North Christmas Bird Count Report
By Steve Ellis, Compiler
The north end count, officially known as Washington Oak Harbor, was conducted on Saturday, Dec. 20. Strong winds battered the 33 volunteer participants that day.
A total of 109 species were found and 16,595 individual birds were tallied. Many team leaders felt the winds that gusted over 30 mph were a factor in reducing bird numbers.
The most numerous species were European Starling- 2,635; hybrid gull- 1,177; Common Goldeneye- 1,162; Mallard- 1,130.
Some interesting species were located including the Great Egret that has spent several weeks at Keystone Spit, Mountain Bluebird, White-throated sparrow and a Western Meadowlark. Unfortunately the Rock Wren seen by many birders at Perego's Lagoon failed to appear during the count.
Big misses included Surfbird, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, and Red-breasted Sapsucker.
The wind was no problem for raptors: Bald Eagle-118; Red-tailed Hawk- 44; American Kestrel- 16. Owling, however, was nearly impossible with only 5 Great Horned Owls and 1 Barred Owl heard during the 24-count period.
Western Grebes- 131, are making a tiny comeback while shorebirds are trending downward. Surf Scoters- 1,051, were once the most numerous species in this count area. No doubt many were missed this time because of the wind.
I'd like to express my deep appreciation to the volunteers, especially the 14 team leaders. Special thanks to Sarah Schmidt for helping me submit our data to the National Audubon Society.
