Bruneau scored top count honors with had its best ... · Birding in northern Utah during the period just before the CBC-112 count period, I had the impression this was going to be

Bruneau scored top count honors with96 species, with two other counts—Nampa (93), and Lewiston-Clarkston(91)—also breaking 90 species. Asalways much credit goes to count com-pilers and participants for efforts vitallyimportant to furthering the understand-ing of population trends and winterphenomena, and for aiding in the con-servation of Idaho’s birds. Following is areview of count highlights (and low-lights) in roughly taxonomic order.

Red-necked Grebes appear to havealmost entirely disappeared as a winter-ing species in Idaho with only sevenreported, whereas the count as recentlyas five years ago was 140. The reasonsfor the decline are unknown and worthinvestigating. American Kestrelnumbers fluctuate but have generallyincreased over the past 10 years record-ing a new high (840) this year. Rare gullswere scarce (perhaps partly due to land-fill access issues) with only count weekMew and Thayer’s gulls and Glaucous-winged Gull (2) on two Treasure ValleyCounts. Idaho benefited from the wide-spread Snowy Owl irruption with indi-viduals present on two counts, Nampa(2) and Lewiston-Clarkston (1), theformer enjoyed by many southern Idahobirders. Eurasian Collared-Dovesincreased, as they have done every yearsince appearing in the state, by 37percent to 3259; only three wererecorded in 2004–2005 and the countexceeded 1000 (1523) for the first timejust three years ago.

Red-breasted Nuthatches (556) werefound in near record numbers despitelittle evidence of an irruption fromlower elevation counts. Townsend’sSolitaires (137) were similarly in nearrecord numbers bolstered by high talliesfrom three eastern Idaho counts (IdahoFalls, Pocatello, and Teton Valley). Awell-documented Wilson’s Warbler,only the second ever for an Idaho count,was a big surprise at Bonner’s Ferry upnear the Canadian border. Nampareported an impressive 15 Orange-crowned Warblers, surely the winterhotspot for this species in Idaho. Idaho

had its best irruption of CommonRedpolls (950) since 2001, as well asone of the better irruptions of PineSiskins (803) in recent years. LesserGoldfinch populations have increasedmarkedly in Boise and the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, resulting in a recordcount of 335 with small numbers ofprospecting birds on four other counts.Indian Mountain in the panhandlereported two Rusty Blackbirds in an areaproviding a number of previous winterrecords. Thanks and good birding!

WYOMING/UTAHKeith Evans4826 Kiwana Drive

South Ogden, UT 84403

[email protected]

For the 112th Christmas Bird Count,19 count circles were reviewed forWyoming and 25 count circles for Utah.One new count was established in ParkCity, Utah (UTPC). The region experi-enced a mild winter; however, a coupleof cold fronts froze much of the openwater just prior to the count period.

Again this season, Utah had very lowcounts of Bohemian Waxwings, withonly 12 on three counts. Wyoming’sBohemian Waxwing count was down by34 percent from CBC-111, with 1329

observed on five counts. The Red-tailedHawk is the most abundant raptor inboth Wyoming and Utah. Looking atthe last 10 count years, the Red-tailedHawk in Wyoming was at its lowest onCBC-103 (49 on 12 count circles) andsteadily increased to a high of 164 on 18count circles on CBC-109. This year,129 were reported on 13 counts, slightlyhigher than the 10-year average of 108individuals. In Utah, no trend in Red-tailed Hawks was apparent; however,there was a high of 806 reported (on 23counts) on CBC-110. This year, 566were counted on 22 circles, which ishigher than the 10-year average of 528.Birding in northern Utah during theperiod just before the CBC-112 countperiod, I had the impression this wasgoing to be a “good” year for Rough-legged Hawks; however, the Utah countof 116 on 16 counts was very close tothe 10-year average of 113 individuals.One Winter Wren was reported duringthe count week in Cheyenne, Wyoming.I’m unsure if eastern Wyoming is in thePacific Wren range or the Winter Wrenrange. I would appreciate hearing fromsomeone who has studied the winteringranges after the split between WinterWren and Pacific Wren. Documentationof any winter sightings of both Winter

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 91

Count circles inWYOMING/UTAH

and Pacific wrens in both Wyoming andUtah would be very helpful.

In Wyoming, 115 species (samenumber as CBC-111) were reportedwith an average of 43 species per countcircle. Last year I mentioned the contin-uous eight-year rise in Wild Turkeynumbers with CBC-111 recording 1593individuals. This year the trend wasbroken with only 954 Wild Turkeysreported on seven counts. AmericanTree Sparrow numbers were down to287 on 14 count circles for CBC-112.This may be a result of the birds beingmore dispersed during the mild winter.The American Tree Sparrow high countwas 1535 on CBC-106, and the 10-yearaverage was 758 per count year. FourLesser Goldfinches were observed on theWYGR (Green River) circle this year.This species was first reported inWyoming on CBC-108. Wilson’s Snipenumbers, at 23 on 10 count circles, werebelow the nine-year average (since namechange) of 35 individuals.

“Out of range or season” birdsreported included a Brown Thrasher onWYGR (Green River); an AmericanPipit on WYEV (Evanston); a NorthernSaw-whet Owl on WYBH (Bates Hole);one Peregrine Falcon on each of threecircles [this was a new species forWYDU (Dubois) and WYBH (BatesHole), but a repeat for WYKA (Kane)];a Marsh Wren on WYCR (Crowheart);two Yellow-headed Blackbirds onWYKA (Kane); and a flock of 691Sandhill Cranes on WYRT (Riverton).

In Utah, 185 species (five more thanCBC-111) were reported with anaverage of 66 species per count circle.Three counts exceeded 100 species,which matches CBC-110; however, lastyear (CBC-111) no count tally exceeded100 species. The biggest news this yearwas the number of White-faced Ibisremaining in Utah for the CBC period;51 were observed on seven counts.Another late migrant was WesternGrebe, where 29 were reported on sixcount circles. A close match for thisnews was the Snowy Owl on UTBL(Bear Lake) and a White-tailed Kite on

UTSG (St. George). The White-tailedKite remained in the St. George area formost of the winter, offering manybirders a rare “state bird” for their check-lists. Wood Duck numbers remainedhigh, with 120 reported on seven circles,but the highest count was on CBC-109when 200 were observed on 11 circles.As with Wyoming, American TreeSparrows were down, to 113 on 10count circles compared to the 10-yearaverage of 184 per count year. Wilson’sSnipe numbers reached a high with 96reported on 15 circles—the nine-yearaverage was 62 individuals per countyear. Lesser Goldfinch numbers werehigh with 637 counted on 12 countcircles, compared to a 10-year average of480 individuals. Red-naped sapsuckernumbers were up with 50 counted on10 circles. The average for the last 10years was 29 individuals per count year.In contrast, Wyoming has only onereported Red-naped Sapsucker duringthe last 10 years (CBC-104).

“Out of range or season” birdsreported included a White-wingedScoter and a Least Sandpiper on UTAI(Antelope Island); one Osprey onUTOR (Ouray); nine Greater Scaup onUTSR (Silver Reef ); one CommonLoon each on UTHV (Heber Valley)and UTPC (Park City); a Costa’sHummingbird and a Sage Thrasher onUTSG (St. George); a Hermit Thrushwas new to the UTLO (Logan) count,although 13 were reported statewide; aSpotted Sandpiper on UTMO (Moab);three Lark Buntings on UTSG (St.George); two Snowy Egrets on UTKA(Kanab); a Say’s Phoebe and a Blue-grayGnatcatcher on UTPR (Provo); nineWestern Kingbirds on UTKA (Kanab);and a Golden-crowned Sparrow onUTBC (Bryce Canyon).

COLORADOBrandon K. Percival835 Harmony Drive

Pueblo West, CO 81007

[email protected]

Two new Colorado CBCs were startedthis year: the Flagler CBC on the eastern

plains, in the east central part of thestate, and the Pagosa Springs CBC, inthe southwestern part of the state inArchuleta County.

The weather was cold early, so numer-ous bodies of water were frozen or partlyfrozen, which made the totals of speciesand numbers of birds in Colorado lowerthan last CBC season.

With the two new counts, Coloradansparticipated in 47 Christmas Bird Countsthis season. The total of 666,568 birdscounted was lower than the 781,067birds that were counted last year. Thetotal species was a little lower this year,with 199 species and 205 last year. ThePueblo Reservoir count found the mostcount day species again with (128), fol-lowed by Penrose (117), Boulder (112),John Martin Reservoir (106), Denver(101), Grand Junction (100), andLoveland (100). John Martin Reservoironce again counted the most birds with65,853, up from 59,283 last year.

Here are the highlights: Brant werefound at Denver (hrota) and Rocky Ford(nigricans); Trumpeter Swan at Deltaand Loveland; Tundra Swans atLoveland, Montrose, and Rocky Ford;Surf and White-winged scoters atPueblo Reservoir, and a White-wingedScoter also at Denver; and Long-tailedDuck at Colorado Springs, DenverUrban, and Rawhide Energy Station.Pacific Loon and Common Loons wereat Pueblo Reservoir, and Denver alsohad a Common Loon; a Red-neckedGrebe was at Barr Lake; the onlyAmerican White Pelican was at RockyFord during count week; the only shore-birds of note were Spotted Sandpiper at

92 AMERICAN BIRDS

Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus),Longmont, Colorado.Photo/Shelley Dahme

Grand Junction and Pueblo and muchrarer Least Sandpiper at Hotchkiss. Ninespecies of gulls were found, the onlyBonaparte’s at Pueblo Reservoir, theonly Mew Gull at Loveland; eightThayer’s Gulls; 10 Lesser Black-backed;two Glaucous; and two Great Black-backed Gulls were found. A Band-tailedPigeon was at Colorado Springs; onlytwo counts missed Eurasian Collared-Doves; and 97 White-winged Doveswere found. Three Snowy Owls werefound! Barr Lake, Crook, and Sterlingall found one each. After a big sapsuckershowing last year, only 10 sapsuckerswere found—a Williamson’s at Boulder,seven Yellow-bellied, and two unknownsapsuckers. In recent years BlackPhoebes are to be expected along theArkansas River in eastern Colorado in

winter from Penrose to Pueblo, and thisyear both Penrose and Pueblo Reservoirfound them, though finally the WestSlope got into the action with two BlackPhoebes at Grand Junction!

Interesting wrens were a Carolina atBonny Reservoir and the only WinterWrens at Boulder and Longmont, alongwith a Winter/Pacific Wren at Penrose.Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were only foundat Grand Junction and Pueblo Reservoir.A Varied Thrush made a surprise appear-ance at the Great Sands Dunes N.P. Theonly Brown Thrashers were at Boulderand John Martin Reservoir. BohemianWaxwings didn’t make much of a show,with only North Park reporting 200. Theonly interesting warbler was a CommonYellowthroat at Pueblo Reservoir. RareEastern Towhees were at BonnyReservoir and Longmont. A well-pho-tographed Chipping Sparrow was foundat Loveland. Both Bonny Reservoir andJohn Martin Reservoir found FieldSparrows. A Vesper Sparrow was a sur-prise at Crook, as well as Lark Bunting atFountain Creek. Savannah Sparrows werefound at Bonny Reservoir, John MartinReservoir, and Rocky Ford. A muchunexpected Grasshopper Sparrow wasphotographed from Fountain Creek,during count week. Of the more

uncommon sparrows, there were 11Lincoln’s, 13 Swamp, eight White-throated,and 41 Harris’s sparrows. Golden-crownedSparrows were found at Boulder andDenver. A McCown’s and a Chestnut-collared Longspur were found on thenew Flagler CBC, and both FountainCreek and John Martin Reservoir alsofound Chestnut-collared. John MartinReservoir also found the only SnowBunting. Good numbers of NorthernCardinals were found at Bonny Reservoirand Crook, singles were at Flagler andPenrose, and both John Martin Reservoirand Pueblo Reservoir had them duringcount week. Totally unexpected wereIndigo Buntings at Crook and JohnMartin Reservoir. Twelve Yellow-headedBlackbirds and 10 Rusty Blackbirds werefound. The only documented PurpleFinch was at Bonny Reservoir. Fourcounts found Common Redpoll; 35 atGranby was a very nice total!

Observers reported several interestedhybrids this year. Mostly hybrid geeseand ducks were found, and a White-crowned x Harris’s Sparrow hybrid wasphotographed at Pueblo Reservoir.

Several compilers mentioned thehigher number of American Robins. Inall 22,646 were counted in Colorado,the totals the last six years have beenfrom 12,000 to 17,000.

It is always hard to find the Coloradochickens in the winter, so it was nice thatRocky Mountain N.P. found six White-tailed Ptarmigan; North Park found fiveGreater Sage-Grouse; four DuskyGrouse were found at Rocky MountainN.P.; and Steamboat Springs found twoSharp-tailed Grouse. No counts foundGreater Prairie-Chicken or GunnisonSage-Grouse this year.

Of the owl sightings, six Barns, 58Western Screech, 38 Eastern Screech,268 Great Horned, nine NorthernPygmy, 14 Long-eared, five Short-eared,and six Northern Saw-whet owls werecounted—all thanks to some dedicatednighttime efforts.

I want to thanks the compilers andobservers for sending in photos and doc-umentation of their interesting birds

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 93

Count circles inCOLORADO

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus),Pueblo Reservoir, Colorado.Photo/Brandon K. Percival

found on Colorado CBCs this year; ithelps me a lot in reviewing the counts. Ialso want to thank Doug Faulkner, TonyLeukering, and Chris Wood for helpingreview some of the photos submitted.

NEW MEXICO John W. Shipman507 Fitch Street NW

Socorro, NM 87801

[email protected]

Of the 32 circles we surveyed last year,all but one returned. The Gila Rivercircle is in transition; we hope to seethem back next winter. The total speciescount this season was 224, well belowlast year’s 238 and the all-time high of244 set during the 106th count. The LaLuz-Otero County Ovenbird is new tothe all-time state CBC checklist, bring-ing the total to 332 species.

For the fifth straight year, the mostspeciose circle was Caballo with 128species. Other contenders: Albuquerquewith 119, Las Cruces with 117, LakesAvalon-Brantley with 105, Bosque delApache with an uncharacteristically low104, and the new Ladder Ranch circlewith 102. The total number of individ-uals statewide was about 446,000,

slightly less than last year’s 480,000 andshort of the all-time high of about500,000 for the 99th count year. TheBosque refuge contributed over a quarterof these (148,456), with good numbersin Roswell (70,000), Las Cruces(47,000), and Farmington (35,000).

Among species that lingered in thenorth, Cinnamon Teal were in the LasVegas circle, with high numbers also inLas Cruces and Lakes Avalon-Brantley.Normally gone from the state in winter, aBand-tailed Pigeon was photographedin the Sandia Mountains. An immatureRed-headed Woodpecker stayed at ahome in the Las Vegas circle.Albuquerque recorded its secondCommon Yellowthroat in 57 years.Turning to southerly lingerers, theSilver City count, celebrating its 50thyear, reported its third Hutton’s Vireo.

Winter Wrens put in appearances inAlbuquerque, Bosque del Apache, andLadder Ranch. The Five Points and SilverCity circles listed Lark Sparrows. We haveclear photos of Common Grackles in theLa Luz circle in south central NewMexico, rarely documented away fromthe southeast corner of the state in winter.

Species that seem to be doing wellinclude Wood Duck, reported fromAlbuquerque, Espanola, and Las Vegas.Double-crested Cormorant numberswere up in the Lakes Avalon-Brantleycircle.

Continuing their recent trend,Eurasian Collared-Dove numbers wereflagged as high in eight circles around thestate; the Chaco circle remains the onlymodern count in the state that has notrecorded this species. White-wingedDoves were new to the Las Vegas circle,and appeared for only the fourth time inClayton, also in its 50th year; that speciesremains unrecorded in only five of themore northerly circles. Black Phoebeswere new in Cimarron and Santa Fe.Phainopepla numbers were up in theBosque, Caballo, and Roswell circles.

Low or missing records includedRoswell’s fifth miss of Black-crownedNight-Heron in 65 years; American Cootnumbers low in Clayton, Las Vegas,

Roswell, and Silver City; LoggerheadShrikes low in Las Cruces and Sevilletaand missed altogether in Albuquerque.The La Luz circle had no Steller’s Jays forthe first time in its 31 years. WesternScrub-Jay numbers were also ominous:missed in Espanola for the second time in68 years, and in Sevilleta for the first timein 24 years. No clear patterns of invasiveor irruptive species emerged from thedata; Pine Siskin numbers were low in theCimarron, Caballo, and Farmingtoncircles.

Finally, there were a few rarities ofnote. A count week “Black” Brantappeared in the Clovis circle. Las Crucesprovided a clear photo of an immatureGlaucous Gull. One of our new compil-ers, the energetic young field ornitholo-gist Raymond van Buskirk, pho-tographed a hybrid Red-breasted x Red-naped Sapsucker in the SandiaMountains circle. Blue Jays were docu-mented in La Luz (second in 31 years),Las Cruces (fourth in 37 years), andSanta Fe after eight years without them.A Pacific Wren was documented byvoice in the Sandia Mountains. Warblerrecords included a Chestnut-sided in theLadder Ranch circle, a Pine Warbler atRattlesnake Springs in the CarlsbadCaverns circle, and La Luz’s stellarOvenbird. Clayton had a Le Conte’sSparrow. Rusty Blackbirds were new toAlbuquerque and Roswell, and seen forthe fourth time in the Caballo circle.Silver City’s Lawrence’s Goldfincheswere their third record.

Thanks as always to our many coun-ters and compilers, who are doing agreat job of keeping up with nomenclat-ural issues (all our snipe are Wilson’snow, not Common) and splits likePacific/Winter Wren.

NEVADA/ARIZONASteve Ganley2750 North Rugby Circle

Mesa, AZ 85215

[email protected]

Thanks to all of the compilers forworking through the new data entryprocess this year with the few bugs and

94 AMERICAN BIRDS

Count circles inNEW MEXICO

delays at the start—next year will besmoother. For the 112th Christmas BirdCount season 15 counts were taken inNevada. There were several commentson the weather this year and for themost part it was dry. There was notenough snow to bring the mountainspecies down to lower elevation wheremost of the counts are located. But insome cases it was cold enough to freezelakes and ponds to hurt the waterbirdtotals. The warm winter did help ingetting some species to linger later thanusual and farther north than usual.Pyramid Lake was not able to get a boatout on the lake this year, and SnakeValley had a problem with large farmmachinery constantly disrupting thebirds from a stock tank on private prop-erty so they could be identified andcounted. All of the counts were cleanand done in timely fashion, and withdocumentation for all rare species.

As usual, Truckee Meadows led thestate in number of species seen, with103, and was the only count breaking100 species. Close behind was CarsonCity with 96, Henderson was at 95,Mindon at 88, Fallon at 86, and MuddyRiver at 82.These counts plus the othernine counts had some interesting birdsfound. The only Trumpeter Swans werethe dozen on Ruby Lake. While aEurasian Wigeon was not new forTruckee Meadows, the fact that it was afemale was a good find. There was aLong-tailed Duck at Henderson as wellas two Pacific Loons, and Carson Cityhad two Barrow’s Goldeneye. The onlyAmerican White Pelican was at PyramidLake, and a Least Bittern was atHenderson. Two lingering TurkeyVultures were at Muddy River.Shorebirds included a Lesser Yellowlegsat Fallon and two Sanderlings atPyramid Lake. Perhaps due to thewarmer winter, a Common Poor-willwas at Muddy River and two Cassin’sKingbirds were found in Henderson. AWinter Wren was far north at Jarbidgeand a House Wren was counted atMuddy River. A Northern Mockingbirdwas unusual at Snake Valley in winter; it

was living off of dog food there. Latewarblers included a bright maleNorthern Parula at Desert Game andboth MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s war-blers at Mindon. One of the most unex-pected species was a Lazuli Bunting thatwas photographed at Jarbidge. Those arejust some of the 178 or so species foundthe year.

Thirty-three counts were held inArizona. For the most part the weatherwas good for counting; Flagstaffreported that it was 40 degrees warmerthis year over last. But the overall effectwas that fewer birds were forced intotown for food and shelter and theirtotals were lower. Several countsreported that the leaves were still on thetrees and few concentrations of birdswere noted. A few other problems were

discovered. At Ramsey Canyon, whichusually leads the state in total species,this year the effects of the MonumentFire were still obvious, and they weredown a few species because the habitatwas destroyed in the canyons. MormonLake had to deal with locked gates anddid not have access to all of the areas inthe circle. And Havasu N.W.R. was notable to take a boat out on the lake, andwhile the species total was not affected,the total number of individuals wasdecreased.

Two counts had 150 or more species,with Phoenix-Tres Rios leading the stateat 156. They noted that habitat restora-tion along the river bed has made whatwere hard-to-get species much easier,and they have not lost agricultural fieldsfor houses at the rate they did in the past

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 95

Count circles inNEVADA/ARIZONA

due to the slow economy. Patagoniacame in second at 150 species. GilaRiver was right behind at 149 species,Green Valley-Madera Canyon at 147,Nogales 146, Ramsey Canyon at 145,and Tucson Valley at 142. Fourteenother counts had 100 species or moreand eight counts were in the nineties.

There were many highlights ofunusual species on the 33 counts thisyear. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducksseem to on the decline in the state, andPhoenix-Tres Rios was the only count tofind them. They also had the onlyreported Cackling Goose. Swans are hardto come by here, but Camp Verde andPrescott had Tundra Swans. EurasianWigeon reports have been down in theirusual Phoenix area, but this year theywere on two counts in more northernlocations, with two at Camp Verde andone in Flagstaff. A Surf Scoter was at amore expected location of the BillWilliams Delta, but two White-wingedScoters were unexpected in Prescott. Theonly Long-tailed Duck was at GlenCanyon where they also had 28 Barrow’sGoldeneye, while Bill Williams had ahigh count of 17 more. This was a bigyear for Horned Grebes with 30 countedon nine different counts. Several wereaway from the Colorado River wherethey might be expected. The AtascosaHighlands had 14 Least Grebes, and theGila River had all of the other specieswith Clark’s, Western, Eared, Horned,Pied-billed, and even Red-necked grebe.Glen Canyon also had a Red-neckedGrebe. Neotropic Cormorants are stillmoving west with two seen at the BillWilliams Delta.

Red-shouldered Hawks were at twolocations. One was at the more expectedHassayampa River and the other at Salt-Verde Rivers. The only unusual shore-bird was a Solitary Sandpiper in TucsonValley. Gulls are always good in thedesert, and this year there was aBonaparte’s Gull at Nogales and twoMew Gulls were seen, one in GlenCanyon and one at Bill Williams.Ruddy Ground-Doves seem to be on adown cycle with only two reported, one

each at Patagonia and Ramsey Canyon.Hummingbirds of all types are beingseen at feeders in winter. There was aViolet-crowned in Tucson, a Broad-tailed at Ramsey Canyon, and fourBlack-chinned Hummingbirds reportedon four different counts with no docu-mentation. I think a photo at a feederwould not be that impossible to get.Four Eastern Phoebes were counted, butthe real star was the Nutting’s Flycatcherat Bill Williams. The coverage on theColorado River this year has been excel-lent and has paid off with many unusualspecies. The only Tropical Kingbird wasat Phoenix-Tres Rios, and the onlyNorthern Shrike was at Mormon Lake.An American Crow was out of place atthe Salt and Verde River. The mildwinter might have led to the many swal-lows counted, including three countsthat had Violet-green Swallows. WinterWren reports were down this year withonly two counts reporting them, whilefour counts had Pacific Wrens. ThreeRufous-backed Robins were noted, andthere were two Brown Thrashers found.

Eastern Warblers are often a highlighton a count and two Rufous-cappedWarblers and an Ovenbird were atGreen Valley-Madera, a Chestnut-sidedWarbler was at Tucson Valley, a lingeringLucy’s was at Havasu, a LouisianaWaterthrush was at Patagonia, andstatewide 20 Black-and-white Warblerswere tallied. Tanagers were in goodsupply with 19 Hepatics, threeSummers, and one Western Tanagerreported. Unusual Sparrows included aHarris’s Sparrow in Chino Valley and aGolden-crowned in Portal. Other goodbirds were a Black-headed and Bluegrosbeak, and a Hooded Oriole atAtascosa Highlands. Thanks to all par-ticipants for their help.

WASHINGTON/OREGONMike Patterson1338 Kensington Avenue

Astoria, OR 97103

[email protected]

The 112th CBC was a very goodweather year. Temperatures were average

to above average, and the intense winterstorms that often impact counts cameand went before the count periodstarted. As a result, many countsrecorded species numbers well aboveaverage and several counts posted newrecords. Twenty of 40 Washingtoncounts and 16 of 42 Oregon countsmanaged to break the 100-species mark.

It was an invasion year for SnowyOwls. Thirty-three were reported inWashington (plus two for count week)with most reports clustered aroundnorthwest part of the state. Leadingthe pack was Grays Harbor, WA, with13 Snowy Owls. Bellingham, WA, andSkagit Bay, WA, tied with five owlseach. Only two Snowies were reportedin Oregon. A bird in Burns, OR, spentthe winter, and a bird in Coos Bay,OR, stayed just long enough to makethe count week list. The high SnowyOwl numbers attracted many sight-seers and plenty of controversy asbirders worried over the stress causedby some observers and photographersas they attempted to get up-closeviews. The discussion went viral on theinternet when video was posted onYouTube showing photographers off-trail flushing an owl as they continuedto move in on the bird.

A King Eider was at Grays Harbor,WA, for a third year. A well-pho-tographed Emperor Goose was also seenat Grays Harbor. Brown Pelicansnumbers were lower than the trend overthe past several years with smallnumbers evenly distributed along thecoast. The only out of place BrownPelican report was of two reported about60 miles inland along the ColumbiaRiver for Cowlitz-Columbia, WA.

A Mountain Plover spent the seasonat Corvallis, OR, where it was seen bymany observers. A golden-plover(mostly probably Pacific Golden-ploverfrom the description) was seen atSequim-Dungeness, WA. A White-facedIbis overwintered at Summer Lake, OR.

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker wasreported from Coquille Valley, OR,and a Yellow-bellied/Red-naped

96 AMERICAN BIRDS

Sapsucker was seen at Olympia, WA.A well-documented Least Flycatcherspent the winter behind a local HighSchool inside the Tillamook Bay, OR,count circle. A late Tropical Kingbirdwas seen by many observers atYaquina Bay, OR. A Cassin’s Vireowas reported from Kent-Auburn,WA, though the description did notcompletely eliminate other vireospecies. A rare west-of-the-CascadesBlue Jay spent the winter inCorvallis, OR.

Only a few out of season warblersspecies were reported this year, mostnotably a Black-throated Gray Warblerat Coos Bay, OR, and a Wilson’sWarbler at Skagit Bay, WA. A winteringDickcissel was reported from PortOrford, OR. Observers were able topick out and get photos of a HoaryRedpoll consorting with CommonRedpolls at Padilla Bay, WA.

Coos Bay, OR, returned after takinglast season off, posting the highest countthis year with 162 species. CoquilleValley, OR, ran up a total of 152 withSequim-Dungeness, WA, right behindat 151. East of the Cascades, KlamathFalls, OR, produced the highest countwith 110 species. Tri-Cities, WA, wassecond was in second place with 103species and Lyle, WA, was third report-ing 98 species.

I changed entries where compilerscontinue to enter Winter Wren ratherthan Pacific Wren. I changed CommonSnipe to Wilson’s Snipe for one count.There are still several compilers who are(presumably) counting Cackling Geeseas “small-form Canada Goose.” Theonly record I removed was a “Slate-colored” Fox Sparrow from the Sequim-Dungeness, WA, count. The descrip-tion that accompanied the report fit oneof the larger “Sooty” Fox Sparrow sub-species (possibly unalaschcensis or ridge-wayi) more closely than any likely“Slate-colored.” This may seem trivialgiven that dropping a subspecific cate-gory did not change the total speciescount (it was still a Fox Sparrow), butwith talk of a possible future split in the

Fox Sparrow complex, claims of “Slate-colored” Fox Sparrow should be treatedlike any other out of range report.

Corrigenda: In the summary for lastseason I stated that the Costa’sHummingbird reported from Lyle, WA,was submitted without details. In fact,photos had been submitted and, moreembarrassingly, I had seen the photosand sent comments back to the sender.The report was filed in the wrong com-puter folder where it got confused withprior reports. The bird was unequivo-cally a Costa’s Hummingbird and welldocumented.

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 97

Count circles inWASHINGTON/OREGON

98 AMERICAN BIRDS

CALIFORNIAKelli Heindel-Levinson1819 Locust Ravine

Bakersfield, CA 93306

[email protected]

John C. Wilson2217 Tiverton Dr.

Bakersfield, CA 93311

[email protected]

The 112th Christmas Bird Countseason had compilers from Californiacomplete data on 127 counts. Nearly allof the counts reported splendid weatherwith only nine counts posting lightmorning rain. Temperatures rangedfrom 11 degrees at Lake Almanor to 81degrees at Rancho Santa Fe. The mildweather was cited by many compilers forthe record participation many of themenjoyed. This year 5787 observerscounted birds in 2242 parties andlogged nearly 7400 miles on foot! SantaBarbara had the most observers with214. Congratulations to the San DiegoCBC for recording 216 species thisseason, the most of any count. WelcomeTall Trees and Cheep Thrills as two newcounts this year. Birds that are on theCalifornia Bird Record Committeereview list will be noted as such and afinal decision will come from that com-mittee. Following are some of theCalifornia CBC highlights.

There were 106 Eurasian Wigeon on38 different counts plus one duringcount week, which is slightly less thanthe average recorded over the pastdecade. A Eurasian Green-winged Tealwas on the Crystal Springs CBC andanother was seen on the Coastal Orange

County count. Three Tufted Ducks werewell documented with either photo-graphs, a sketch, or written details, withindividuals at Angwin and Point ReyesPeninsula, as well as a count week birdon the Oakland CBC. A total of 24Long-tailed Ducks were found on 11counts including one as far south asVentura. Single Barrow’s Goldeneyewere as far south as the Kern RiverValley and the Salton Sea (south)counts.

A Red-throated Loon was inland onthe Contra Costa CBC. The only inlandPacific Loons were two on the ReddingCBC and another individual on theContra Costa count. Of the 15 CBCsreporting Red-necked Grebes, EastAlameda County and Santa Clarita wereinland.

A Masked Booby (review species) wasphotographed on the San JuanCapistrano CBC. San Diego andRancho Santa Fe had five and one LittleBlue Herons, respectively. Long Beach-El Dorado, Orange County Coastal,and San Diego CBCs each reported aReddish Egret. The San Diego CBC hadfour Yellow-crowned Night-Herons(review species) and the Thousand Oakscount reported six. The Wood Storkpresent in Escondido since 1986 wasfound dead in October.

Eight CBCs, more than in any yearprior, reported 10 Swainson’s Hawks.Single Zone-tailed Hawks were seen onthe Escondido and the Orange County(northeastern) counts. Six Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawks were reported on fiveCBCs; however, details were in shortsupply, and given the rarity of this birdin California one would expect somecomment from compilers. A CrestedCaracara photographed on theThousand Oaks CBC is under review bythe California Bird Records Committee.

An American x Black Oystercatcherwas photographed on the Ventura CBC.A Stilt Sandpiper was well documentedon the San Jose CBC and was the onlysuch species found anywhere other thanthe south end of the Salton Sea. Ruffswere all well documented on the Palo

Alto, Rio Cosumnes, and SonomaValley CBCs. The only Wilson’sPhalarope was a well-documented andphotographed individual on the SanJose count. A nicely documented Red-necked Phalarope was on the OaklandCBC.

The 52 Laughing Gulls seen on theSalton Sea South CBC was the secondhighest count ever for this count circleand the only place that species wasrecorded this year. A Little Gull (reviewspecies) was photographed during countweek in Santa Barbara. There were fourLesser Blacked-backed Gulls (reviewspecies) this CBC season with individu-als found on the Clear Lake, San Jose,San Jacinto Lake, and Salton Sea (south)counts. A Western Gull was found deadwell inland on the San Jacinto LakeCBC. Two Elegant Terns were welldescribed on the Morro Bay count, anda lone Xantus’s Murrelet was well docu-mented on the Santa Barbara CBC.

Spotted Doves have all but disap-peared from southern California withonly one individual reported, that onthe Bakersfield CBC. Eight CommonGround-Doves were reported in the SanJoaquin Valley section of the Bear ValleySprings CBC. Barred Owls occurred onthe Tall Trees CBC (2) as well as the Ft.Bragg count (1). Four different CBCs,plus one count week, reported five indi-vidual Common Poorwills. The onlyChaetura swifts reported were two birdson the Southern Marin CBC and leftunidentified to species. A Red-naped xYellow-bellied Sapsucker was excellentlydescribed on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea), FallRiver Mills, California. Photo/Bob Yutzy

Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus),Fall River Mills, California. Photo/Bob Yutzy

CBC and a White-headed Woodpeckerwandered east of the Sierra NevadaMountains on to the Bishop count.

The only Least Flycatcher reportedthis year was a count week bird pho-tographed in Long Beach. SixHammond’s Flycatchers were well docu-mented (three were photographed)including two in Bakersfield and singlesin Malibu, Oakland, San BernardinoValley, and one much farther to thenorth in Wallace-Bellota. Twenty-fourGray Flycatchers were tallied, all in ourmost southeastern count circles. ThreeDusky Flycatchers were reported butjust one was sufficiently documented, aphotographed bird on the Orange County(coastal) count. Fourteen WesternFlycatchers (presumed Pacific-slope)

were seen on 11 counts with all being inthe southern third of the state except forsingle birds in Calero-Morgan Hill,Point Reyes, and Santa Cruz. EightEastern Phoebes on seven counts is morethan is usually encountered of thisspecies. Among these were pho-tographed birds from coastal OrangeCounty, Santa Barbara, San Jose, SanJacinto Lake, and Salton Sea (north).Thirty-nine Vermilion Flycatchers on 18southern California counts is an all-timehigh and marks only the second timethat 30 or more have been recorded.Three Dusky-capped Flycatchers(review species) on as many counts werereported. Oceanside-Vista-Carlsbadbenefitted from a stakeout bird, SanFrancisco provided photographs, and

the third was a bird present in SantaCruz County. Three Ash-throatedFlycatchers, all from southern areacounts, were well documented. FiveTropical Kingbirds were seen on fivecounts, single birds were particularly farnorth in San Francisco and Arcata.Southern California circles reportingthis bird were Santa Barbara, San Diegoand Pasadena. A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher(photographed) was a stakeout bird onthe Palos-Verde Peninsula count.

Northern Shrike was recorded in eightcount circles, all in the northern third ofour state. Nine Plumbeous Vireos onfive counts, plus two count week birds isclose to the average for this species.Twenty Cassin’s Vireos is more thandouble the average. Thirteen countsreported this species, including thesecounts from the northern end of ourstate: Arcata, Centerville Beach to KingSalmon, Marysville, Moss Landing, andMariposa. A Warbling Vireo, exceed-ingly rare in winter, was photographedon the Los Angeles count. Four north-ern California counts tallied an impres-sive 109 Gray Jays, far more than theaverage number recorded.

Fifty-five Northern Rough-wingedSwallow were reported on 12 counts,which is close to the average over the last10 years. Barn Swallows, however, werereported in far fewer numbers (just 33statewide) as compared to a 10-yearaverage of just over 300.

A Swainson’s Thrush photographedon the San Diego count is a remarkablefind. Nineteen Sage Thrashers on sevencounts is almost double what has beenrecorded in the past decade, mostnotable was one fairly far north inBishop. Seven Sprague’s Pipits, all on thesouthern Salton Sea count, is more thantypically reported from here.

Twenty-four Warbler species wererecorded during this count season.Many species were reported in numbersexceeding averages of the past decade.Six Tennessee Warblers on as manycounts is far more than usually reportedduring winter, and excellent documenta-tion was provided from the Orange

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 99

Count circles inCALIFORNIA

100 AMERICAN BIRDS

County (coastal), Oceanside-Vista, andSanta Barbara counts accounting forthree of these six reports. Thirty-sevenNashville Warblers is more than the 10-year average of 24. One Lucy’s Warblerfrom Santa Cruz went undocumentedand should likely be disregarded. ThreeNorthern Parula, one each in LongBeach, Pasadena-San Gabriel, and SanDiego, were all photographed. Fifty-fourYellow Warblers is well above the 10-year average of 35. A stakeout Chestnut-sided Warbler was found count day onthe Pasadena-San Gabriel count. A well-described Cape-May Warbler (reviewspecies) was seen (and sketched) on thePoint Reyes Peninsula count. A total ofjust over 100 Black-throated Gray war-blers on 39 counts is well above the 10-year average of 63. Remarkably, 20 ofthese counts were from NorthernCalifornia where the species is even lessexpected. Two Grace’s Warblers (reviewspecies), one photographed in SanDiego and a stakeout bird in SantaBarbara, were reported. Another reviewspecies, Pine Warbler, was found on thePalos Verdes Peninsula count. Twenty-three Palm Warblers, which closelymatches the 10-year average, were seenon 11 counts. Fifteen Black-and-whiteWarblers and eight American Redstartsare both slightly more than their respec-tive 10-year averages. Six NorthernWaterthrushes on as many counts isslightly above the 10-year average offour. Three MacGillivray’s Warblers isexceptional and included singles fromthe Orange County (coastal), PointReyes Peninsula, and Pasadena-SanGabriel Valley counts. A fourth report ofthis exceedingly rare winter species wentundocumented. An adult male HoodedWarbler was photographed for theOrange County (northeastern) count,and a second, female plumaged HoodedWarbler was seen during the count weekperiod on the Claremont count. Eighty-five Wilson’s Warblers is substantiallymore than the 20-year average of about50. Three Painted Redstarts wererecorded, two in San Diego and one inRancho Santa Fe.

The Hepatic Tanager that has becomea regular on the San Diego count con-tinued for another year. Fifteen countsreported 27 Summer Tanagers ,which isone less than last year’s total but still inline with an upward trend of the pastdecade. Particularly northern recordscame from Fort Bragg and MarinCounty (southern). Twenty-five countsrecorded 78 Western Tanagers, which ismore than the 10-year average of 62.

Eleven Green-tailed Towhees on eightcounts is more than has been encoun-tered in recent years and included a pho-tographed bird that was relatively farnorth on the Monterey Peninsula count.Four American Tree Sparrows on theHoney Lake count were the only onesreported this season. Fifteen Clay-colored Sparrows were scattered across13 counts. Twenty-seven Brewer’sSparrow on six of the southeasterncounts is far less than is normallyencountered. Nine GrasshopperSparrows on four counts is close to whathas been tallied in recent years. Red FoxSparrow had a nice showing this yearwith three counts providing photo-graphs and/or good details: Morro Bay,Orange County (coastal), and WillowCreek. Two others were reported butdetails were not forthcoming. Sixty-sixSwamp Sparrows on 22 counts is wellabove the 10-year average of about 40.White-throated Sparrows (347) wererecorded in numbers well above the 10-year average of just over 200. TwoHarris’s Sparrows were recorded, one inAño Nuevo and one in San Diego. FiveGray-headed and two Pink-sided Juncosis about what we’d expect for these lessfrequently encountered subspecies ofDark-eyed Junco. Longspurs continueto be found in less than expectednumbers. Two stakeout McCown’sLongspurs were counted on theCachuma count. Lapland Longspurswere photographed on the Long Beachand Fall River Mills counts and therewas a continuing bird on the Cachumacount. Chestnut-collared Longspurswere noted in Cachuma (2) andLancaster (1). Two Snow Buntings

(under review) were found and at leastone was photographed on theCenterville Beach to King Salmoncount. Three Rose-breasted Grosbeakwere recorded, one each at Carpinteria,Moss Landing, and San Diego; in addi-tion there were two count week birds.Eight Black-headed Grosbeaks, notedon seven counts, is double the averageover the past 10 years. A Blue Grosbeakin Año Nuevo was supported with gooddetails.

Single Orchard Orioles were recordedin Santa Barbara, San Diego, and SanFrancisco; a count week bird was alsopresent in Long Beach. FourteenHooded Orioles is well above the 10-year average of just over five; they werenoted on eight counts including a morenorthern circle, Morro Bay. Six countsrecorded eight Baltimore Orioles, whichis twice the 10-year average forCalifornia. Twenty-two Scott’s Orioleson the Morongo Valley count is morethan has been counted in any of the past20 years. Single birds were also found inAnza-Borrego and much farther out ofrange at Santa Barbara.

The only Pine Grosbeak reported wasfrom Mono Lake where there was ampleaccess to areas usually covered in snow.A photographed Common Redpoll atFall River Mills was the first well-docu-mented record in many years. EveningGrosbeaks (332) were reported fromseven northerly count circles in numberswell above the average.

Thank you to all who participated inthis 112th Christmas Bird Count andespecially to the compilers who gave somuch of their time for this project. The

Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicusnuchalis), Fall River Mills, California.Photo/Bob Yutzy

THE 112TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 101

year was a bit more challenging thanusual with difficulties associated withentering data into a new website inter-face. The patience demonstrated bycompilers is commendable and didn’t gounnoticed.

HAWAII/PACIFIC ISLANDSThane K. PrattP. O. Box 420

Volcano, HI 96785

[email protected]

Coverage of Hawaii was exceptionallygood with all 12 regular count circlesand a new count on the island of Lanai.The inaugural count for Lanai Circletallied 707 birds of 24 species. In addi-tion, Johnston Atoll was counted after ahiatus of 12 years. Winter weather con-ditions this year were closer to normalacross the Hawaiian chain.

Johnston Atoll showed high countsfor Red-tailed Tropicbirds (846, musthave been quite a sight!) and Red-footedBoobies (2305). These and other speciesof seabirds recolonized or increased afterthe island became a refuge following theclosing of the Air Force Base there in2004. In the Northwestern HawaiianIslands, a high count 122 Tristram’sStorm-Petrels on Laysan perhaps can beattributed to their greater visibilityresulting from die-back of the flood-damaged shrubs under which the birds

nest. Only one Short-tailed Albatrosswas tallied, on Midway. A LesserFrigatebird, from the South Pacific, wascounted again this year on Laysan,which also hosted a total of three“Brewster’s” Brown Boobies, an easternPacific subspecies.

Although low numbers of thecommon Northern Pintail andNorthern Shoveler were reported fromaround the state this year, there was agood turnout of unusual species. TwoCackling Geese were reported, one fromthe Kapaa Circle (Kauai Is.), the otherfrom North Kona (Hawaii Is.). A Brantshowed up on Midway. Species withhigh counts included European Wigeon(12 on Midway), American Wigeon (2on Midway and 11 in N. Kona), Green-wing Teal (9 in Kapaa, 2 in Honolulu,and 7 in North Kona), and Ring-neckedDuck (11 on Molokai).

It was a banner year for HawaiianMoorhens, with high counts on three ofthe four circles where the species wouldbe expected: Kapaa (387) and Waipio(9) on Kauai, and Honolulu (59).Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Stiltappeared in moderate numbers, exceptfor high counts of 138 coots on Molokaiand 263 stilts at Kapaa. Noteworthymigrant shorebirds included a Gray-tailed Tattler on Laysan and a CurlewSandpiper at Waipio (Oahu). The high

count of 85 Cattle Egrets on Midwayindicates an increasing population there,despite control efforts. Johnston Islandalso reported five Cattle Egrets of anewly established population.

Two raptor species had unusual flightsto the islands this year. Peregrine Falconsappeared across the State: Midway (3,but possibly just 2 birds), Laysan (1),Molokai (2), and Iao, Maui (1).Significantly, six Short-eared Owls wereobserved together on Midway. Thecount of 11 Short-eared Owls onJohnston Is. reflects the recent coloniza-tion by this bird.

The most exciting news from thisyear’s CBC was the detection of fourMillerbirds on Laysan Island. Extinctthere for decades following the nearlycomplete destruction of its habitat byrabbits, the Millerbird was reintroducedthis year from Nihoa Island to the nowrabbitless and mostly restored Laysan.Another highlight was the count of 21Akiapolaau on the Keauhou segment ofthe Volcano Circle, including threefamily groups with two young each—extraordinary reproductive success forthis Hawaiian honeycreeper.

There were too many high counts ofnonnative birds to report here. Newrecords for count circles included BlackFrancolin (1) on the Waipio Circle,Mitred Conure (24) on the North Kona

Count circles inHAWAII/PACIFIC ISLANDS

Hawaii detailGuam detail