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The tradition
continues of counting birds across
the Americas
St. Johns County Audubon Society
Annual Christmas Bird Count
December 15, 2007
Join us this year
out in the field as we conduct our
Annual Christmas Bird Count. Our
field participants tallied 141
species in St. Johns County for
2006. The count consists of survey
groups with Team Leaders in
designated locations. The teams
survey from ‘dusk til dawn’ in an
effort to provide an accurate census
of the species present in our area.
We meet afterwards to compile our
final statistics and talk about rare
birds and other ‘war’ stories
related to the count. James Wheat is
our compiler and keeps track of
statistics and teams for the survey.
Birding experience is required for
those interested in participating.
Please contact James
at
james.a.wheat@gmail.com to be
added to his distribution list.
Information and
historical data on the CBC can be
found on the National Audubon
Society webpage:
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index.html
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February 2007 -
This year's tally
is 141 species (average
for the St. Johns County CBC is 134.51). Last
year we counted 128
species - in the rain.
Only 7 of the 38 total
annual counts have had a
higher species count,
and the most recent
count that was close was
the 1985 CBC. We counted
25,258 birds (one by
one!).
See the Audubon CBC
website for the detailed
species counts.
Here are
the highlights:
American Green-winged
Teal - 134 (highest
count ever;
significantly higher
than previous high
count)
Common Eider - 1 (first
occurrence ever)
Long-tailed Duck - 1
(first occurrence ever)
Red-throated Loon - 2
(highest count ever)
Northern
Gannet - 2000
(more than double the
previous high count)
American
Bittern - 1
(not seen on the count
for a decade)
Roseate
Spoonbill - 14
(highest count ever)
Bald
Eagle - 15 (highest
count ever)
Northern
Harrier - 31
(highest count since
1995)
Red-shouldered Hawk
- 45
(highest count ever)
Black-necked Stilt
- 1
(first occurrence since
1950)
Lesser Yellowlegs - 102
(nearly double the
previous high count)
Sanderling - 46 (lowest
count since 1947)
Great Black-backed Gull
- 81 (highest count
ever)
Black Skimmer - 2750
(highest count since
1994)
White-winged Dove - 7
(second occurrence - 2
in 2002; highest count
ever)
Eastern
Phoebe - 43
(highest count ever)
Blue-headed Vireo - 13
(highest count ever)
Brown-headed Nuthatch -
9 (highest since 1982)
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"I'll admit, as a
somewhat "reluctant
birder", I had second
thoughts upon finding
myself playing owl tapes
before sunrise deep in
the Guana Reserve.
Still, the enthusiasm
which motivates the
volunteers in this
annual bird count is
contagious. The overall
species count for this
year was higher than it
has been for twenty-two
years. New occurrences
include a Common Eider
and a Long-tailed Duck.
An American Bittern made
it's first appearance in
more than a decade, and
as well as a Black-necked
Stilt, which hasn't been
on the list since 1950. Sanderling attendance
was notably reduced,
however, the number of
Northern Gannets and
Lesser Yellowlegs
doubled. All totaled,
the 2006 St. Augustine
Christmas Bird Count was
a tremendous success."
- Barbara Bennett,
February 2007
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