89th Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count
December 23, 2012

The Bronx-Westchester CBC has now seen 227 different species of birds seen over its 89  year history.
Summary (updated up to 2012)
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    The Bronx-Westchester Count tallied 126 species on Sunday Dec 23, 2012. The 126 species tied for the most species seen on this 89 year count. Three new species were found bringing the cumulative total to 227 species. The new birds were; the continuing Barnacle Goose in Van Cortlandt Park; a Magnolia Warbler found and photographed at Wave Hill in the Bronx; and two Clay-colored Sparrows, one in Pelham Bay Park and the continuing one at Marshlands Conservancy in Rye.

 

For the first time the count had 100 participants, besting last years record of 93.


  
Barnacle Goose
(Michael Bochnik)		 Clay-colored Sparrow
(Gail Benson)		 Magnolia Warbler
(Tom Fiore)

 

Other highlights included: 
 all three species of scoter, Northern Gannets, 21 Razorbills in Long Island Sound; 
a new high count of 490 Long-tailed Ducks;
a new high count of 4 Red-neck Grebes, off Rye and Mamaroneck;
4 Great Egrets;
5 Black Vultures in the Dobbs Ferry/ Hastings-on-Hudson area;
6 Bald Eagles; 
a Red-shouldered Hawk; 
2 Merlin;
5 Peregrine Falcons;
a Greater Yellowlegs;
a new high count of 9 Barred Owls (7 in the Bronx);
2 Northern Saw-whet Owls;
a new high count of 10 Common Ravens; 
a new high count of 33 Red-breasted Nuthatches;
a new high count of 75 Winter Wrens
a House Wren in Yonkers;
4 American Pipits (flyovers in Marshlands Conservancy);
2 Orange-crowned Warblers (one at Split Rock in Pelham Bay Park and the other at Marshlands Conservancy);
a Prairie Warbler also near Split Rock in Pelham Bay Park (2nd count record!); 
2 Palm Warblers (one in the Bronx Zoo and the other in Pelham Bay Park);
a Yellow-Breasted Chat in the Bronx Zoo; 
2 Chipping Sparrows;
36 Field Sparrows with a flock of 28 in Sprain Ridge Park;
1 Red Crossbill;
a new high count of 78 White-winged Crossbills;
13 Common Redpolls
For the second year in a row American Tree Sparrow set an all time low of 49 birds.
Next year’s count is scheduled for Sunday, December 22, 2013.

     Notable misses included Northern Harrier.

 

Photo's from Andrew Baksh's web site Birding Dude and crossbills photo by Steve Nanz


Common Redpoll
(Andrew Baksh)
White-winged Crossbill
(Andrew Baksh)
Orange-crowned Warbler
(Andrew Baksh)

Western Palm Warbler
(Andrew Baksh)
Prairie Warbler
2nd count record
(Andrew Baksh)
White-winged Crossbills
(Steve Nanz)


  Species  (AOU 53rd) Hudson Valley Yonkers West Bronx East Bronx Scarsdale  Rye Total  
1 Snow Goose       1   1 2  
2 Brant       317 44 192 553  
3 Barnacle Goose    

1

       1 New Count Species
4 Canada Goose 180 1197 1116 496 1610 685 5284  
5 Mute Swan   3 3 24 19 49 98  
6 Wood Duck     21     3 24  
7 Gadwall 1     52 20 135 208  
8 American Widgeon       25 45 72 142  
9 American Black Duck 17 2 7 268 85 237 616  
10 Mallard 75 80 332 150 335 283 1255  
  mallard hybrid 1   2 1     4  
11 Northern Shoveler     4   41   45  
12 Northern Pintail         1   1  
13 Green-winged Teal (Am.)         23   23  
14 Canvasback   6       3 9  
15 Ring-necked Duck         28   28 New High Count (26 in 2004)
16 Greater Scaup     1 822 1252 2269 4344  
17 Lesser Scaup   1     20 1100 1121  
18 Surf Scoter           40 40  
19 White-winged Scoter           85 85  
20 Black Scoter         20 61 81 New High Count (30 in 1964)
21 Long-tailed Duck       12 40 438 490 New High Count (432 in 2010)
22 Bufflehead 5 4   296 101 293 699  
23 Common Goldeneye 1     57 19 46 123  
24 Hooded Merganser 12 31 14 2 76 75 210  
25 Common Merganser   1         1  
26 Red-breasted Merganser       62 39 94 195  
27 Ruddy Duck 3 25 4 590 68 CW 690  
28 Wild Turkey   7 7   1 13 28  
29 Red-throated Loon       41 7 42 90 New High Count (81 in 2011)
30 Common Loon       15 6 18 39  
31 Pied-billed Grebe   1 1     CW 2  
32 Horned Grebe       8 1 2 11  
33 Red-necked Grebe           4 4 New High Count (3 in 85/05)
34 Northern Gannet       1 2 9 12 4th Year in a row, 12th time on count
35 Double-crested Cormorant 1 1   1 4 4 21  
36 Great Cormorant       1 7 26 34  
37 Great Blue Heron 1 3 3 7 9 13 36  
38 Great Egret       3 1   4 10th time on count, 5th in 6 years
39 Black-crowned Night-Heron         1   1  
40 Black Vulture 5           5  
41 Turkey Vulture 5 3     4 2 14  
42 Bald Eagle 2 2 2       6  
            adult(s)   1 1          
            immature(s) 2 1 1          
43 Sharp-shinned Hawk   1 2 3 3 3 12  
44 Cooper's Hawk 1 2 3 6 1 5 18  
     accipiter, sp. 1           1  
45 Red-shouldered Hawk   1         1  7th year in a row
46 Red-tailed Hawk 5 11 15 22 23 25 101  
     buteo, sp. 1           1  
47 Virginia Rail           1 1  
48 American Coot           2 2  
49 Killdeer       3 7 17 27  
50 Greater Yellowlegs         1 CW 1  
51 Purple Sandpiper         2 6 8  
52 Dunlin       CW   3 3  
53 Bonaparte's Gull           2 2  
54 Ring-billed Gull 156 600 28 1364 439 337 2924  
55 Herring Gull 14 15 9 373 627 463 1501  
Iceland Gull           CW CW  
56 Great Black-backed Gull 2 16 3 41 11 47 120  
57 Razorbill       1 6 14 21 3rd Time on Count (2002 & 2011)
58 Rock Pigeon 46 424 92 423 201 240 1426  
59 Mourning Dove 101 53 100 144 203 170 771  
60 Eastern Screech-Owl 5 2   1 4 2 14  
61 Great Horned Owl       5 5 6 16  
62 Barrred Owl     2 5 1 1 9 New High Count (7 in 1943)
63 Northern Saw-whet Owl     1 1     2  
64 Belted Kingfisher 1 1 4 3 6 7 22  
65 Red-bellied Woodpecker 9 9 27 26 29 24 124  
66 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1   5 1 4 2 13  
67 Downy Woodpecker 21 19 27 28 51 46 202  
68 Hairy Woodpecker 1 6 7 9 13 15 51  
69 Northern Flicker     1 8 2 2 13  
70 Pileated Woodpecker 2       2 3 7 New High Count (5 in 1985)
71 American Kestrel     2 1     3  
72 Merlin   1       1 2  
73 Peregrine Falcon   1 1 1 1 1 5  
     falcon, sp. 1           1  
74 Monk Parakeet       4 4   8  
75 Blue Jay 7 16 124 77 40 57 321  
76 American Crow 19 51 14 118 196 38 436  
77 Fish Crow   12   14 58 8 92  
78 Common Raven 2 1 2 CW   5 10 New High Count, 7th time on count
79 Black-capped Chickadee 21 25 171 138 118 131 604  
80 Tufted Titmouse 30 19 87 101 78 85 400  
81 Red-breasted Nuthatch   4 10 1 8 10 33 New High Count (26 in 1992)
82 White-breasted Nuthatch 31 14 30 30 47 47 199  
83 Brown Creeper 1   5   8 9 23 27 Year High
84 House Wren   1         1  
85 Winter Wren 12 5 8 6 24 20 75 New High Count (67 in 1996)
86 Marsh Wren           1 1  
87 Carolina Wren 15 8 8 22 60 51 164  
88 Golden-crowned Kinglet     6 4 7 1 18  
89 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1   1     CW 2  
90 Eastern Bluebird   1 5     4 10  
91 Hermit Thrush 2   4 4   6 16  
92 American Robin 17 13 309 75 78 98 590  
93 Gray Catbird   1 1 1   5 8  
94 Northern Mockingbird 11 13 15 21 24 20 104  
95 Brown Thrasher       2     2  
96 European Starling 217 283 173 528 544 228 1973 29 Year Low
97 American Pipit           4 4  
98 Cedar Waxwing         2   2  
99 Orange-crowned Warbler       1   1 2 8th Count Record
  Nashville Warbler           CW CW  
  Common Yellowthroat           CW CW  
100 Magnolia Warbler     1       1 New Count Species
101 Palm Warbler     1       1  
Western Palm Warbler       1     1 New Form
102 Prairie Warbler       1     1 2nd Count Record
103 Yellow-breasted Chat     1       1  
104 Eastern Towhee       10   2 12  
105 American Tree Sparrow 12     3   34 49 New All Time Low
106 Chipping Sparrow 2           2  
107 Clay-colored Sparrow       1   1 2 New Count Species
108 Field Sparrow 4 28 1     3 36  
109 Fox Sparrow 2   12 77 3 47 141  
110 Song Sparrow 22 19 23 32 84 125 305  
111 Swamp Sparrow   1 2 11 13 11 38  
112 White-throated Sparrow 44 39 301 300 301 378 1363  
113 Dark-eyed (Slate col.) Junco 53 118 169 46 202 238 826  
114 Northern Cardinal 26 46 59 72 139 77 419  
115 Red-winged Blackbird     5 137 41 2 185  
116 Rusty Blackbird 2   12 9     23  
117 Common Grackle     1       1  
118 Brown-headed Cowbird         3   3  
119 Purple Finch         2   2  
120 House Finch 32 4 10 12 63 75 196  
121 Red Crossbill     1       1 1st time in 35 years
122 White-winged Crossbill     26 30 6 16 78 New High Count (14 in 1963)
     crossbill, sp.     6       6  
123 Common Redpoll     3 10     13  
124 Pine Siskin     11       11  
125 American Goldfinch 12 23 25 57 29 81 227  
126 House Sparrow 210 127 631 172 504 169 1813  
                 
  Hudson Valley Yonkers West Bronx East Bronx Scarsdale  Rye    
Number of Saves 2 3 6 2 8 9    
Number of Species 54 57 70 81 83 93 126 Tied for most species in a year with 2007 
Totals 1484 3401 4121 7869 8257 9827 34959  
                 
CW = Seen count week but not on count day              
                 
Missed Species: Northern Harrier (1st miss since 1979)            

 

Next year’s count will be Sunday, December 22, 2013.

Michael Bochnik
Compiler
BochnikM@cs.com

Rare Bird Documentation (PDF files)

Orange-crowned Warbler        Western Palm Warbler            Prairie Warbler    

Clay-colored Sparrow (Rye) pg 1     Clay-colored Sparrow (Rye) pg 2    Clay-colored Sparrow (East Bronx) pg 1     Clay-colored Sparrow (East Bronx) pg 2

Common Redpoll    White-winged Crossbill pg 1    White-winged Crossbill pg 2

Other links

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/every-bird-counts-but-some-make-the-heart-beat-faster/

http://www.cityislandbirds.com/CBC_2012.html

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The Bronx-Westchester CBC .
Summary  
1999 Results
2000 Results
2001 Results
2002 Results
2003 Results
2004 Results
2005 Results
2006 Results
2007 Results
2008 Results
2009 Results
2010 Results

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