85th Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count
December 28, 2008

The Bronx-Westchester CBC has seen well over 220 different species.
Summary (updated up to 2007) of birds seen over its 85  year history.
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2004 Results

2007 Results

 

    The 85th Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count held Sunday December 28, 2008 found 112 species with 38,453 individuals. Snow and below normal temperatures a week before the count, followed by a foggy morning kept both diversity and numbers down.

Highlights include:

-  A female Barrow's Goldeneye off Edith G Read Preserve in Rye the day before and after the count.
-  Great Egret in Larchmont and a Snowy Egret at Marshland's Conservancy in Rye.
-  Osprey, seen over Edith G Read Preserve for the count's first record.
-  An Iceland Gull in Pelham and a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Rye.
-  A Dickcissel at a feeder in the Riverdale section of the Bronx., the counts 7th record

Other species included.

-  A flock of 70 Snow Geese flying past Rye yielding a new high count.
-  A single Surf Scoter and some Black Scoter on Long Island Sound.
-  Two Rough-legged Hawks, one dark and one light phase over the capped landfill in Pelham Bay Park.
-  Seven Long-eared Owls, a 48 year high, and a Saw-whet in Pelham Bay Park.
-  A single Snow Bunting at EGR Preserve.

New High Counts included; Snow Goose -71; Turkey Vulture - 31;  Peregrine Falcon - 14; American Robin - 1117. Merlin tied the high count with 4.

Of the 98 regular occurring species, fifty-two species had numbers 30% lower than their 20 year average, and 33 species were lower than 50% of their average.

Wood Duck had a 26-year low of only two birds. Great Cormorant set a 39-year low with 16 and Great Blue Heron set a 28-year low with 17.

Gray Catbird had a 26-year low of 7; Northern Mockingbird set a 32-year low and Song Sparrow a 43-year low.

Missed Species included Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Savannah Sparrow.

Thanks for all those that participated. We seemed to have a good turnout. Next year's count will be Sunday, December 27, 2009. We may opt out of a restaurant style compilation next year and possible have it a local nature center. I'd like to hear your views.

Species

Hudson Valley

Yonkers

West Bronx

East Bronx

Scarsdale

Rye

Total

Snow Goose (white form)

1

70

71

New High Count (32 in 1990)

Brant

6

1009

44

197

1256

Canada Goose

464

634

692

1613

1553

1239

6195

Mute Swan

1

1

38

28

33

101

Wood Duck

2

2

26 year low

Gadwall

37

18

111

166

American Wigeon

5

30

110

145

American Black Duck

2

7

8

341

180

272

810

Mallard

30

149

236

146

767

598

1926

Mallard hybrid

6

2

6

14

Northern Shoveler

3

10

13

Northern Pintail

4

1

5

Green-winged Teal (Am.)

5

17

3

25

Canvasback

1

9

1

11

62 year low (missed in 1946)

Ring-necked Duck

2

6

6

14

Greater Scaup

3606

75

27

3708

Lesser Scaup

12

12

Surf Scoter

1

1

White-winged Scoter

CW

CW

Black Scoter

10

10

35 year high

Long-tailed Duck

56

56

Bufflehead

378

220

206

804

Common Goldeneye

44

7

13

64

Barrow's Goldeneye

CW

CW

Hooded Merganser

8

26

44

4

112

77

271

Common Merganser

14

2

16

Red-breasted Merganser

57

69

122

248

Ruddy Duck

21

2000

65

2086

Ring-necked Pheasant

2

Wild Turkey

4

5

3

12

13

37

Red-throated Loon

3

3

6

Common Loon

1

1

2

Horned Grebe

8

1

3

12

Double-crested Cormorant

1

13

10

1

25

Great Cormorant

1

6

9

16

39 year low

Great Blue Heron

1

2

4

5

5

17

28 year low

Great Egret

1

1

7th count record

Snowy Egret

1

1

6th count record

Turkey Vulture

22

4

1

3

1

31

New High Count (17 in 1997)

OSPREY

1

1

New to the Count

Bald Eagle (imm)

1

CW

1

Northern Harrier

7

CW

7

19 year high

Sharp-shinned Hawk

1

2

1

3

2

9

Cooper's Hawk

1

7

1

3

4

16

Northern Goshawk

1

1

Red-shouldered Hawk

3

1

4

Red-tailed Hawk

7

21

24

20

18

17

107

Rough-legged Hawk

2

2

American Kestrel

3

2

1

6

17 year high

Merlin

1

2

CW

1

4

Ties high count, 2002,2005

Peregrine Falcon

2

3

6

2

1

14

New High Count (7 in 2006)

Virginia Rail

1

1

American Coot

1

1

1

3

Killdeer

1

2

3

Greater Yellowlegs

2

2

Purple Sandpiper

21

21

American Woodcock

1

1

Bonaparte's Gull

CW

CW

Ring-billed Gull

274

557

995

1826

582

579

4813

Herring Gull

19

43

58

153

228

200

701

Iceland Gull

1

1

Lesser Black-backed Gull

1

1

Great Black-backed Gull

9

12

22

21

12

21

97

Rock Pigeon

25

420

503

382

239

168

1737

Mourning Dove

45

132

41

32

229

195

674

Monk Parakeet

7

CW

7

Eastern Screech-Owl

1

1

5

1

8

Great Horned Owl

2

3

4

3

12

Long-eared Owl

7

7

48 year high

Northern Saw-whet Owl

1

1

Belted Kingfisher

1

1

1

3

7

13

Red-bellied Woodpecker

9

26

23

29

24

17

128

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

1

11

1

1

1

15

Downy Woodpecker

12

35

35

26

58

39

205

Hairy Woodpecker

6

9

12

6

17

8

58

Northern (Yel.-sh.)Flicker

3

2

11

13

5

34

Blue Jay

26

37

203

125

60

83

534

American Crow

33

60

23

97

121

38

372

Fish Crow

2

28

1

31

Horned Lark

CW

CW

Black-capped Chickadee

22

42

82

31

97

145

419

Tufted Titmouse

11

33

142

58

63

53

360

Red-breasted Nuthatch

2

3

1

CW

6

White-breasted Nuthatch

10

21

29

8

38

21

127

Brown Creeper

2

4

2

8

Carolina Wren

18

11

18

27

40

63

177

House Wren

1

1

Winter Wren

2

3

10

6

21

Marsh Wren

1

1

Golden-crowned Kinglet

3

8

13

2

26

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

3

1

3

7

Hermit Thrush

2

1

7

3

3

1

17

American Robin

134

19

275

102

176

411

1117

New High Count (954 in 2006)

Gray Catbird

1

2

2

2

7

26 year low

Northern Mockingbird

5

14

35

13

21

17

105

32 year low

European Starling

176

391

396

488

468

358

2277

American Pipit

CW

CW

Cedar Waxwing

12

37

49

1

20

119

Eastern Towhee

1

8

1

10

American Tree Sparrow

10

2

7

4

7

53

83

Field Sparrow

2

2

Fox Sparrow

3

9

2

4

18

Song Sparrow

22

20

94

24

47

88

295

43 year low

Swamp Sparrow

2

6

6

10

24

White-throated Sparrow

57

104

549

236

295

218

1459

Dark-eyed (Slate col.) Junco

113

72

294

117

117

713

Snow Bunting

1

1

Northern Cardinal

34

28

81

44

102

63

352

Dickcissel

1

1

7th count record

Red-winged Blackbird

6

22

28

5

41

102

Rusty Blackbird

13

13

Common Grackle

22

6

1

29

Brown-headed Cowbird

2

1

3

Purple Finch

1

1

2

House Finch

87

44

30

79

86

326

Pine Siskin

1

84

9

44

138

American Goldfinch

145

63

120

25

264

118

735

22 year high

House Sparrow

110

93

579

175

343

252

1552

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hudson Valley

Yonkers

West Bronx

East Bronx

Scarsdale

Rye

Number of Saves

0

2

2

10

3

10

Number of Species

41

59

66

67

75

87

112

Totals

1976

3285

5938

13364

7113

6809

38483

Missed Species: Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Savannah Sparrow.

Of the 98 regular occurring species, only 14 had numbers 30% higher than their 20 year average. 52 species had numbers 30% lower than their 20 year average, and 33 species were lower than 50% of their average.

Michael Bochnik
Compiler
BochnikM@cs.com

Other links
City Birder  

City Island Birds

The Bronx-Westchester CBC 
Return to the counts home page
Summary  
1999 Results
2000 Results
2001 Results
2002 Results
2003 Results
2004 Results
2005 Results
2006 Results


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