78th Bronx

78th Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count
December 23, 2001

The Bronx Westchester CBC was held Sunday December 23, 2001. Seventy-nine participants recorded 125 species and 56,493 birds. The 125 species is a new record for this 78-year count. We had 124 in 1985 and 1973. The warm weather for the past two months played a large role in the count.

Highlights included two new species and one new form. The two new species were both hummingbirds - Rufous Hummingbird and Archilochus, sp. Both were at Lenoir Nature Preserve in Yonkers. The Archilochus is thought to be a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
A Eurasian form of Green-winged Teal was found in Van Cortlandt Park.

Three Nashville Warblers were found, including two in Yonkers, one on the New Croton Aqueduct and one at the top of Stew Leonard's Drive. The other was found in the Bronx at Wave Hill. This is the 5th time Nashville was found on the count. We had two in 1994.

A Baltimore Oriole was found in Hastings-on-Hudson along the Rowley's Bridge Trail (8th record for the count), White-winged Crossbills were in the West Bronx, Common Redpolls in Rye (a couple at Read Sanctuary), American Bittern and Seaside Sparrow also in Rye, Three Great Egrets and two Snowy Egrets in various locations, two Saw-whet Owls in Pelham Bay Park, Red-headed Woodpecker (Edgemont HS), Red-necked Grebe (off Glen I.), Northern Goshawk (at Scarsdale HS), Black-bellied Plover and American Pipit (in Larchmont at the Hommock School) in Scarsdale Audubon's territory.

More Red-bellied Woodpeckers (295) were seen than Downy Woodpeckers (225). That's the first time ever for the count! Even if you add in Hairy Woodpeckers (59), there were still more Red-bellies!

We had an incredible 24 new or tied high counts! Many beating the previous record by wide margins. Remarkable since the count is so old. Tied and new high counts were set for: Red-throated Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Brant, Wood Duck, Sharp-shined Hawk, Cooper's hawk, Merlin, Rock Dove, Eastern Screech-Owl, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Nashville Warbler, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.

Greater Scaup numbers were low and only four Canvasbacks were found! This is the lowest since they were missed in 1946. Ring-necked Pheasants continue to decrease. We had an all time low of 6 birds.

Missed were Northern Pintail, Redhead, and Red-shouldered Hawk.

Thanks to all who volunteered. The seventy-nine people on the count included a few new faces. I hoped you enjoyed your first count. Thirty-three of us enjoyed the compilation dinner, which was again held at San Martino Ristorante.

The complete compilation results are below.

Next year's count will be held Sunday, December 22, 2002. Hope to see you there.
Michael Bochnik
(914) 2379331
BochnikM@cs.com
michael.bochnik@cibasc.com

	Species	Yonkers	Hudson Valley	West Bronx	East Bronx	Rye	Scarsdale	TOTALS

1	Red-throated Loon				12	18	16	46	New high count (14 in 1998)
2	Common Loon				2	9	1	12
3	Pied billed Grebe				1	3	3	7
4	Horned Grebe				13	cw	1	14
5	Red-necked Grebe						1	1	4th year in a row
6	Northern Gannet					2		2	4th time seen on count
7	Great Cormorant		1		16	29	57	103
8	Double-crested Cormorant				10	63	7	80	New high count (51 in 1985)
9	American Bittern					1		1	1st since 1979
10	Great Blue Heron	1	1	2	6	30	15	55
11	Great Egret			1	1		1	3	Tied high count (1994) 4th time on count
12	Snowy Egret				1		1	2	New high count, 5th time on count
13	Black-crowned Night Heron	4				2	1	7
14	Turkey Vulture	cw	4	1			cw	5
15	Snow Goose						1	1
16	Canada Goose	970	131	869	583	833	2354	5740
17	Brant				806	184	518	1508	New high count (1104 in 2000)
18	Mute Swan	7		2	30	39	86	164
19	Wood Duck	11		35		1	54	101	New high count (83 in 1989)
20	Gadwall		1	11	36	18	23	89
21	American Wigeon				21	97	139	257
22	American Black Duck	9	5	10	308	307	516	1155
23	Mallard	253	67	324	237	252	693	1826
	mallard hybrid		1	1				2
24	Northern Shoveler	11		1			83	95
	Green-winged Teal (Eu.)			1				1	New to count
25	Green-winged Teal (Am.)	13		2		9	19	43
26	Canvasback		2			1	1	4	Lowest since missed in 1946
27	Ring-necked Duck						17	17
28	Greater Scaup				58	221	225	504	Low
29	Lesser Scaup				127	35	1	163
30	scoter, sp.					1		1
31	Long-tailed Duck					88	15	103
32	Bufflehead				599	265	325	1189
33	Common Goldeneye				20	44	270	334	16 year high
34	Hooded Merganser	36		16	11	50	79	192
35	Red-breasted Merganser				138	123	237	498
36	Common Merganser					1		1
37	Ruddy Duck	9			2	3	161	175
38	Northern Harrier				4			4
39	Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	3	7	4	7	6	30	New high count (20 in 1995)
40	Cooper's Hawk	3		7	4	4	8	26	New high count (17 in 1995)
41	Northern Goshawk						1	1
42	Red-tailed Hawk	8	10	20	20	20	28	106
43	American Kestrel		2		1	1		4
44	Merlin			1	1	1		3	New high count (2 in 1995)
45	Peregrine Falcon			3	1			4
46	Ring-necked Pheasant			1	4		1	6	All time low
47	Wild Turkey				1	18		19
48	Virginia Rail			2		3		5
49	American Coot	3	3					6
50	Black-bellied Plover						2	2	10th time on count
51	Killdeer		2			5	16	23
52	Greater Yellowlegs					6	2	8
53	Ruddy Turnstone					2	5	7
54	Purple Sandpiper					59	19	78
55	Dunlin					20	3	23
56	Bonaparte's Gull					3	5	8
57	Ring-billed Gull	518	311	1720	496	472	850	4367
58	Herring Gull	213	12	210	199	588	1937	3159
59	Great Black-backed Gull	33	15	20	26	22	77	193
60	Rock Dove	348	99	547	213	376	616	2199	New high count (1985 in1986)
61	Mourning Dove	70	88	140	34	255	538	1125	15 year high
62	Monk Parakeet				11	5		16	Most since 1972
63	Eastern Screech-Owl	1	4	2		2	6	15	New high count (13 in 1956)
64	Great Horned Owl			2		5	3	10
65	Northern Saw-whet Owl				2			2
66	Rufous Hummingbird	1						1	New to count
67	Archilochus, sp	1						1	New to count
68	Belted Kingfisher	1	1	3	1	8	8	22
69	Red-headed Woodpecker						1	1	16th time on count
70	Red-bellied Woodpecker	28	17	49	47	52	102	295	New high count (159 in 1999)
71	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	5	3	5		3	8	24	New high count (15 in 1998)
72	Downy Woodpecker	27	23	21	37	29	88	225
73	Hairy Woodpecker	9	14	8	9	4	15	59
74	Northern Flicker	3	5	1	16	17	16	58	New high count (47 in 1991)
75	Pileated Woodpecker					1		1
76	Blue Jay	126	72	356	173	129	385	1241	28 year high
77	American Crow	95	100	458	107	193	377	1330
78	Fish Crow			8		16	19	43	26 year high
79	Horned Lark		3					3
80	Black-capped Chickadee	148	134	202	110	335	350	1279	New high count (1169 in 1995)
81	Tufted Titmouse	98	127	186	109	133	235	888
82	Red-breasted Nuthatch	3	1	6		1	3	14
83	White-breasted Nuthatch	25	19	71	30	47	107	299	New high count (257 in 1995)
84	Brown Creeper		1	2	3	1	1	8
85	Carolina Wren	15	14	17	22	60	54	182	New high count (158 in 1991)
86	House Wren	cw					3	3
87	Winter Wren	4	1	3		7	8	23
88	Marsh Wren					2		2
89	Golden-crowned Kinglet		4	2	3	3	11	23
90	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	3	5	1		3	3	15
91	Eastern Bluebird		1	1			3	5
92	Hermit Thrush	5	10	9	2	15	5	46	Tied high count (1995)
93	American Robin	29	5	184	61	275	121	675	New high count (613 in 2000)
94	Gray Catbird	1	3	4	2	15	9	34
95	Northern Mockingbird	44	31	50	22	39	57	243	New high count (233 in 1979)
96	Brown Thrasher		1	1	2	1	2	7	22 year high
97	European Starling	1061	212	2268	706	914	3929	9090
98	American Pipit						1	1
99	Cedar Waxwing	11	15	20	39	5	45	135
100	Nashville Warbler	2		1				3	New high count (2 in 1994)
101	Yellow-rumped Warbler		3			5	1	9
102	Palm Warber			1				1
103	Common Yellowthroat		1	1				2
104	Eastern Towhee	1	7	4	16	15	14	57	30 year high
105	American Tree Sparrow	6	1	18	19	46	5	95
106	Chipping Sparrow	cw	1				cw	1
107	Field Sparrow	8	1	3				12
108	Seaside Sparrow					1		1	Last seen in 1982
109	Fox Sparrow	11	8	50	30	40	16	155	26 year high
110	Song Sparrow	107	56	152	48	183	118	664
111	Swamp Sparrow	1	1	11	5	10	3	31
112	White-throated Sparrow	324	221	1158	332	581	678	3294	New high count (2490 in 1991)
113	Dark-eyed (Slate-col.) Junco	247	150	485	17	282	549	1730	New high count (1362 in 1991)
114	Northern Cardinal	73	49	121	38	141	147	569	New high count (445 in 2000)
115	Red-winged Blackbird	1	20	534	104	72	256	987
116	Rusty Blackbird		5	2			5	12	28 year high
117	Common Grackle	516	4	16	32	1	1755	2324
118	Brown-headed Cowbird	1	55	104	1		22	183
119	Baltimore Oriole		1					1	8th time on count
120	Purple Finch	4		5	1			10
121	House Finch	41	16	70	55	167	271	620
122	White-winged Crossbill			13				13	8th time on count
123	Common Redpoll					7		7
124	American Goldfinch	122	49	115	129	225	105	745
125	House Sparrow	319	181	969	163	384	634	2650	37 year high

	Yonkers	Hudson Valley	West Bronx	East Bronx	Rye	Scarsdale	TOTALS
TOTALS	6051	2414	11727	6550	9071	20589	56402
# of Species	61	65	73	74	93	96	124
# of Saves	2	2	2	2	7	8

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