For the 25th year a hardy group of 7 owl listeners rose early on Sunday, December 16, 2012 to begin the annual Delaware Reservoir Christmas Bird Count. The number of hours listening for owls were average and the results were also average; 4 Eastern Screech Owls (average 3.9), 2 Barred Owls (1.4), except for the single Great Horned Owl (3.6). Last year we had 5 Great Horned Owls and 9 the year before. The only pattern among the owls seems to be one of substantial fluctuations over the 25 years of the count.
At dawn the remaining 28 counters joined the few owl listeners and the Delaware Reservoir was fully populated. The day was warm with a low of 45F and a high of 55F. It was cloudy with a SW wind of about 5 mph and occasional gusts up to 10 mph. Sunday, December 16 was the last day of deer hunting, so one and all were fashionably dressed to a greater or lesser extent in orange. Happily there were no casualties to report and only a few bruises and scrapes. At the compilation dinner good humor was widespread, rosy cheeks subdued and blowing on hands was notably absent. Our final species total was 67 species (if you accept an audio record of a Red-shouldered Hawk by Kirsten Lehtoma and Steve Weate. Both have heard and seen Red-shouldered Hawks many times, but did not see this one. They have provided documentation and we await the verdict of the regional editor.) Our highest species total is 72 (2009, 2010), but 67 is the third highest total in our first 25 years. Are there more species out there in the last four years or are we getting better at finding them? We are older and wiser now to be sure.
The highlights of the count include our first ever Double-crested Cormorant, which was sitting on a rock in Delaware Reservoir. It had been seen on the rock several days earlier by Dick Tuttle. When he told me I suggested he put some TangleFoot on the rock. He and I have no more to say on the subject.
We had high counts for a number of species: Hooded Merganser, 24; Bald Eagle, 9 (more than twice our previous high); Bonaparte’s Gull, 690 (more than four times our previous high); Ring-billed Gull, 1978 (more than twice our previous high); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 4 (twice our previous high); Red-breasted Nuthatch, 14; White-breasted Nuthatch, 125 (tied our previous high); and Pine Siskin, 21. The water level on the reservoir was low with a lot of mud flat exposed. There were a lot of fish on these flats and apparently in the water. The gulls were feeding in huge flocks in which the leading edge of the flock was diving into the water or dropping to the surface and dipping fish out. By the time the feeding birds had finished and taken off they were at the back of the flock and they flew until the birds in front of them had dropped to feed at which time they were again at the front and they dove or dropped to the surface again. This produced a rolling motion as the flock gradually moved south over the water.
Three of the high counts were woodland birds and this continues a trend that began four years ago. Wild Turkeys, all woodpecker species, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, even Golden-crowned Kinglets have been more numerous over the last four years than in the preceding 21. Are the woods of Delaware and Morrow County becoming more extensive? Are they maturing? Around our house both trends may be factors, but I really do not know countywide. There does seem to be less fallow land and the low numbers of Northern Harriers, 3 (the low is 2); and Short-eared Owls, 0; fit that trend. The number of American Kestrels, 23 (high 61, low 9) was toward the low end and once again we failed to find any Rough-legged Hawks (high 4, low 0). The latter have been seen on only 9 of the counts and the high was in 1989. Kestrels had a high of 61 in 1990 and, like the Rough-legged Hawks, have trended down since then, but the trend is one of gradually decreasing fluctuations for both species. Horned Larks show no trend, but their population fluctuates widely (wildly?). This year despite no snow we had 737 Horned Larks. Kirsten Lehtoma’s famous and secret formula for predicting the number of Horned Larks was far too low. Her snow factor will have to be recalibrated.
Three species were reported for only the second time. These were Turkey Vulture, 1; Osprey, 1; and Eastern Phoebe, 1 (for the second year in a row). As one of the observers of the Turkey Vulture, I have to say that it looked cold and unhappy, if that face can look anything but unhappy.
Finally, ending on an optimistic note there were no new low counts and no species that we have seen in most years, but missed this year.
This year’s count will be on 15 December 2013 and will be under new management. Rich Bradley is going to organize and compile the second 25 years of the Delaware Reservoir Christmas Bird Count. Congratulations, Rich. To everyone else, save the date!I have circled it on my calendar.
Other species were up and down within relatively narrow limits. A general data table and analysis of the count will be available shortly on this Web site.