Results of January 2 Christmas Bird Count..Man, That's a Lot of Birds

• Team 1: John Ginaven, Stu Wilson, David Manchester, Peter Rice and Marc Hayman checked off 68 species;
  
• Team 2: Rick Greenspun, Kathryn Young, Kathy Meaux, Mark Davis, Sandra Van Hullenaar, Michelle Van Deventer and Rebecca Lazarus covered Siesta Beach and all of Siesta Key and found the day’s only Peregrine Falcon and the single Lesser Black-backed Gull;
  
• Team 3: Valeri Ponzo, Carolyn Primus and Barbara Covey found a few onlies: A Mute Swan flyby, Wilson’s and Semipalmated Plovers, and a N. Rough-winged Swallow
  
• Team 4: Lynn Jakubowicz, Jane Brandhorst and Mary Heinlen got a very respectable 55 species in their urban area;
  
• Team 5: Edith Miller, Barry Rossheim, Ruth Ellen Peipert, and Lucy Pace found a pair of Baltimore Orioles, rarities for Sarasota. They also located a Hermit Thrush in Pinecraft Park;
  
• Team 6: Ellen Richardson and Ann & Tim Seidenkranz plugged away all day and found one of only two American Bitterns and an usual American Redstart;
  
• Team 7: Paul Lewis, Jane Shannon and Connie & Tom Plaskett found the count’s only Solitary Sandpiper;
  
• Team 8: Bill & Margaret Dunson, Nancy Edmondson, Greg Voigt, Sue Stam, and Roxanne Williamson covered the Celery Fields and surroundings and found the wintering Common Goldeneye and the only Sora for the day, and were only one of two teams to find Indigo Buntings;
  
• Team 9: Tina Mossbarger, Joni Bos Gray and Jeff Carson came up trumps with the day’s only N. Parula, and were one of only two teams to find Indigo and Painted Buntings;
  
• Team 10: Alison & Mike Bishop, Lorrie Muldowney and Chris Beaton found one of only two Merlins for the count; Team 10a consisted of several groups covering communities within Palmer Ranch: Harriet Siegel, Wade & Betty Matthews, Judy Meksraitis, Sue Hamilton and Rachel Nylen (Prestancia); Michael Hamilton, Kathleen Jones, Jim & Ann Eachus, Michael & Nancy Barnes (Village Walk); Sally Seeger and Michael & Nancy Barnes (The Isles); Michael Hamilton, Penney Rist with granddaughter Zoe Burge, aged 7 (Turtle Rock); Don & Karen Schneider (The Hamptons); and Sandy and Rena Cooper (Oaks Clubside). Collectively these groups found the only Green-winged Teal, the only Caspian Tern, and the other American Bittern. They clocked up 6,588 birds and 76 species—great stuff!
  
• Team 11: David Williamson, Barbara Singer, Steve Black, Peg Beeman, Daniel Somodi, Daniel Somodi, Jr., Al & Suzanne Semago, Matt Holman, Hugh Dinkler and DS Paige got the only American Wigeons and Redheads for the day;
  
• Team 12: Jeanne Dubi, Suzanne Daughtrey, Kelley Berkey and Steve Gansz found the only Gadwalls and Marsh Wrens;
  
• Team 14: Jeff Palmer and Tommy Elliott found the day’s only Ovenbird and Least Bittern;
  
• Team 15: Karen Jensen, Jerry & Sandy Ulrickson, Russ & Carole Hoffman and Rhonda & Bill Dix came up with 48 species in their urban area;
  
• Team 19: Rett & Priscilla Owen, Lou Kovach, Gloria Mankewicz and Bob Thomas covered Spanish Point and the intracoastal in that region and found the only Horned Grebe for the entire count, the lone Dunlin and the only Short-billed Dowitchers.

Owlers Jeff Palmer and Jeanne Dubi covered separate mainland areas, and Rick Greenspun and Kathryn Young owled on Siesta Key. Between them they found Eastern Screech-Owls, Great Horned, Barred and Barn Owls.


Backyard counters and neighborhood spotters really pulled their weight again.

• Area 1: Len Newman and Mary Allyn counted birds in Plymouth Harbor and contributed Green Herons;
• Area 2: David and Tatiana Staats added Ruddy Turnstone, a juvenile Bald Eagle and a Common Loon, and Beverly Peyser added a Green Heron;
• Area 3: Terry Proeger walked his neighborhood and contributed House Sparrow, Carolina Wren and Hooded Mergansers;
• Area 4: Jeanne Dubi added an early Eastern Screech-Owl and Mike Dubi smoked cigars on the patio until the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Painted Bunting showed up;
• Area 6: From her backyard after a hard day’s slog, Tina Mossbarger turned up the only Northern Bobwhite and the only Brown Thrasher and contributed Black-Hooded Parakeets and Am. Goldfinches for the area. Jeanne Dubi contributed a Barn Owl and 2 Barred Owls, and Henry Wagler found 3 Eastern Bluebirds;
• Area 7: Charlie Everly monitored his yard all day and turned in a nice list and Sue Herring added a rare Pine Siskin, seen at her feeder and photographed for the record;
• Area 8: While leading a scheduled walk for Venice Audubon, Barry Rossheim confirmed the Bufflehead at the Founders Club pond, located a Green Heron for the area then went off to join Team 5. Jeanne Dubi found a Barn Owl before daybreak on Center Road.
• Area 9 had the valuable help of Peter & Frances Rice who added Pied-billed Grebe, Tricolored Herons, Blue-winged Teal, Limpkins, American Coots, Belted Kingfisher and Savannah Sparrows, all from Heritage Oaks.
• Area 11: Karen Jensen helped out by adding a Barred Owl and Eastern Screech-Owl, and Betty Matthews monitored her yard too.
• Area 12: Sheila Springer added Tufted Titmice, House Finch and Yellow-throated Warbler. Marcy Packer and Sandy Hasenjager emailed their list from Lakeridge Falls.
• Area 15: Joanna Bear watched her yard and contributed a Bald Eagle, Red-winged Blackbirds and 200 Tree Swallows.

A special mention goes to 12-year-old Campbell Lee. Along with friend Alexandria Atkins and his Mom, Robin Thomes, he covered his neighborhood and threw in Potter Park and Red Bug Slough too! The three of them added Carolina Wren, Common Grackles and Tree Swallows for several areas and came up with an impressive 40 species. We’ll all be scrambling to get him on our team next year.



Note: Tommy Elliott, a great birder and birding friend died a sudden and untimely death on Jan 14. Tommy was on every CBC since I can remember. Those who knew him will miss him terribly. I hope he’s birding from a cloud now.

 
The report above includes a record 90 counters in the field and 18 backyard/neighborhood watchers all helped to come up with 154 species for the count (last year we had 160). The day’s total of 1,233,126 birds was augmented by a 1 million+ Tree Swallow roost found on private property. Even without the roost, more than three times the average number of Tree Swallows was counted. It’s a great year for them. Some species were up and others were down over last year; it’s impossible to see trends over 2 years. The weather kept many small birds tucked down—cold and windy—and the numbers definitely reflect that.