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Saturday, January 31, 2015

95th Glenolden (Delaware County) CBC report


Hello all. Here is a copy of this year's  CBC report. Let me know if you have any questions.
Dave Eberly
david.eberly@gmail.com
Barn Owl - A Bird Not Found on this Year's CBC


Glenolden (Delaware County, Pa) CBC December 20, 2014

The 95th Glenolden Christmas Bird Count, part of the 115th National Audubon Society CBC, was held Saturday, December 20, 2014. Participation in our count remains at gratifyingly high levels. Although down from the unusually high number of 91 participants last year our grand total of 79 participants is still well above the previous 10 year average of about 64 observers. We welcomed 17 new participants to the CBC, also a gratifying number.

Sixty eight field observers covered our circle in 30 parties and 11 participants kept an eye on their feeders. Field observers covered 110 miles in 134 hours by foot and 345 miles in 40 hours by car. We tallied 24,350 birds representing 89 species on count day plus one count week species for a grand total of 90 species. This is identical to last year’s total but below the 10 and 20 year average of around 96-97 species. We added no new members to our all-time list of 194 species.

Many seasoned CBCers thought the birds were hiding from us this year as they seemed to be difficult to find. Temperature & overcast skies were blamed along with other theories. Indeed our count of total individuals was below our previous 5 year average of 32,140 if you exclude the outlier year o2012 when we counted only 18,116 birds in average weather (but had 99 species!!). However the numbers of geese counted can really skew these counts. It turns out our total number of birds counted minus geese was 23,291. This is actually higher than our minus geese” previous 10 year average o18,895. I was surprised at this as well so I thought perhaps the common little brown jobs were hiding. I calculated a 10 year average of numbers per party hour of white throats + song sparrows and chickadees + titmice. It turns out our numbers this year were basically identical to those averages. Temperature & cloudiness on count day were pretty average as well.


Total # minus geese/party hr
WTSP + SOSP/party hr
CACH + TUTI/party hr
Prior 10 yr avg
109.48
11.53
4.5
2014
134.24
11
4.2



Uncommon birds of interest included a Red-necked Grebe on Springton Reservoir seen on count week but unable to be located on count day. This species has only been reported once before on our count-in 1960. A single Greater Yellowlegs in the Delco portion of Tinicum is uncommon for our CBC. It has been reported on 11 previous CBCs, last counted in 1992. The ongoing and now repeating Northern Shrike in the Philly section of Tinicum was kind enough to show up on count day. A Northern Saw-whet Owl responded to a species specific recording at Ridley Creek SP. This species has been reported on 28 previous counts with a high number of 4 in 1978. It was last reported in 2012. Common Raven is almost expected now thanks to the nesting pair in Glen Mills.

We missed Northern Shoveler last year. This year we had a high count of 314 beating the previous high of 312 in 2007. A high count was also recorded for Double-crested Cormorant (90). Dark- eyed Juncos seemed fairly abundant to me this year and indeed our count of 1557 was near the historical high. 

Red-shouldered Hawks are doing well. Usually found in numbers of 5 or less our count o13 this year is second only to an outlier count of 15 in 1952. They are indeed on the rise. The cumulative number of Red-shoulders counted on our CBC from 1995 to 2004 was 26; from 2005 to this year that total is 69. Supporting the validity of this increase the 2nd Penna Breeding Bird Atlas (2004-2009) showed a 55% increase in breeding of this species relative to the 1st atlas (1983-1989). 
Eastern Bluebirdcontinue to do well. We counted 129 this year. Our counts in recent years are consistently close to the historical high of 132 in 2005 thanks of course to our active bluebird stewards in the county. Encouraging but not yet a trend was our count of 43 Rusty Blackbirds the highest since 62 in 2008. This is a species of concern nationwide. Our historical high is 400 in 1940.

On the down side we tied the all-time low of 2 Great Horned Owls. Numbers of this species do seem to be trending down. The 2nd Penna Breeding Bird Atlas notes an overall decline in breeding and overall numbers in general of Great Horned Owls. It cites West Nile Virus susceptibility as a possible explanation but expects the species to rebound based on its adaptability.

Northern irruption visitors were improved over last year but still low. We had one Black-capped Chickadee which is one more than last year and just a smattering of Red-breasted Nuthatches, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins.

Species that could be counted as misses include Wood Duck, American Wigeon,
Ring-necked Duck, Eastern Phoebe, and American Kestrel

Here is a list of Participants with their years of service. New participants, 5 year anniversaries and those with over 25 years participation are in bold lettering for special recognition. I suspect, no Im certain, some of the years of service are inaccurate. Please let me know if yours needs to be corrected:

Ellis Akers (43), Marcus Baldwin (2), Gary Becker (11), Brian Bernero (1), Natalie Berry (1), Rob Bierregaard (3), Adrian Binns (2), Jim Bodine (24), Sarah Boucas-Neto (8), Denis Brennan (2), Kevin Browngoehl (1), Tom Bush (2), Ben Bussman (2), Brian Byrnes (6), Henry Cadwalader (1), Donna Chadderton (6), Bruce Childs (3), Skip Conant (31), Bill Cranny (4), Alan Crawford III (6), Alvera Crocetto (40), Nicholas Crocetto (2), Nick Crocetto (40), Cynthia Curry (13),  John DAmico (17), Susan D’Amico (16), Essie Day (1), Don DiPietro (5), Andrew Eberly (10), David Eberly (24), Phyllis Fingerhood (20), Cole Gaboriault (1), Stephanie Gaboriault (4), Jared Griffin (1), Al Guarente (40), Micah Henry (2), Liz Hoffmann (1), Rich Horwitz (26), Bill Howard (3), Lois Hunn (16), Hiroshi Iizuka (3), Letitia Jeavons (4), Ed Johannismeier (1), Kristen Johnson (4), Sheryl Johnson (19), Steve Kapski (20), Virginia Kapski (3), Bob Kelly (6), Dan Kobza (3), Mary Ellen Krober (28), Ann Lane (1), Chris Langman (6), Amy Langman (4), Chelsea Lucas (6), Sue Lucas (7), Dave Luning (2), Dave McDonald (3), Doris McGovern (31), Art McMorris (4), Kathy Meermans (8), Rob Megraw (22), Dolly Mignogna (7), Alison Mostrom (23), Gregg Nichols (1), Damon Orsetti (2), Carl Perretta (25), Jason Porter (3), John Poynton (1), Chris Pugliese (6), Nick Pulcinella (45), Jim Purtill (5), Brian Quindlen (8), Tom Reeves (40), Paulette Rhone (1), JaDarius Ross (1), Win Shafer (10), Charles Smith (7), Marilyn Smith (2), Max Smith (1), Gary Stolz (8), Carol Storey (9), Marcia Tate (4), Gloria Todor (9), Pat Trevelino (10), Scott Tuttle (8), Geoff Veith (1), Marlise Wise (1), George Wood (2), George Wrangham (6).

Attached is the final report I submitted to Audubon which includes the complete species list for this year’s count. The columns to the right of the species names merit some explanation. TheMax Number” column lists the historical high number for the species under that common name. The number after the slash is the number of the CBC in which that maximum was recorded. The first CBC was Christmas day 1900; that was count #1.  This year’s national count was #115 held in 2014-2015.
The of counts column is supposed to name the number of counts in which that species has been recordein our circle. Unfortunately for both columns the totals shown are for the species under that common name only! The common names for some species have changed over the years. For example American Robin is listed in only 64 of 94 counts??? The explanation is that for years the species was just listed as Robin” not American Robin. The number on the chart lists the number of times the species was listed under American Robin not the number of counts in which turdus migratorius was recorded. There are multiple other examples of this such as European Starling/Starling, Northern Flicker/ Flicker, American Wigeon/Baldpate, Common Black Duck/Black Duck/Red-legged Black Duck/American Black Duck. It goes on & on rendering those columns basically useless.

For a detailed exploration of historical data for our count and all CBCs I recommend you check out  www.christmasbirdcount.org. On the right hand column click “Results, Data, Research” and then again on the right click “Results: Current & Historical” Here, by using our count code, PAGL, you can find a detailed report of our count that provides high counts for all species. You can also explore ours and other counts by species & make nifty graphs of their frequency through the years.

Our CBC is held on the first Saturday of the count period which is December 14 to January 5 every year. Therefore our next Christmas Bird Count will be held on Saturday December 19 2015.

Thank you all once again for your participation, especially my team captains who make my job so much easier. I hope you are all looking forward to next year’s CBC so stay healthy, stay in shape and be ready to get back out there again!

David Eberly
112 S Princeton Ave
Swarthmore, PA 19081
610 543 3499 david.eberly@gmail.com





Count Name:
Delaware County
(Glenolden)
Count Code:
PAGL
Count Date:
12/20/2014
Organizations & Sponsors:

# of Party Hours:
173.50
Species reported on count date:
89


Compiler(s)

First Name
Last Name
Email
Is Primary Compiler
David
Eberly
Yes

Start & End Times

Start time
End time
04:30 AM
04:15 PM

Effort

Observers
In Field
Total Number:
68

Minimum Number of Parties (daylight):
30

Maximum Number of Parties (daylight):
30
At Feeders
Total Number:
11

Party Hours and Distance (excludes viewing at feeders and nocturnal birding)
By
Hours
Distance
Units
Foot
133.75
110.00
Miles
Car
39.75
345.00
Miles
Air



All-Terrain Vehicle



Bicycle



Dog Sled



Golfcart



Horseback



Motorized Boat



Non-Motorized Boat



Skis/Xc-Skis



Snowmachine



Snowshoe



Wheelchair



Other Time and Distance

Hours
Distance
Units
At Feeders
42.50











Nocturnal Birding
14.75
38.00
Miles

Total Party
173.50
455.00
Miles


Weather


Temperature
Minimum:
33.0 Fahrenheit
Maximum:
35.0 Fahrenheit
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Velocity
Minimum:
6.00 Miles/hour
Maximum:
18.00 Miles/hour
Snow Depth
Minimum:
0.00 Inches
Maximum:
0.00 Inches
Still Water
Partly Frozen
Moving Water
Open

AM and PM Conditions
Cloud Cover
AM:
Cloudy
PM:
Cloudy
AM Rain
None
AM Snow
None
PM Rain
None
PM Snow
None


Checklist

Species
Number or cw
Flags
Max Number
# Of Counts
Editor Comm.
Snow Goose
1059

2115/112
27

Canada Goose
5476

15880/109
64

Tundra Swan
80

172/114
42

Gadwall
78

82/102
42

American Black Duck
117

4700/63
56

Mallard
604

2245/76
81

Northern Shoveler
314
HC,
314/115
49

Northern Pintail
3

13000/68
55

American Green-winged
Teal
37

3000/68
27

Bufflehead
11

85/79
68

Hooded Merganser
45

95/114
52

Common Merganser
91

335/90
55

Ruddy Duck
10

20188/57
73

Wild Turkey
5

22/114
8

Pied-billed Grebe
1

24/80
58

Red-necked Grebe
cw

1/61
2

Double-crested
Cormorant
90
HC,
90/115
33




Great Cormorant
4

5/97
19

Great Blue Heron (Blue form)
31

96/93
75

Black Vulture
120

191/111
28

Turkey Vulture
84

322/111
71

Bald Eagle
Adults: 7
Immatures: 4
Unknowns: 1
12

13/114
35

Northern Harrier
1

33/63
52

Sharp-shinned Hawk
17

45/102
63

Cooper's Hawk
20

26/108
73

Northern Goshawk
1

3/83
20

Red-shouldered Hawk
13

15/52
82

Red-tailed Hawk
70

117/102
94

Merlin
2

3/103
21

Peregrine Falcon
2

3/112
28

Killdeer
4

313/55
82

Greater Yellowlegs
1

8/80
12

Ring-billed Gull
959

4003/84
83

Herring Gull
27

10000/71
89

Great Black-backed Gull
29

220/93
66

Rock Pigeon
538

869/112
12

Mourning Dove
653

1743/93
79

Eastern Screech-Owl
27

66/83
33

Great Horned Owl
2
LC
44/89
56

Northern Saw-whet Owl
1

4/79
29

Belted Kingfisher
14

41/99
73

Red-bellied Woodpecker
154

205/112
58

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
9

21/112
54

Downy Woodpecker
217

262/82
93

Hairy Woodpecker
45

50/108
90

Northern Flicker
41

134/85
8

Pileated Woodpecker
9

17/108
49

Northern Shrike
1

1/115
5

Blue Jay
134

1158/82
88

American Crow
573

4164/93
68

Fish Crow
82

220/70
73

Common Raven
1
US,
1/115
4

Carolina Chickadee
458

1045/82
74

Black-capped Chickadee
1

530/81
73




Tufted Titmouse
276

605/83
90

Red-breasted Nuthatch
7

325/82
68

White-breasted Nuthatch
182

242/83
91

Brown Creeper
29

45/83
88

Carolina Wren
182

401/93
92

Winter Wren
24

40/113
6

Golden-crowned Kinglet
33

123/93
83

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
7

33/73
67

Eastern Bluebird
129

132/106
69

Hermit Thrush
12

29/108
73

American Robin
3135

9867/102
64

Gray Catbird
2

23/85
55

Northern Mockingbird
55

284/83
56

European Starling
2223

19000/71
55

Cedar Waxwing
17

4649/86
69

Yellow-rumped Warbler
6

63/85
8

Eastern Towhee
24

136/112
28

American Tree Sparrow
35

3700/66
64

Chipping Sparrow
4

19/114
43

Field Sparrow
33

320/67
90

Savannah Sparrow
4

68/59
71

Fox Sparrow
11

248/59
85

Song Sparrow
645

3600/67
94

Swamp Sparrow
30

520/66
87

White-throated Sparrow
1265

2926/58
94

Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
1556

2071/82
80

Northern Cardinal
482

967/89
56

Red-winged Blackbird
398

6300/66
90

Rusty Blackbird
43

400/41
68

Common Grackle
16

9377/95
56

Brown-headed Cowbird
3

1500/71
63

Purple Finch
4

557/78
84

House Finch
240

2673/94
57

Pine Siskin
14

324/78
45

American Goldfinch
317

1400/62
67

House Sparrow
529

1600/72
65

Total Individuals
24350




Total Species Reported
89










cw = Reported count week
US = Flagged as an unusual species

HC = Flagged as an unusually high count
LC = Flagged as an unusually low count