Words On Birds 12-27-24

 

     The Newburyport Christmas Bird Count was held last Sunday, Dec 22, one of the coldest days of the season so far. The temperature was only 8 degrees when a few brave volunteers headed out at 4:10 am for owling. Many more teams of birders joined the hunt at sunrise as the temperature rose to only 20 degrees on this day after the solstice. A brisk northwest wind at 12mph made the wind chill feel much colder. Most everywhere there was snow cover of 1 to 4 inches from the previous overnight storm.

 

     The count circle covers Newburyport and Newbury, Plum Island, Rowley, and parts of Ipswich, Boxford/Topsfield, West Newbury/Byfield and Georgetown, and most of Salisbury.Geese and duck numbers were strong, but no record highs were set. Canada geese numbered 2,448, the majority coming from the Ipswich sector and West Newbury. A snow goose was seen along Scotland Road in Newbury a couple of days before, which put it in “Count Week.”

 

     Since the cold snap began only days before, there was enough open fresh water to include 4 wood duck, 11 gadwall, 1 American wigeon, and 75 northern pintail ducks among the usual black ducks and mallards. Diving ducks included a king eider among more than 2000 common eider in Plum Island Sound. A Barrow’s goldeneye returned to the Merrimack River in West Newbury this year just in time to be included in the Count.

 

     Alcids were few this year with Salisbury and Plum Island recording only 2 razorbills each, plus one black guillemot that has been hanging around Emerson Rocks on Plum Island for months. Only 3 double-crested cormorants lingered after their Fall departure and only 8 wintering great cormorants were counted in Ipswich. A few great blue herons stayed for the Count with 7 being found, and a greater yellowlegs lingered for only the 7th time in Count history!

 

     Raptor numbers included 33 red-tailed, 11 Cooper’s, 1 sharp-shinned and 1 rough-legged hawks. Eighteen Northern harriers were counted and a record high 26 bald eagles were found! Two turkey vultures were also seen. Owls included 4 screech, 3 barred, 2 great horned and one short-eared owl. No snowy owls. One kestrel, 1 merlin and 3 peregrine falcons were also counted.

 

     Red-bellied woodpeckers hit a new high for the count at 126, being topped only by downy woodpeckers at 168.  Thirty-one northern flickers, 15 hairy and 3 pileated woodpeckers were also found.

 

    If you think there are lots of corvids around, you would be right. Blue jays totaled 404, along with 512 crows, 3 fish crows (only the 9th record for the count), and a record high 24 ravens! 

 

     With the snow cover, many birds abandoned the woods for feeders. “Feeder birds” included 554 black-capped chickadees, 339 tufted titmice, 179 white-breasted nuthatches, only 5 red-breasted nuthatches, 135 Carolina wrens, 176 Eastern bluebirds, 344 house finches, 340 American goldfinches, 368 Northern cardinals, 850 dark-eyed juncos, 413 white-throated sparrows, 292 tree sparrows, 257 song sparrows, 2 white-crowned sparrows, and 1 fox sparrow. 

 

     A first record yellow-throated warbler is still visiting a feeder in Ipswich! It was seen at the same feeder a couple of years ago, but not during the Christmas Count. Another Count first is a lazuli bunting that continues to be seen at the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm in Newbury. One palm warbler was also seen in Newbury, and 10 yellow-rumped warblers made the count.

 

     Winter finches were few with only 3 purple finches, 1 white-winged crossbill and 2 pine siskins being found. Gray catbirds braved the cold with 8 being recorded and one brown thrasher was found for only the tenth time on the Count. The 22 hermit thrushes that were counted was a record high for the Count. Seventeen horned larks and 22 snow buntings were also reported.

 

     Wintering American robins totaled 1012 but were outnumbered by 1772 starlings! Sixty-four red-winged blackbirds were found, and only 5 grackles. Fifty mockingbirds were wintering, 11 cedar waxwings, 3 eastern towhees, 10 brown creepers and 4 winter wrens were also discovered.

 

     Despite the cold, the count tallied 111 species, and 20,464 total individuals. All those who participated should be congratulated for braving the cold during this 125th Christmas Count year!