throated Sparrow throughout Long 
Island and southern England during the 122nd CBC period deserves emphasis. I 
have never regarded this as a particularly volatile species (prone to dramatic 
shifts in abundance from year to year), and its general trend on the half dozen 
regional CBCs I do has been downward for more than a decade. This is certainly 
a species to pay attention to throughout the rest of the winter, particularly 
via focused efforts such as the Northport Winter Count and the Block Island 
Presidents Day Count.

And finally, as is the custom on this count, there were numerous unusual 
species, including Common Gallinule, Semipalmated Plover, Piping Plover, 
Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Turkey Vulture, Saltmarsh Sparrow 
(two, in different territories), and Baltimore Oriole (again two, in different 
territories). All of these have one or two precedents over the past ten years, 
and I will add a Nashville Warbler here, even though it has been recorded in 
four out of the past ten years. The three most unusual species were Nelson’s 
Sparrow (fourth time recorded, and the first since 3 Jan 2009), Lincoln’s 
Sparrow (third ever and first since 2 Jan 2000), and Cape May Warbler (second 
ever and first since 30 Dec 1956). This year’s wild combination of failures and 
successes combined to produce a remarkable preliminary total of 139 species, 
well above our ten-year average of 133.

Pat and I thank the New York State Parks, Town of Hempstead, and 

Fwd: [nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

[Patricia Lindsay]

For those that like to plan well ahead, please note your calendars that next 
season's Southern Nassau CBC will be held on Saturday January 2nd 2021.


> -- Original Message --
> From: Shaibal Mitra 
> To: "NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu)" 
> Date: January 2, 2020 at 2:53 PM
> Subject: [nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results
> 
> Saturday 28 December 2019 was a fine day for the 80th iteration of the 
> Southern Nassau County CBC, with mild temperatures, light winds, and no 
> precipitation. The total of 135 species recorded on count day was above our 
> recent average of about 130. This count has an impressive resume of genuine 
> rarities discovered on count-day, and our participants added to this legacy 
> twice again this year: a Painted Bunting found near the Gatsby restaurant at 
> Jones Beach by Pete Morris and Taylor Sturm, and a Townsend's Warbler found 
> at the Florence Avenue Beach, along the bay shore in Massapequa, by John 
> Gluth. By my calculations, the overall count probably missed three or four 
> species that would otherwise have been found, as a result of effort 
> re-directed to admiring these little green birds.
> 
> As usual, there were many other notable species as well:
> 
> Blue-winged Teal at Bellmore Mill Pond
> Red-necked Grebe from Jones Beach
> Clapper Rail from the boat
> Common Gallinule at Bellmore Mill Pond
> 12 Red Knots at Point Lookout
> 36 Purple Sandpipers at and westward from Point Lookout
> 99 Razorbills along the oceanfront
> Black-headed Gull at Jones Beach West End
> American Bittern at Tobay
> 2 Barn Owls somewhere near water of some kind
> Short-eared Owl also, curiously, somewhere near water of some kind
> Northern Saw-whet Owl somewhere
> 6 Eastern Phoebes at various places in Jones Beach, Hempstead Lake, and 
> Mitchell
> House Wren in Massapequa
> 3 Marsh Wrens from Jones Beach and the boat
> a count-week Grasshopper Sparrow at Point Lookout
> 3 Eastern Meadowlarks in the Five Towns
> Nashville Warbler in Baldwin
> 3 Orange-crowned Warblers from Jones Beach, Tobay, and the Five Towns
> Common Yellowthroat in the Five Towns
> Palm Warbler at Jones Beach
> 
> As often is the case on good-weather days, high counts were recorded for many 
> species: 
> 23 Cooper's Hawk
> 40 Red-tailed Hawk
> 213 Blue Jay
> 130 Carolina Wren
> 24 Gray Catbird
> 190 Northern Mockingbird
> 17 Hermit Thrush
> 660 Song Sparrow
> 66 Swamp Sparrow
> 288 Boat-tailed Grackle (this impressive number being the remainder after 
> careful excision of potential duplicate flocks)
> 16 Common Ravens (again, after adjustment for possible duplications; 
> meanwhile, Bald Eagle has aged out of being notable!)
> 7 Chipping Sparrows
> 
> Only two species were recorded in unusually low numbers:
> 25 Snow Bunting
> 2573 Herring Gull 
> 
> And only three more or less regular species were missed:
> Purple Finch
> Lapland Longspur
> Rusty Blackbird
> 
> --though Snowy Owl should be cued here, too, given their documented presence 
> (and torment) within the circle, both before and right after the CBC.
> 
> There are many lessons to be learned from these data, but I'd like to take 
> this opportunity to point attention to just two questions. First, it is not 
> by chance that all three of our rarest species (Grasshopper Sparrow, Painted 
> Bunting, and Townsend's Warbler) have shown distinct waves of occurrence in 
> the Northeast this season. Those who dismiss vagrancy as a passive 
> consequence of weather systems ought to ponder why so many other species, 
> present in the same source regions and experiencing the same weather 
> patterns, have NOT been lining up along our shores lately, as these species 
> have.
> 
> But perhaps even more mysterious is the great Chipping Sparrow flood of 2019. 
> Although our tally of 7 was admittedly smaller than the rounding errors 
> suffered by Hugh McGuinness et al. in Accabonnac, it is still a very large 
> number for urban western Long Island. And all of the counts I know of or 
> participated in this season, from southern New England to Long Island, 
> encountered this species in much higher than usual numbers--close to triple 
> digits in some cases. There are a lot of parallels between Chipping Sparrow 
> and White-crowned Sparrow: both are good CBC species at our latitude, but 
> unlike other half-hardies, both show a preference for inland and rural 
> settings vs. coastal/urban migrant traps. And this December's Chipping 
> Sparrow phenomenon reminds me a lot of last year's large numbers of 
> White-crowned Sparrows on all the CBCs. How does this happen?
> 
> Many thanks to our 90+ par

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

Saturday 28 December 2019 was a fine day for the 80th iteration of the Southern 
Nassau County CBC, with mild temperatures, light winds, and no precipitation. 
The total of 135 species recorded on count day was above our recent average of 
about 130. This count has an impressive resume of genuine rarities discovered 
on count-day, and our participants added to this legacy twice again this year: 
a Painted Bunting found near the Gatsby restaurant at Jones Beach by Pete 
Morris and Taylor Sturm, and a Townsend's Warbler found at the Florence Avenue 
Beach, along the bay shore in Massapequa, by John Gluth. By my calculations, 
the overall count probably missed three or four species that would otherwise 
have been found, as a result of effort re-directed to admiring these little 
green birds.

As usual, there were many other notable species as well:

Blue-winged Teal at Bellmore Mill Pond
Red-necked Grebe from Jones Beach
Clapper Rail from the boat
Common Gallinule at Bellmore Mill Pond
12 Red Knots at Point Lookout
36 Purple Sandpipers at and westward from Point Lookout
99 Razorbills along the oceanfront
Black-headed Gull at Jones Beach West End
American Bittern at Tobay
2 Barn Owls somewhere near water of some kind
Short-eared Owl also, curiously, somewhere near water of some kind
Northern Saw-whet Owl somewhere
6 Eastern Phoebes at various places in Jones Beach, Hempstead Lake, and Mitchell
House Wren in Massapequa
3 Marsh Wrens from Jones Beach and the boat
a count-week Grasshopper Sparrow at Point Lookout
3 Eastern Meadowlarks in the Five Towns
Nashville Warbler in Baldwin
3 Orange-crowned Warblers from Jones Beach, Tobay, and the Five Towns
Common Yellowthroat in the Five Towns
Palm Warbler at Jones Beach

As often is the case on good-weather days, high counts were recorded for many 
species: 
23 Cooper's Hawk
40 Red-tailed Hawk
213 Blue Jay
130 Carolina Wren
24 Gray Catbird
190 Northern Mockingbird
17 Hermit Thrush
660 Song Sparrow
66 Swamp Sparrow
288 Boat-tailed Grackle (this impressive number being the remainder after 
careful excision of potential duplicate flocks)
16 Common Ravens (again, after adjustment for possible duplications; meanwhile, 
Bald Eagle has aged out of being notable!)
7 Chipping Sparrows

Only two species were recorded in unusually low numbers:
25 Snow Bunting
2573 Herring Gull 

And only three more or less regular species were missed:
Purple Finch
Lapland Longspur
Rusty Blackbird

--though Snowy Owl should be cued here, too, given their documented presence 
(and torment) within the circle, both before and right after the CBC.

There are many lessons to be learned from these data, but I'd like to take this 
opportunity to point attention to just two questions. First, it is not by 
chance that all three of our rarest species (Grasshopper Sparrow, Painted 
Bunting, and Townsend's Warbler) have shown distinct waves of occurrence in the 
Northeast this season. Those who dismiss vagrancy as a passive consequence of 
weather systems ought to ponder why so many other species, present in the same 
source regions and experiencing the same weather patterns, have NOT been lining 
up along our shores lately, as these species have.

But perhaps even more mysterious is the great Chipping Sparrow flood of 2019. 
Although our tally of 7 was admittedly smaller than the rounding errors 
suffered by Hugh McGuinness et al. in Accabonnac, it is still a very large 
number for urban western Long Island. And all of the counts I know of or 
participated in this season, from southern New England to Long Island, 
encountered this species in much higher than usual numbers--close to triple 
digits in some cases. There are a lot of parallels between Chipping Sparrow and 
White-crowned Sparrow: both are good CBC species at our latitude, but unlike 
other half-hardies, both show a preference for inland and rural settings vs. 
coastal/urban migrant traps. And this December's Chipping Sparrow phenomenon 
reminds me a lot of last year's large numbers of White-crowned Sparrows on all 
the CBCs. How does this happen?

Many thanks to our 90+ participants and to Otto's Freeport for hosting our 
compilation.

Happy New Year and the best of birding in 2020!
Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore
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[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted for the 79th time on Saturday, 29 
December 2018, by 89 field observers and two feeder watches. The weather was 
mild preceding the count and on count day, with temperatures dropping from 52 F 
at dawn to about 45 F at dusk as a cold front passed. Breezy conditions were a 
slight impediment to bird detection, but overall conditions were very favorable 
and coverage was as thorough and capable as we can ever recall, yielding a 
species total of 133, slightly above our average of 131 over the past ten 
years. Indicative of the thoroughness of coverage, we are aware of only two 
count-week species that were missed on count day: Bonaparte’s Gull and Pine 
Siskin. The latter of these is a tricky species on Long Island CBCs because, 
even in flight years, only a very few individuals tend to persist past November 
in our coastal habitats. But the former was a painful miss and a reminder of 
how much things can change over a lifetime of participating in CBCs. The last 
time Bonaparte’s Gull was missed on this count was in the 1952-53 season. Also 
illustrating the excellence of coverage were many instances in which scarce, 
easy to miss species were detected by more than one party: Red-necked Grebe 
(Jones Beach & Massapequa), American Woodcock (Tobay & Massapequa), Greater 
Yellowlegs (Atlantic, Five Towns, and Baldwin), Northern Saw-whet Owl (Jones 
Beach, Tobay, & Massapequa), Eastern Phoebe (Jones Beach & Hempstead), Marsh 
Wren (Tobay and bay islands), Purple Finch (Tobay & Baldwin), White-crowned 
Sparrow (Jones Beach, Tobay, & Loop), Rusty Blackbird (Hempstead and 
Massapequa), and Orange-crowned Warbler (Massapequa and Baldwin).

As usual, there were many highlights. A Yellow-throated Warbler at a private 
residence in the Baldwin territory was new to the cumulative list, which now 
stands at 242. Other notables included Snow Goose (Five Towns), Black-headed 
Gull (Jones Beach), Red-shouldered Hawk (Baldwin), Bald Eagle (Hempstead), four 
Barn Owls (bay islands), two Snowy Owls (Atlantic), Long-eared Owl (Tobay), 
Common Raven (Five Towns), Lapland Longspur (Atlantic), Chipping Sparrow 
(Mitchell), Nashville Warbler (Jones Beach), and Common Yellowthroat (Atlantic).

New all-time high counts were set for Sanderling (1201), Razorbill (1287), 
Red-tailed Hawk (34), Eastern Phoebe (3), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (18), and 
White-crowned Sparrow (9, tying 1991-92). Other totals that were high relative 
to recent experience included Cooper’s Hawk (22), American Kestrel (6), Blue 
Jay (182), Horned Lark (277), White-breasted Nuthatch 57, European Starling 
(4231).

No species were missed for the first time or recorded in all-time low numbers, 
but many totals were low relative to expectations formed in the modern era: 
Brant (17708), Mute Swan (65), American Wigeon (47), Mallard (1620), Northern 
Pintial (71), Green-winged Teal (71), Redhead (1), Lesser Scaup (38), Common 
Merganser (3), Pied-billed Grebe (10), American Coot (28), Purple Sandpiper 
(3), Ring-billed Gull (2115), Herring Gull (3098), Northern Harrier (16), Downy 
Woodpecker (47), Brown Creeper (3), Snow Bunting (40), American Tree Sparrow 
(21, rivaling the 79-year low of 20, from 1979-80), Junco (34), and Myrtle 
Warbler (183). In many of these cases, this year’s low counts represent a 
continuation of recent downward trends.

Purposeful bird counting is a fascinating and very rewarding avocation. After 
this year’s CBCs, I am left pondering why, after seemingly correlated 
irruptions this fall, Blue Jay and White-breasted Nuthatch remained into winter 
in high numbers in our area whereas Downy Woodpeckers apparently moved through.

A comprehensive summary of this year’s results is available on request.

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore

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[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted yesterday, 30 Dec 2017, by 89 
participants, for the 78th time since 1932.

Conditions were challenging, with cold temperatures (18-26 F) and snow on count 
day, and sustained sub-freezing temperatures prior to the count. On the plus 
side, there was little wind, and coverage was excellent.

A total of 132 species was recorded, including a White-winged Dove reported 
from a feeder in Malverne. 

Highlights included the following:

Cackling Goose—two individuals, Massapequa & Baldwin
King Eider—2 Short
Eared Grebe—Atlantic
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron—Baldwin
Rough-legged Hawk—Short
Clapper Rail—Atlantic
Lesser Yellowlegs—two individuals, Hempstead & Short
Iceland Gull—Short
Short-eared Owl—Short
Snowy Owl—three individuals, Atlantic, Short, Tobay
Northern Saw-whet Owl—Short
Common Raven—2 Hempstead
Lapland Longspur—5 Short
Northern Waterthrush—Baldwin
Orange-crowned Warbler—two individuals, Atlantic & Tobay
Palm Warbler—Atlantic
Chipping Sparrow—Baldwin
White-crowned Sparrow—Atlantic

High Counts were relatively few and mostly involved species continuing strong, 
recent upward trends:

Great Horned Owl—5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker—16
American Kestrel—4
Monk Parakeet—290
Fish Crow—2488
Ipswich Sparrow—36
Rusty Blackbird—31
Boat-tailed Grackle—243

Misses and Low Counts were relatively many. These included a predictable suite 
of freshwater and ice-intolerant species, but also several species exhibiting 
declining trends in recent years. Wood Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked Pheasant, 
American Bittern, American Oystercatcher, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Barn Owl, 
and American Pipit were missed. Low Counts (all ten-year minima) were recorded 
for:

Brant—18607
Mute Swan—54
American Wigeon—30
Black Duck—2213
Northern Shoveler—126
Northern Pintail—18
Ring-necked Duck—29
Hooded Merganser—714
Ruddy Duck—160
Pied-billed Grebe—12
Great Blue Heron—58
Peregrine Falcon—8
European Starling—1827

The only count-week species that I am aware was missed yesterday was Redhead, 
but others among those listed above as missed are likely to be recorded during 
the count period.

Thanks to all for another excellent count, and for good company during the 
compilation at Otto’s in Freeport.

Happy New Year!

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore

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[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC, Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The 77th Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted on Sunday, 1 January 2017, by 
78 participants. The weather was quite good for a CBC, and the only 
weather-related frustration was that bright sun and a brisk westerly wind 
hampered ocean viewing during the morning.

The fine weather on a New Year’s morning attracted many scores of 
non-participant birders to our species-rich circle, and several long-staying 
rarities were reported and updated redundantly throughout the day. Praise is 
due to our many duty-conscious participants who champed their bits and stayed 
on task, even as news of delectable and hard-to-find year-birds hummed through 
their mobile devices. Pardons have been issued to those who spat their bits 
only briefly, and who limited their poaching runs to sites within the circle.

A very interesting feature of this CBC is the great regularity with which 
really rare birds are found on count day by active participants, and memories 
of species such as Grace’s Warbler, Chestnut-collared Longspur, and Harris’s 
Sparrow are still fresh for many. This year’s count was true to form, with 
discoveries of Ash-throated Flycatcher, Audubon’s Warbler, and Eared Grebe. In 
my opinion, the greater frequency of such discoveries on count-day vs. other 
close dates, and the higher proportion of participants vs. year-listers among 
the finders, both point to the merits of the CBC-style approach to birding: 
patience, thoroughness, and receptivity to all birds one might encounter yield 
more exciting discoveries than trap-lining staked-out novelties.

The day came together very well, and our total of 140 species was our highest 
since we totaled 143 on 30 December 2007. Ash-throated Flycatcher was a new 
addition to the cumulative species list, as was Northern Waterthrush. Audubon’s 
Warbler was recorded for just the second time, as was Osprey. Third records 
included Eared Grebe, Common Raven, and Nashville Warbler (2!). Fourth records 
included Cackling Goose and Sora. For the record, and to provide some 
perspective on relative rarity, this year’s Black-headed Gull constituted the 
22nd record for this CBC.

The many additional highlights included such standouts as Blue-winged Teal, 
Red-necked Grebe, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Bald Eagle, 
Razorbill, Lapland Longspur, Palm Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Chipping 
Sparrow. There were no really bad misses, the worst being Ring-necked Pheasant, 
Wilson’s Snipe, Barn Owl, and Snowy Owl.

High counts included 777 Red-throated Loons, 7184 Ring-billed Gulls, 63 
Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 11 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 9 Merlins, 2488 Fish 
Crows (vs. 107 American and 5 Ravens), 217 Black-capped Chickadees, 63 
Red-breasted Nuthatches, 62 White-breasted Nuthatches, 734 Snow Buntings, and 
3659 Common Grackles. Low counts included 1 Redhead, 46 Lesser Scaup, 196 Ruddy 
Ducks, 1 Great Cormorant, 2 Bonaparte’s Gulls (difficult to believe), and 3425 
Herring Gulls.

Turkey Vulture and Snowy Owl were present during count week but not found on 
the day of the count. News of others (Rough-legged Hawk?) would be appreciated.

Many thanks to all, and best wishes for good birding in this new year.

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore
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[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC Results and Summary

[Shaibal Mitra]

The 76th Southern Nassau County CBC, 2 Jan 2016

A record 86 participants conducted the Southern Nassau County Christmas Bird 
Count on 2 January, 2016, a pleasant early winter day. The intensive coverage 
and favorable conditions yielded an excellent total of 130 species, above our 
20-year average of 128, despite the relative absence of boreal irruptive 
species this year.

There were many unusual species, defined here operationally as those occurring 
in four or fewer of the past ten years. An Osprey recorded by the Atlantic and 
Baldwin parties was, rather surprisingly, the first ever recorded on count-day 
in Southern Nassau County (there was a count-week occurrence in 1996-97). There 
were two second-ever occurrences: a Lark Sparrow in Atlantic, and two Common 
Ravens in Massapequa. A distinction between these two is evident in that the 
prior Lark Sparrow occurred exactly 38 years earlier, on 2 Jan 1978, whereas 
ravens broke into our record books just two years ago, on 28 Dec 2013, and are 
becoming an expected component of Long Island’s winter avifauna. Two other big, 
black scavengers are also on the rise: a Turkey Vulture in Mitchell was just 
the third ever for the count, but is also nevertheless in line with a general 
regional increase; and this year’s two Bald Eagles represent the species’ tenth 
ever occurrence on the count, but the fourth consecutive in a new era of 
regular occurrence. Another raptor recorded for the fourth time in the last ten 
years was a Short-eared Owl on the barrier beach, but it’s hard to imagine a 
more contrasting narrative, relative to that of Bald Eagle. Whereas each has 
occurred on four of the last ten counts, the eagles have outnumbered the owls 
by seven to four in that interval. In contrast to these recent trends is a 
recent past that has become almost unrecognizable, when a single Bald Eagle was 
outnumbered by 114 Short-eared Owls during the decade 1961-70.

One of the more remarkable results of this year’s count involved three Pine 
Warblers from three separate territories (Tobay, Loop, and Mitchell). This was 
paralleled to some extent by four Orange-crowned Warblers from four 
territories, but Pine Warbler had occurred only six times ever in prior years, 
compared to 30 for Orange-crowned Warbler, which has outflanked Palm Warbler 
and Common Yellowthroat in recent decades and emerged as our second most likely 
warbler, after Myrtle. Other notable species recorded this year include a 
Blue-winged Teal at Massapequa, a Northern Saw-whet Owl at Short, an Eastern 
Phoebe at Short, a Yellow-breasted Chat at Baldwin, and a Baltimore Oriole at 
Five Towns. Two unusual subspecies also merit discussion, one very familiar to 
this count, the other much less so. Two nominate, Eurasian Green-winged Teal 
were found, at Tobay and Hempstead. For a form that is rare anywhere in the 
eastern United States, it is remarkable that it has occurred on five of our 
last ten counts, and 16 times overall. This year’s tally of two is the first 
recent multiple occurrence, but it is still well short of our all-time maximum 
of four, recorded on 26 Dec 1938. The other subspecies was an apparent 
Gray-bellied Brant, well documented by Michael McBrien in the days leading up 
to the count, and briefly seen and photographed in Baldwin on count day.

Among the more regular species, 16 were recorded in notably large numbers, 
versus 18 recorded in notably low numbers. The higher counts mainly involved 
species of three kinds: (1) those showing general increasing trends in recent 
years (5 Great Horned Owls, 116 Monk Parakeets, 55 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and 
21 Fish Crows—yet another big, black, ascendant scavenger); (2) those 
associated with saltmarsh habitat, which had not experienced freezing prior to 
this year’s count (60 Snow Geese, 21 Great Egret, three Yellow-crowned 
Night-Herons, 54 Greater Yellowlegs, and 319 Red Knots); and (3) thicket birds, 
presumably well detected by virtue of intensive coverage and favorable weather 
(four Orange-crowned Warblers, 20 Eastern Towhees, 42 Fox Sparrows, and 315 
House Finches). Only two well-recorded species fall outside this 
classification: 105 Ring-necked Ducks (which are furthermore out of step with 
the generally downward trend for other freshwater ducks, discussed below) and 
360 Common Loons (also out of step with several similar species, discussed 
below).

The lower counts involved many species of freshwater waterfowl: 59 American 
Wigeon, 72 Northern Pintail, 144 Greater Scaup, two Redhead, one Common 
Merganser, and 242 Ruddy Ducks—all 10-year minima or nearly so. It is thought 
that the exceptionally mild and iceless lead up to this year’s count allowed 
many individuals of these species to linger farther north this year. This 
explanation might also apply to other low counts this year, such as 14 Horned 
Grebes, 1 Great Cormorant, 262 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2345 Ring-billed Gulls, 
and 391 Great Black-backed Gulls (but

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC enjoyed five hours of good weather before the 
rains hit yesterday. Coverage was excellent by 78 participants (plus three 
feeder-watchers), 39 of whom attended the festive compilation, back at Otto's 
in Freeport for the first time since Sandy.

The preliminary species total was 133, above our ten-year average of 130.

Very few regularly detected species were missed, the most notable being:

Snow Goose (recorded 9 of last 10 years)
American Bittern (8)
Great Egret (6)
Wilson's Snipe (10, but our only consistently reliable site was lost several 
years ago)
Barn Owl (7, but no boat effort this year)

Conversely, there were many notable finds:

Wood Duck (Mitchell & Massapequa)
King Eider (Atlantic)
Ring-necked Pheasant (Mitchell)
Red-necked Grebe (Atlantic)
Little Blue Heron (Baldwin)
Bald Eagle (Tobay)
Northern Goshawk (Short & Tobay, but presumably the same continuing bird in 
these contiguous territories)
Virginia Rail (Tobay)
Greater Yellowlegs (Five Towns)
Red Knot (Short)
Pectoral Sandpiper (Short, potentially new to count)
American Woodcock (Tobay)
Black-headed Gull (Short)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Hempstead)
Razorbill (Short)
Great Horned Owl (Five Towns, Hempstead, & Massapequa)
Eastern Phoebe (Baldwin)
Tree Swallow (Tobay)
Marsh Wren (Tobay & Massapequa)
House Wren (Baldwin)
Brown Thrasher (Baldwin)
Cedar Waxwing (Massapequa)
Lapland Longspur (Short)
Orange-crowned Warbler (Atlantic & Massapequa)
Nashville Warbler (Massapequa, just the second ever for the count, the other 
dating back to 1971-72)
Common Yellowthroat (Tobay & Massapequa)
Chipping Sparrow (Five Towns)
Sharp-tailed Sparrow, sp. (Baldwin)
Purple Finch (Short)
Pine Siskin (Hempstead)

Count-week species included Iceland Gull and Snowy Owl.

Thanks to all for another great effort!

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore





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RE:[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

Correction number 1:

The Dovekie was at Tobay, on the ocean, not at Hempstead, in the hinterland. 
Hempstead had so many good birds, I guess my typing fingers fell into a 
pattern

Shai

From: bounce-111405883-11143...@list.cornell.edu 
[bounce-111405883-11143...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Shaibal Mitra 
[shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu]
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2013 9:35 AM
To: Birdingonthe.net
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

The Southern Nassau County CBC progressed slowly and steadily through the 
pleasant day of 28 December 2013, finishing with 131 species detected through 
the efforts of 83 observers. This total, very slightly above our ten-year 
average of 130, was particularly gratifying given the absence of boreal finches 
this year and given that several southeastern estuarine species that have been 
regular in recent years appeared to have been pushed south early by hard 
weather this season (e.g., Great Egret and American Oystercatcher). Forty-four 
of us enjoyed a festive compilation dinner at the Wander Inn in Baldwin. Bill 
Reeves, a true gentleman and a pillar of the count for many years, was not with 
us, but he was remembered with great fondness and affection.

Notable records among our regularly detected species included the following:

Snow Goose  1 Baldwin
Eurasian Wigeon2 Five Towns & 1 Massapequa
Harlequin Duck6 Atlantic
American Bitternsingles Atlantic & Tobay
American Kestrelsingles Tobay, Massapequa, & Baldwin
Killdeer24 in 5 territories!
Wilson’s Snipe1 Baldwin
Lesser BB Gullsingles Tobay & Baldwin
Razorbill6 Short & 5 Tobay
Barn Owl3 Boat
E. Screech-Owl4 Massapequa
YB Sapsucker10 in four territories—vastly increased in 
recent years
Tree Swallow5 Atlantic & 4 Short
RC Kingletsingles Tobay & Massapequa
Am. Pipit4 Short
Lapland Longspur11 Short & 1 Massapequa
Orange-cr. Warbler2 Loop
Ipswich Sparrow1 Short
Sharp-tl Sparrow sp.2 Tobay
Rusty BlackbirdMitchell & 2 Massapequa
Common Grackle41 Tobay & 2509 Hempstead
Boat-tl Grackle63 Short & 1 Five Towns

The following species were more unusual in the context of our long history, 
although a few are clearly trending upward and others were known to be present 
this year:

Cackling Goose1 Five Towns
Wood Duck2 Hempstead
Red-necked Grebe1 Short
Bald Eagle1 Tobay & 2 Hempstead
Red-sh. Hawk1 Hempstead
Clapper Rail1 Baldwin
Piping Plover1 Atlantic
Black-headed Gull1 Five Towns
Glaucous Gull1 Baldwin
Dovekie1 Hempstead
Snowy Owl1 Atlantic, 4 Short, & 2 Tobay
Great Horned Owl2 Hempstead & 1 Massapequa
Co. Raven2 Hempstead
W. Palm Warbler2 Baldwin & 1 Five Towns
E. Meadowlark6 Five Towns
Purple Finch1 Massapequa

Bad misses were few, judged by the standard of the last ten years:

Am. Oystercatcher (10/10)
Ring-necked Pheasant; (9/10)
Great Egret (7/10)
American Woodcock (7/10)
Brown Thrasher (7/10)
Red Knot (6/10)
Iceland Gull (6/10)
White-crowned Sparrow (6/10)
Virginia Rail (5/10)

A very tentative list of count-week species missed Saturday is presented here, 
as a prompt for those who know more to contact us:

RN Pheasant, Mitchell
Iceland Gull, Five Towns
Northern Shrike, Short

This was my sixth and Pat’s fifth CBC of a busy season. A few photos from this 
year’s CBCs can be viewed here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CBC114

A Gallery of CBC photos from recent years:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CBCGallery

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore, NY



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___

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC--Preliminary Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC progressed slowly and steadily through the 
pleasant day of 28 December 2013, finishing with 131 species detected through 
the efforts of 83 observers. This total, very slightly above our ten-year 
average of 130, was particularly gratifying given the absence of boreal finches 
this year and given that several southeastern estuarine species that have been 
regular in recent years appeared to have been pushed south early by hard 
weather this season (e.g., Great Egret and American Oystercatcher). Forty-four 
of us enjoyed a festive compilation dinner at the Wander Inn in Baldwin. Bill 
Reeves, a true gentleman and a pillar of the count for many years, was not with 
us, but he was remembered with great fondness and affection.

Notable records among our regularly detected species included the following:

Snow Goose  1 Baldwin
Eurasian Wigeon2 Five Towns & 1 Massapequa
Harlequin Duck6 Atlantic
American Bitternsingles Atlantic & Tobay
American Kestrelsingles Tobay, Massapequa, & Baldwin
Killdeer24 in 5 territories!
Wilson’s Snipe1 Baldwin
Lesser BB Gullsingles Tobay & Baldwin
Razorbill6 Short & 5 Tobay
Barn Owl3 Boat
E. Screech-Owl4 Massapequa
YB Sapsucker10 in four territories—vastly increased in 
recent years
Tree Swallow5 Atlantic & 4 Short
RC Kingletsingles Tobay & Massapequa
Am. Pipit4 Short
Lapland Longspur11 Short & 1 Massapequa
Orange-cr. Warbler2 Loop
Ipswich Sparrow1 Short
Sharp-tl Sparrow sp.2 Tobay
Rusty BlackbirdMitchell & 2 Massapequa
Common Grackle41 Tobay & 2509 Hempstead
Boat-tl Grackle63 Short & 1 Five Towns

The following species were more unusual in the context of our long history, 
although a few are clearly trending upward and others were known to be present 
this year:

Cackling Goose1 Five Towns
Wood Duck2 Hempstead
Red-necked Grebe1 Short
Bald Eagle1 Tobay & 2 Hempstead
Red-sh. Hawk1 Hempstead
Clapper Rail1 Baldwin
Piping Plover1 Atlantic
Black-headed Gull1 Five Towns
Glaucous Gull1 Baldwin
Dovekie1 Hempstead
Snowy Owl1 Atlantic, 4 Short, & 2 Tobay
Great Horned Owl2 Hempstead & 1 Massapequa
Co. Raven2 Hempstead
W. Palm Warbler2 Baldwin & 1 Five Towns
E. Meadowlark6 Five Towns
Purple Finch1 Massapequa

Bad misses were few, judged by the standard of the last ten years:

Am. Oystercatcher (10/10)
Ring-necked Pheasant; (9/10)
Great Egret (7/10)
American Woodcock (7/10)
Brown Thrasher (7/10)
Red Knot (6/10)
Iceland Gull (6/10)
White-crowned Sparrow (6/10)
Virginia Rail (5/10)

A very tentative list of count-week species missed Saturday is presented here, 
as a prompt for those who know more to contact us:

RN Pheasant, Mitchell
Iceland Gull, Five Towns
Northern Shrike, Short

This was my sixth and Pat’s fifth CBC of a busy season. A few photos from this 
year’s CBCs can be viewed here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CBC114

A Gallery of CBC photos from recent years:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109808209543611018404/CBCGallery

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore, NY



The Campaign for CSI: For College and 
Community

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[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC, 29 Dec 2012

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County CBC was conducted on Saturday, 29 December 2012, by 
66 participants. The morning was nearly windless and very favorable for 
birding, but rain and snow began around 11:30 and greatly impeded effort 
thereafter.

The species total was 129, slightly below our 10-year average of 130.7. We also 
recorded two additional distinctive subspecies and two hybrid combinations.

The following highlights are presented in terms of their scarcity over the past 
ten years:

0 records in past ten years:
20 White-winged CrossbillsShort and Five Towns

1 record in past ten years:
Yellow-crowned Night-HeronBaldwin
Bald EagleHempstead
26 Red CrossbillsAtlantic, Short, and Tobay

2 records in past ten years:
Snowy EgretBaldwin
Pine SiskinShort

3 records in past ten years:
Red-shouldered HawkMassapequa
Rough-legged HawkTobay
9 (!) Semipalmated Plovers Atlantic (2) and Loop (7); remarkably, this tally is 
not an all-time max for this count, falling one short of the 10 recorded in the 
1972-73 CBC season.
11 Monk ParakeetsMassapequa and Baldwin; they’re here now.
Common YellowthroatBaldwin
Chipping SparrowMassapequa
4 Purple FinchesLoop, Massapequa, and Baldwin
13 Common RedpollsShort and Tobay

4 records in past ten years:
2 Eurasian WigeonMassapequa
Eurasian Green-winged TealHempstead
4 (!) Northern GoshawksShort, Tobay, Five Towns, and Massapequa

In this regard, I found it interesting to analyze our results comprehensively, 
in terms of expectations based on the past ten years. What I found is that this 
year’s count was very much consistent with expectations: the number of species 
recorded from each frequency category was remarkably close to the number of 
species expected, based on the total number of potential species in that 
category multiplied by its probability of being detected in a given recent year.

Frequency

Potential

113th CBC, 29 Dec 2012

prev 10 yrs

Species*

Expected

Observed

Exp Prob

Obs Prob

0

60

0

1

0.00

0.02

1

17

1.7

3

0.10

0.18

2

13

2.6

2

0.20

0.15

3

19

5.7

8

0.30

0.42

4

9

3.6

4

0.40

0.44

5

4

2

1

0.50

0.25

6

9

5.4

4

0.60

0.44

7

9

6.3

6

0.70

0.67

8

7

5.6

4

0.80

0.57

9

9

8.1

7

0.90

0.78

10

91

91

91

1.00

1.00













Totals:

247*

132*

131*

















*Distinctive subspecies, such as Common Teal and Ipswich Sparrow,

were included in this analysis.









This perspective also yields insights into the species perceived as our worst 
misses on Saturday, again presented in terms of frequency over the past 10 
years:

10 records in past ten years:
Not a single one of the 91 species in this category was missed.

9 records in past ten years:
American Bittern(luck of the draw)
Orange-crowned Warbler(luck of the draw)

8 records in past ten years:
American Kestrel (watch for this species’ 10-year frequency to plunge)
Cedar Waxwing(luck of the draw)
Harlquin Duck (recorded count-week)

7 records in past ten years:
Canvasback(ongoing decline in our area; totals surpassed 200 as 
recently as 1990)
Long-billed Dowitcher(prospects poor since habitat was altered in 
Massapequa)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (luck of the draw)

Species recorded during count-week but not on the day of the count were Tundra 
Swan, Harlequin Duck, Iceland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, and Palm Warbler.

Quantitatively, the total of 253 Common Loons was an all-time maximum for this 
long-standing count. I was amazed to discover that our tally of 77 White-winged 
Scoters on Saturday was actually a maximum over the past 20 years. This species 
was formerly the most numerous wintering scoter in our area, but the days of 
totals in the multi-thousands in this circle are receding into the past. The 
count of 136 Blue Jays was also a maximum for the past 20 years, whereas 80 
Carolina Wrens and 38 Winter Wrens were all-time maxima. We over-indulged on 
Boat-tailed Grackles, a quintessential feast-or-famine species on Long Island 
CBCs, savoring 199, a new maximum. In contrast, no new minima were established 
for regularly occurring species.

Finally, it is necessary to mention Hurricane Sandy, whose impacts were 
impressed upon us at every turn. The human costs of this storm were immense and 
ubiquitous, from flattened dunes to gutted homes to salt-burned pines to 
wavering lines of wrack farther upland than most of us have ever seen them. We 
lost our long-time compilation site, Otto’s Sea Grill, in Freeport. In terms of 
bird life, members of the Loop team mentioned a paucity of some kinds of birds 
in damaged marsh areas, and inland teams noted the destruction of many large 
trees. Overall, however, the numbers prove the resilience of wild creatures, 
and I was c

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC Summary (Belated)

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Sunday 1 
January 2012. The weather was excellent, and our total of 83 field observers 
plus four feeder-watchers was the highest in recent years, perhaps ever. 
Together, we recorded 133 species, slightly above the ten-year average of 130.

The appeal of the CBCs involves a curious blend of the familiar and the new. 
Over the 72 years this count has been conducted since 1932, an impressive 
collection of 246 species and identifiable subspecies has accrued, and no fewer 
than 23 of these have never been missed. Even after seven-plus decades of 
coverage, new species are added with surprising regularity: nine species and 
two additional subspecies have been added to the cumulative list since 2001, 
plus four more species recorded during count-week. This sense of possibility 
was rewarded once again this year, with the discovery of a Grace’s Warbler at 
Point Lookout—not only a first for this count and for New York State, but 
potentially for the entire East Coast of North America! Discovered by Doug 
Gochfeld and Andrew Baksh, this remarkable bird was seen by a large proportion 
of the count’s participants. As compilers, knowing that species totals are 
significantly predicted by total party hours, we’ve surmised that collectively 
we probably missed about three species this year while in transit back and 
forth along the Loop Parkway—but what a bird!

Other highlights were many, including King Eider, Harlequin Duck, multiple 
Blue-winged Teal (photographed), Red-necked Grebe, a prodigious total of 20 
Great Egrets, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Red Knot, Western Sandpiper, 
Long-billed Dowitcher, Laughing Gull, Icleland Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, 
Glaucous Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Razorbill, Barn Owl, Snowy Owl, Marsh 
Wren, Eastern Bluebird (very tough in winter in this circle), Orange-crowned 
Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, and Palm Warbler. Complete data are 
copied below.

We extend our thanks to the many people and agencies who facilitated access to 
key field sites, and to everyone who participated in the field. What will next 
year bring?

Patricia Lindsay & Shai Mitra
Bay Shore, NY

Species Total
Atlantic Brant 32225 (adjusted)
Canada Goose 6181
Mute Swan 96
Gadwall 372
American Wigeon 155
American Black Duck 6473
Mallard 2692
Mallard x Black Duck hybrid 19
Blue-winged Teal 11
Northern Shoveler 434
Northern Pintail 145
Am. Green-winged Teal 515
Redhead 5
Ring-necked Duck 40
Greater Scaup 214
Lesser Scaup 1639
King Eider 1
Common Eider 176
Harlequin Duck 4
Surf Scoter 43
White-winged Scoter 13
Black Scoter 131
Long-tailed Duck 1184
Bufflehead 430
Common Goldeneye 1
Hooded Merganser 873
Red-breasted Merganser 638
Common Merganser 44
Ruddy Duck 1100
Ring-necked Pheasant 2
Red-throated Loon 394
Common Loon 132
Pied-billed Grebe 46
Horned Grebe 44
Red-necked Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 1057
Double-crested Cormorant 147
Great Cormorant 13
Great Blue Heron 102
Great Egret 20
Black-crowned Night-Heron 109
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1
Northern Harrier 31
Sharp-shinned Hawk 22
Cooper's Hawk 9
Red-tailed Hawk 24
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 16
Virginia Rail 2
American Coot 197
Black-bellied Plover 93
Killdeer 1
American Oystercatcher 61
Greater Yellowlegs 20
Ruddy Turnstone 21
Red Knot 1
Sanderling 1129
Western Sandpiper 3
Purple Sandpiper 9
Dunlin 4642
Long-billed Dowitcher 8
Wilson's Snipe 1
American Woodcock 4
Laughing Gull 1
Bonaparte's Gull 287
Ring-billed Gull 3095
Herring Gull 3698
Iceland Gull 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Glaucous Gull 2
Great Black-backed Gull 496
Black-legged Kittiwake 6
Razorbill 16
Rock Dove 1486
Mourning Dove 250
Monk Parakeet 24
Barn Owl 3
Eastern Screech-Owl 2
Great Horned Owl 1
Snowy Owl 1
Belted Kingfisher 21
Red-bellied Woodpecker 39
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 9
Downy Woodpecker 86
Hairy Woodpecker 8
Northern Flicker 39
Blue Jay 85
American Crow 145
Fish Crow 4
Horned Lark 64
Black-capped Chickadee 84
Tufted Titmouse 8
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 24
Brown Creeper 7
Carolina Wren 70
Winter Wren 32
Marsh Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 21
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13
Eastern Bluebird 1
Hermit Thrush 5
American Robin 318
Gray Catbird 16
Northern Mockingbird 171
Brown Thrasher 6
European Starling 3228
American Pipit 1
Snow Bunting 403
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 1
Palm Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 1
Myrtle Warbler 356
Grace's Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 9
American Tree Sparrow 29
Field Sparrow 9
Savannah Sparrow 17
Savannah Sparrow, Ipswich 3
Fox Sparrow 11
Song Sparrow 421
Swamp Sparrow 32
White-throated Sparrow 354
Dark-eyed Junco 59
Northern Cardinal 252
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Rusty Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 9
Boat-tailed Grackle 119
Brown-headed Cowbird 139
House Finch 125
American Goldfinch 77
House Sparrow 1207



Change is in the Air - Smoking in Designated Areas Only in 
effect.
Tobacco

[nysbirds-l] Southern Nassau County CBC Results

[Shaibal Mitra]

The Southern Nassau County Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday, 1 
January 2011, by 61 participants. This represents the 71st time this CBC has 
been held since its inception in 1932 (there were several years with no count 
during the 1930s and 1940s).

A total of 125 species was recorded (plus Ipswich Sparrow), a little below the 
20-year average of 128. The weather was good on count day, but prolonged 
freezing conditions during December clearly impacted a variety of species. In 
general, this year's results struck us as rather average, with few really 
exceptional species and few really bad misses (our worst misses this year 
involved species we've knowingly struggled with in recent years).

In selecting the unusual species named below, we included a few that, although 
they are quite regular on this count, are nevertheless rare in NYS in winter. 
Some species that we would ordinarily expect on this count, but which were 
perceived as good finds this year owing to the cold early winter weather, are 
highlighted as "ice-sensitive saves." Several species are widely expected on LI 
or NYS CBCs in general but are nevertheless very difficult in southern Nassau 
County. These are difficult to categorize as either highlights or low-lights, 
but for convenience we've lumped a few of these local oddities in with the low 
counts and misses.

Many thanks to all those who participated, and Happy New Year to all!

Unusual Species:
Greater White-fronted Goose--Mitchell, 4th time recorded in last 20 years
Whistling Swan--2 in Five Towns, 3rd time recorded in last 20 years
Wood Duck--4 in Hempstead and 1 in Massapequa
Eurasian Wigeon--count-week in Massapequa
Harlequin Duck--6 at Atlantic
Red-shouldered Hawk--1 at Tobay, 6th time recorded in last 20 years; 
particularly unusual on barrier beach
American Oystercatcher--29, Short Beach and Massapequa
Red Knot--8 at Short Beach, missed last 3 years
Razorbill--3 at Atlantic and Short Beach
Dovekie--count-week at Short Beach
Monk Parakeet--8 in Baldwin, at three sites, just the 2nd time ever recorded
Barn Owl--5 from Tobay and Boat
Great Horned Owl--1 in Five Towns, just the 3rd time recorded in 20 years
Short-eared Owl--1 at Short Beach
Tree Swallow--singles at Short Beach and Baldwin
Orange-crowned Warbler--3, 2 at Short Beach and 1 at Massapequa
Yellow-breasted Chat--1 at Massapequa
Lapland Longspur--1 at Short Beach
Dickcissel--count-week in Baldwin
Rusty Blackbird--2 at Hempstead
Boat-tailed Grackle--17 from Loop Parkway, Short Beach, Massapequa, and Boat; 6 
of 8 records ever are since 2003-04
Common Redpoll--12, from Short Beach Tobay, and Baldwin; just 5th time recorded 
in 20 years
Pine Siskin--4, from Tobay and Baldwin; just 2nd time recorded in 20 years

Ice-sensitive Saves:
Great Egret--1 in Five Towns
Killdeer--singles Five Towns and Hempstead
Greater Yellowlegs--1 at Tobay
Wilson's Snipe--1 at Short Beach
American Woodcock--singles at Short Beach and Tobay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet--1 at Five Towns (widely missed on coastal CBCs this year)

High Counts:
Ring-necked Duck--50, surpassing the previous max, from just last year, of 47
Common Eider--209, 2nd only to last year's 254
White-winged Scoter--53, far surpassing 20-year max of 30.
Double-crested Cormorant--154, 2nd only to last year's 178
Northern Harrier--58, surpassing previous max of 50
Sharp-shinned Hawk--34, surpassing previous max of 25
Cooper's Hawk--24, surpassing previous max of 17 (4th new max in 10 years)
Peregrine Falcon--23, equalling previous max, from just last year (4th time max 
equalled or exceeded in 10 years)
Ruddy Turnstone--55, 2nd highest ever
Red-bellied Woodpecker--39, 2nd highest ever
Northern Cardinal--317, far exceeding previous max of 241, from 2005-06

Low Counts, Bad Misses, and Southern Nassau County CBC Oddities:
Canvasbackjust 5, at Massapequa and Baldwin
Redhead--9 at Massapequa were a save
Common Goldeneye--missed for 4th time in 20 years
Ring-necked Pheasant--missed for 1st time in 20 years
Northern Gannet--missed for 2nd time in 20 years
Bonaparte's Gull--31, lowest since 1996-97; 40-year average = 1461
Marsh Wren--missed for 6th time in 20 years
Brown Thrasher--1 at Five Towns was a save
Cedar Waxwing--10 at Baldwin were a save
Eastern Towhee--singles at Tobay and Hempstead; just 1 last year
Field Sparrow--1 at Atlantic; just 1 last year too
Savannah Sparrow--7, 3rd lowest in 50 years
Saltmarsh/Nelson's/Seaside Sparrows--just 2nd time in 10 years all three missed
White-crowned Sparrow--missed for 7th time in 20 years
Eastern Meadowlark--missed for 6th time in 10 years

Shai Mitra & Patricia Lindsay
Bay Shore







Think green before you print this email.

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