92nd Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count

Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Bronx-Westchester CBC has seen 228 different species of birds seen over its 90+  year history.

     The 92nd Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count held Sunday December 27,2015 found 114 species plus Blue Goose and an additional 3 count week. The weather was unusually warm for the entire month of December leading to four species of warblers, but low numbers for others as many birds remain further north. We again set a record for participants at 109! Thanks to all for your hard work.

    Highlights were Black-and-White Warbler in Five Islands Park in New Rochelle, which is new to the count. One was also seen count week in the Botanical Gardens. A Snowy Owl was in the Soundview section of the Bronx, the first since 1987. The count also recorded  Great Egret in Rye, Laughing Gulls in Rye, Barred Owl in Pelham Bay Park, Saw-whet Owl in Yonkers, Nashville Warbler in Woodlawn Cemetery and 3 Orange-crowned Warblers, City Island and College of Mount St Vincent.

    High counts were set for Snow Goose, 169 (71 in 2008) as they were moving south along the Sound shore, Snow Goose (blue form) 4, Double-crested Cormorant 392 (103 in 2013), Merlin 5, and Fish Crow 234 (168 in 2013). Interestingly American Crow hit a 57 year low.

    Low counts were noted for Mute Swan (44 year low), American Wigeon (26 year low), Canvasback (69 year low), Ruddy Duck (44 year low), Horned Grebe (65 year low), Sharp-shinned Hawk (26 year low), Winter Wren (26 year low), Carolina Wren (16 year low), Hermit Thrush (36 year low).  American Tree Sparrow set an all-time low of only 26 birds.

    An Eastern Phoebe and a different Nashville Warbler were seen count week in the Botanical Gardens.

    Due to the holidays, next year's count will be Monday, December 26, 2016.

  Species  (AOU 53rd) Hudson Valley Yonkers West Bronx East Bronx Scarsdale  Rye   Total  
1 Snow Goose     23 133 146 76   169 *  New High Count (71 in 2008)
   Snow Goose (blue from)       3 1     4  New High Count (1 in 1975)
2 Brant       837 400 8   1245  
3 Canada Goose 60 946 1322 475 1658 314   4775  
4 Mute Swan   2 1 14 2 9   28  44 year low
5 Wood Duck   21 10   16     47  
6 Gadwall     3 11 47 80   141  
7 American Wigeon       2 75 4   81  26 year low
8 American Black Duck 3 4 2 355 354 162   880  
9 Mallard 56 154 251 98 306 232   1097  
  mallard hybrid     3 3 6 3   15  
10 Northern Shoveler     20 1 34     55  
11 Green-winged Teal (Am.)   1     1 5   7  
12 Canvasback   1           1  69 year low
13 Ring-necked Duck   4     21     25  
14 Greater Scaup       1345 685 142   2172  
15 Lesser Scaup       152   4   156  
  scaup.sp       222       222  
16 Surf Scoter           9   9  
17 White-winged Scoter           28   28  
18 Black Scoter           3   3  
  scoter, sp       5       5  
19 Long-tailed Duck       7 7 60   74  
20 Bufflehead   3   482 135 158   778  
21 Common Goldeneye       54 9 32   95  
22 Hooded Merganser 4 21 26 7 42 53   153  
23 Common Merganser   1   1   1   3  
24 Red-breasted Merganser       102 60 114   276  
25 Ruddy Duck         22     22  44 year low
26 Wild Turkey 15 7   1 1 11   35  
27 Red-throated Loon       2 1 38   41  
28 Common Loon       5 3 17   25  
29 Pied-billed Grebe   2   1 cw     3  
30 Horned Grebe       4       4  65 year low
  Red-necked Grebe          

CW

  

CW

  
31 Northern Gannet           4   4  
32 Double-crested Cormorant 18 3   317 26 28   392  New High Count (103 in 2013)
33 Great Cormorant       44 5 10   59  
34 Great Blue Heron   1 4 9 7 30   51  
35 Great Egret           1   1  12th count record
36 Black Vulture   2           2  
37 Turkey Vulture 13       4 1   18  
38 Bald Eagle   adult(s) 1             1  
39 Northern Harrier       1       1  
40 Sharp-shinned Hawk   1 2   1     4  26 year low
41 Cooper's Hawk 1 2 6 4 2 1   16  
     accipiter, sp.     1         1  
  Red-shouldered Hawk

CW

            

CW

  
42 Red-tailed Hawk 10 8 13 14 16 13   74  
43 Virginia Rail           3   3  
44 Killdeer       2       2  
45 Greater Yellowlegs         1     1  
46 Dunlin           4   4  
47 Purple Sandpiper       4   6   10  
48 Bonaparte's Gull           1   1  
49 Laughing Gull           15   15  41 year high
50 Ring-billed Gull 93 776 295 1139 644 371   3318  
51 Herring Gull 4 23 32 191 59 131   440  
52 Great Black-backed Gull 8 17 8 54 13 30   130  
53 Rock Pigeon 179 364 274 618 133 96   1664  
54 Mourning Dove 65 185 148 168 364 126   1056  
55 Eastern Screech-Owl 3 2 1   7     13  
56 Great Horned Owl   1 2 4 2 3   12  
57 Snowy Owl       1       1  1st since 1987
58 Barrred Owl       1       1  
59 Northern Saw-whet Owl   1           1  
60 Belted Kingfisher 2 1 2   4 2   11  
61 Red-bellied Woodpecker 20 41 35 45 51 35   227  
62 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 6 3 10 3 5 8   35  
63 Downy Woodpecker 17 30 30 45 55 47   224  
64 Hairy Woodpecker 3 17 12 16 14 10   72  
65 Northern Flicker     4 16 2 4   26  
66 Pileated Woodpecker 1       1     2  
67 American Kestrel 1   1 3       5  
68 Merlin 1     1 2 1   5  New High Count (4 in '02,'05,'07,'08 & 2013)
69 Peregrine Falcon   2 2 3 1     8  
70 Monk Parakeet   3   5 8     16  
  Eastern Phoebe    

CW

        

CW

  
71 Blue Jay 28 63 174 143 126 62   596  
72 American Crow 23 11 7 31 59 37   168  57 year low!
73 Fish Crow 19 38     161 16   234  New High Count (168 in 2013)
74 Common Raven 1 1 2 2   2   8  
75 Black-capped Chickadee 28 78 180 62 104 91   543  
76 Tufted Titmouse 39 49 102 56 76 39   361  
77 Red-breasted Nuthatch     3         3  
78 White-breasted Nuthatch 13 58 61 37 64 47   280  
79 Brown Creeper   1 1     2   4  
80 Winter Wren     2 1 5 2   10  26 year low, 3 yrs after all time high of 75
81 Marsh Wren           1   1  
82 Carolina Wren 11 2 4 11 30 20   78  16 year low
83 Golden-crowned Kinglet   2           2  
84 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1   11 5 2 1   20  21 year high
85 Eastern Bluebird 3       3     6  
86 Hermit Thrush     1     2   3  36 year low
87 American Robin 6 144 493 270 487 283   1683  2nd highest count
88 Gray Catbird     1 1   5   7  
89 Northern Mockingbird 8 5 19 22 11 14   79  
90 European Starling 193 777 1047 241 1526 186   3970  
91 Cedar Waxwing     12 70   22   104  
92 Black-and-White Warbler    

CW

   1     1  New To Count 
93 Orange-crowned Warbler     1 2       3  Tied High Count (3 in 1984)
94 Nashville Warbler     1         1  7th count record
95 Yellow-rumped Warbler       3 2     5  
96 Eastern Towhee     3 10 2 4   19  
97 American Tree Sparrow       2 1 23   26  All time low
98 Chipping Sparrow       2       2  
99 Field Sparrow         3 3   6  
100 Fox Sparrow     13 15 8 26   62  
101 Song Sparrow 34 19 35 64 65 86   303  
102 Swamp Sparrow 1 3 4 5 4 7   24  
103 White-throated Sparrow 43 92 322 251 236 213   1157  
104 Dark-eyed (Slate col.) Junco 53 226 359 60 329 239   1266  
105 Northern Cardinal 31 55 84 64 99 28   361  
106 Red-winged Blackbird     85 37 23 76   221  
107 Rusty Blackbird     23   9     32  
108 Common Grackle     1354 502 2012 16   3884  
109 Brown-headed Cowbird           1   1  
110 House Finch 52 110 141 44 76 24   447  
111 Purple Finch     3   3     6  
112 Pine Siskin           1   1  
113 American Goldfinch 45 20 84 145 76 110   480  
114 House Sparrow 108 361 462 477 518 163   2089  

* Note: Snow Goose total reduced . Seen by multiple parties heading south along L.I. Sound, 378 to 169. 

CW = Seen count week but not on count day ( 3days prior and 3 days after)

  Missed Species: Northern Pintail, Black-crowned Night Heron, Red-shouldered hawk, American Coot, Ruddy Turnstone, Brown Thrasher & Savannah Sparrow.

  Hudson Valley Yonkers West Bronx East Bronx Scarsdale  Rye   Total
Number of Saves 1 4 2 6 3 12    
Number of Species 45 55 61 78 78 83  

 114
Totals 1324 4785 7637 9665 11580 4396  

39158

Michael Bochnik
Compiler

Return to the counts home page