46th and 47th-annual SAN DIEGO
Christmas Bird Counts – Compared
Saturdays, 16 December 2000 and 15 December 2001
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Bird Count Results Commentary Additional
Species Return
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As many of you can personally attest, coordinating and compiling a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a lot of work that takes organization and dedication. Claude Edwards was the coordinator of the 2000 San Diego CBC, his seventh consecutive year. In 2001, the CBC was organized and coordinated by Philip Unitt and Ann Klovstad. Although the outcome of 2000 San Diego bird count, at 194 species, was typical of recent past counts, the 2001 bird count turned out to be the most successful count in many years, with 201 species of birds identified, including three exotic species that are breeding in San Diego County but not necessarily recognized as well established. This may be the first time we have broken 200 since 1981, a truly great success.
Below
is a side-by-side summary of the two bird counts comparing the variety of
species and numbers of individuals of each bird species.
The 2001 San Diego CBC was performed during the fifth and final winter
season of the ambitious San Diego County Bird Atlas, sponsored by the San
Diego Natural History Museum, under the meticulous attention of Mr. Unitt
and Ms. Klovstad. This project is destined to be a valuable data resource of the bird
life that occur and have been documented within San Diego County.
THE
SAN DIEGO CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT RESULTS
2000 TO THE LEFT AND 2001 TO THE RIGHT.
OUTSTANDING AND UNUSUAL SPECIES ARE IN UPPERCASE
LETTERS
>>NOTEWORTHY SPECIES IN FOUND IN 2001
ARE UNDERLINED<<
SEE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BELOW
The following list generally follows the 42nd
Supplement to the A.O.U. Check-list, as published in The Auk 117: 847-858,
2000.
2000
/ 2001 SPECIES
62 / 95
Pied-billed Grebe
= / 1
RED-NECKED GREBE
21 / 54
Horned Grebe
919 / 1104
Eared Grebe
2036
/ 3241 Western Grebe
312 / 234
Clark's Grebe
22 / 13
Red-throated Loon
90 / 49
Pacific Loon
33 / 20
Common Loon
4 / =
Northern Fulmar
2 / 4
SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER
= / 397
Black-vented Shearwater
806 / 1021
Brandt's Cormorant
993 / 658
Double-crested Cormorant
7 / 9
Pelagic Cormorant
= / 16
American White Pelican
530 / 747
Brown Pelican
4 / 2
Little Blue Heron
104
/ 98 Snowy Egret
1 / =
TRICOLORED HERON
1 / =
REDDISH EGRET
106
/ 93 Great Blue Heron
74 / 115
Great Egret
7 / 5
Green Heron
28 / 31
Black-crowned Night Heron
= / 1
AMERICAN BITTERN
5 / 4
Turkey Vulture
316 / 364
Ruddy Duck
11 / 1
SNOW GOOSE
834 / 6
Canada Goose
729 / 1118 Brant
1 / =
WOOD DUCK
1 / =
EURASIAN WIGEON
1620
/ 695 American Wigeon
70 / 62
Gadwall
107 / 58
Green-winged Teal
759 / 802
Mallard
1077
/ 230 Northern Pintail
= / 4
BLUE-WINGED TEAL
9 / 13
Cinnamon Teal
1206
/ 343 Northern Shoveler
11 / 11
Canvasback
24 / 2
Redhead
83 / 15
Ring-necked Duck
3 / 3
Greater Scaup
1726
/ 1962 Lesser Scaup
3603
/ 8574 Surf Scoter
1 / =
White-winged Scoter
= / 4
Common Goldeneye
836 / 1357
Bufflehead
3 / 2
HOODED MERGANSER
40 / 114
Red-breasted Merganser
17 / 30
Osprey
14 / 10
White-tailed Kite
34 / 30
Northern Harrier
14 / 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk
31 / 30
Cooper's Hawk
32 / 33
Red-shouldered Hawk
118 / 110
Red-tailed Hawk
1 / 2
Ferruginous Hawk
= / 2
Golden Eagle - adults
26 / 86
American Kestrel
5 / 6
Merlin
8 / 4
Peregrine Falcon
1 / =
Prairie Falcon
50 / 64
California Quail
9 / 18
Clapper Rail
4 / 3
Virginia Rail
4 / 1
Sora
3 / 9
Common Moorhen
1164
/ 1067 American Coot
5 / 3
Common Snipe
12448/
1591 Marbled Godwit
38 / 28
Whimbrel
116 / 97
Long-billed Curlew
38 / 25
Greater Yellowlegs
= / 1
LESSER YELLOWLEGS
18 / 20
Spotted Sandpiper
6 / 5
Wandering Tattler
1691
/ 1263 Willet
33 / 92
Ruddy Turnstone
78 / 33
Black Turnstone
349 / 877
Short-billed Dowitcher
109 / 75
Long-billed Dowitcher
20 / 19
Surfbird
176 / 70
Red Knot
606 / 150
Sanderling
1121
/ 5390 Western Sandpiper
576 / 247
Least Sandpiper
109 / 147
Dunlin
766 / 1626
Black-bellied Plover
1 / =
PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER
117 / 94
Semipalmated Plover
451 / 305
Killdeer
106 / 196
Snowy Plover
1 / =
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER
144 / 278
Black-necked Stilt
157 / 92
American Avocet
= / 2
Pomarine Jaeger
2 / =
Parasitic Jaeger
1 / 58
Bonaparte's Gull
477 / 779
Heermann's Gull
30 / 38
Mew Gull
896 / 938
Ring-billed Gull
726 / 1036
California Gull
1 / 1
Thayer's Gull
29 / 58
Herring Gull
3 / 2
Glaucous-winged Gull
1709
/ 1486 Western Gull
1 / =
GLAUCOUS GULL
7 / 11
Caspian Tern
7 / 88
Royal Tern
2 / =
ELEGANT TERN
46 / 348
Forster's Tern
79 / 85
Black Skimmer
= / 1
MARBLED MURRELET
2223
/ 2484 Domestic Pigeon
= / 1
BAND-TAILED PIGEON
1170
/ 871 Mourning Dove
= / 3
COMMON GROUND-DOVE
= / 1
[Red-crowned Parrot]
2 / 3
Greater Roadrunner
5 / 7
Barn Owl
3 / 6
Great Horned Owl
4 / 8
Burrowing Owl
1 / 1
Short-eared Owl
346 / 93
White-throated Swift
872 / 1040
Anna's Hummingbird
27 / 24
Costa's Hummingbird
17 / 19
Belted Kingfisher
1 / =
Red-naped Sapsucker
1 / =
Red-breasted Sapsucker
29 / 48
Nuttall's Woodpecker
8 / 10
Downy Woodpecker
55 / 46
Common Flicker
96 / 95
Say's Phoebe
267 / 306
Black Phoebe
1 / =
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
= / 1
DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER
1 / 1
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
= / 1
TROPICAL KINGBIRD
86 / 82
Cassin's Kingbird
13 / 3
Loggerhead Shrike
1 / =
WARBLING VIREO
= / 1
BELL’S VIREO
17 / 11
Hutton's Vireo
= / 1
CASSIN’S VIREO
1 / =
PLUMBEOUS VIREO
= / 1
PHILADELPHIA VIREO
1 / =
STELLER’S JAY
287 / 235
Western Scrub-Jay
= / 12
[Black-throated Magpie-Jay]
1856
/ 4313 American Crow
132 / 140
Common Raven
1 / 4
Phainopepla
324 / 200
Cedar Waxwing
34 / 27
Western Bluebird
36 / 110
Hermit Thrush
53 / 60
American Robin
1802
/ 1427 European Starling
238 / 266
Northern Mockingbird
66 / 81
California Thrasher
= / 2
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
1 / 7
Cactus Wren
1 / =
Rock Wren
25 / 22
Marsh Wren
54 / 65
Bewick's Wren
16 / 35
House Wren
45 / 40
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
56 / 50
California Gnatcatcher
1259
/ 1371 Bushtit
30 / 202
Tree Swallow
127
/ 87 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
120
/ 116 Wrentit
242
/ 63 Horned Lark
693 / 1091 House
Sparrow
931 / 326
American Pipit
1 / =
Pine Siskin
52 / 20
American Goldfinch
153 / 230
Lesser Goldfinch
2116
/ 2857 House
Finch
2 / 7
Fox Sparrow
468 / 520
Song Sparrow
7 / 19
Lincoln's Sparrow
2369
/ 1994 White-crowned Sparrow
10 / 34
Golden-crowned Sparrow
112 / 56
Dark-eyed Junco
1 / =
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
684 / 516
Savannah Sparrow
18 / 2
Chipping Sparrow
= / 1
Vesper Sparrow
= / 2
Lark Sparrow
2 / 1
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
= / 2
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE
34 / 91
Spotted Towhee
477 / 534
California Towhee
111 / 160
Orange-crowned Warbler
1 / 2
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER
= / 2
NASHVILLE WARBLER
1 / 4
Yellow Warbler
2250
/ 2452 Yellow-rumped Warbler
= / 1
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
27 / 52
Townsend's Warbler
= / 2
PALM WARBLER
= / 3
BLACK & WHITE WARBLER
1 / 3
AMERICAN REDSTART
181 / 234
Common Yellowthroat
= / 1
HOODED WARBLER
2 / 4
WILSON’S WARBLER
1 / =
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
1 / 4
SUMMER TANAGER
8 / 5
WESTERN TANAGER
= / 3
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
= / 2
[Northern Cardinal]
= / 2
HOODED ORIOLE
= / 1
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
1 / =
BULLOCK’S ORIOLE
= / 1
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
137 / 318
Red-winged Blackbird
2 / 1
Tricolored Blackbird
379 / 158
Western Meadowlark
15 / 31
Great-tailed Grackle
523
/ 384 Brewer's Blackbird
25 / 21
Brown-headed Cowbird
COMMENTARY
ABOUT THE 2001 SAN DIEGO CBC, Mostly By Phil Unitt
Regarding the 2001 CBC, the results were summarized within days, rather than weeks, following the bird count itself. This is mostly due to timely submission of the data generated by the CBC teams. Infra-specific identifications such as “Large-billed” Sparrow and “Myrtle” Warbler, will appear in the final results on the National Audubon website, www.audubon.org. A few minor modifications are possible since not all of the supporting write-ups for the rare birds have been received. Last year, some of the teams failed to provide required supportive documentation.
Some
high numbers are clearly the results of continuing population increases, in
the cases of the Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Nuttall's Woodpecker,
Black Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Scrub Jay, and American Crow, setting a new
count record. One species that was
not previously appreciated but is increasing rapidly is Cassin's Kingbird,
up 41% this year from its high in 1999 over the preceding 15 years. The rather high numbers of the Cactus Wren are due in large part
to focused coverage of key sites retaining the species within the count circle.
There are no easy explanations for high numbers of a few species like
the Spotted Towhee and Orange-crowned Warbler.
On
the other hand, two species recorded this year have decreased alarmingly on
San Diego Christmas bird counts in recent years, the Loggerhead Shrike and
Tricolored Blackbird, both of which could easily become extirpated within
the count circle entirely.
Commentary about certain outstanding bird species
found in 2001:
Red-necked
Grebe – Seen and well-described offshore from a boat.
This is only the 4th well-supported record from San Diego County, the
first in 17 years.
Blue-winged
Teal – Pointed out at the J St./Chula Vista Marina shoreline
during the midday compilation.
Osprey
- Thirty is a new record number, the previous high was 17.
Clapper
Rail - Included one that was found in freshwater at the
Dairy Mart pond, all others were in the Tijuana River Estuary.
Snowy
Plover – This is a high count for this declining species.
SAN
DIEGO CBC 2000 & 2001 [7]
SAN DIEGO CBC
Marbled
Murrelet – One was just outside the surf line off the Silver
Strand. The 3rd from San Diego and
the 1st in 22 years.
Band-tailed
Pigeon - Rare along the coast, one was found at the south
end of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery on Point Loma.
Common Ground-Dove – Observed in the eastern Tijuana River Valley, rare and localized in the San Diego CBC area.
Burrowing
Owl – Reported by three teams, including the known colony
at North Island Naval Air Station.
Dusky-capped
Flycatcher – Well-seen and described at the Greenwood Cemetery,
only the fourth known in San Diego County.
Ash-throated Flycatcher – A returning bird from last year? This was found at the Dairy Mart pond.
Tropical
Kingbird – Re-found at the Rohr Park duck pond after being
previously discovered in early-December.
Bell’s
Vireo – A very rare bird in winter, perhaps the first in
San Diego County since 1990. This
was observed in Coronado.
Philadelphia
Vireo – Discovered in Coronado, this is the 1st winter record
in San Diego County, and the 4th for California.
White-breasted
Nuthatch – Unusual along the coast, they were found at the
Greenwood Cemetery.
Green-tailed
Towhee – Reported by two teams, one at Gunpowder Point and
another in the southwestern Tijuana River Valley.
Hooded Warbler - Female, along the east edge of the North Island golf course. May be
only 3rd winter record for San Diego County.
Wilson’s
Warbler – By three different teams, the San Diego Zoo, NE
corner of North Island golf course, and the Dairy Mart pond.
Nashville
Warbler – At the N end of Country Club Lane, Coronado.
Black-throated
Green Warbler – One each in Coronado and in National City,
this returning for its 6th winter here.
Palm
Warbler – At NW Tijuana River Valley and Greenwood Cemetery.
Black
& White Warbler – Two reported on count-day, at Coronado and
Dairy Mart pond. One also found in
Golden Hill on 12/16.
American
Redstart – All three in vicinity of Dairy Mart pond.
Summer
Tanager – One each reported by four teams, in Balboa Park,
in Coronado, at Greenwood Cemetery, and in Nestor.
Western
Tanager – Three were at the San Diego Zoo, and two at the
San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista.
Rose-breasted
Grosbeak - All females, well-seen at San Diego Zoo.
Hooded
Oriole – A female was found in the San Diego Zoo, and a male
was observed in San Diego Country Club.
Baltimore
Oriole – Discovered along the Maple
St. canyon.
Yellow-headed
Blackbird – Northwestern Tijuana River Valley.
Check the San Diego Rare Bird Alert tape, 619-688-2473, for updated information on observations, or to report rare and unusual birds, or questions about local birding.
ADDITIONAL
BIRDS SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE REGION THIS SEASON
In
addition to the impressive variety of birds that were found on the 2001 San
Diego CBC, several other interesting and noteworthy bird species have been
observed in and around San Diego in recent weeks. Check the results and comments for the Lake Henshaw CBC.
REDDISH EGRET – Up to 5, San Diego River Flood Control Channel.
YELLOW-CR
NIGHT-HERON – One, associating with black-cr. night-herons at
the Scripps Institution Of Oceanography, La Jolla.
ROSS’
GOOSE – One, near the Hilton Hotel at Mission Bay Park.
Wood
Duck – Santee Lakes Regional Park.
EURASIAN
WIGEON – Males, NE Mission Bay Park and San Diego River Flood
Channel.
HARLEQUIN
DUCK – Male, De Anza Cove boat dock in northeast Mission
Bay Park, and also the San Diego River Flood Channel.
Acorn
Woodpecker – Around oaks at El Monte County Park, Ranch Penasquitos
County Park.
LEAST
FLYCATCHER – One, found before the San Diego CBC, in riparian
vegetation on the east side of Dairy Mart Road.
GRAY
FLYCATCHER – One, after San Diego CBC at Greenwood Cemetery.
VERMILION
FLYCATCHER – Male, east end of Lindo Lake, Lakeside.
WESTERN
KINGBIRD – One, after San Diego CBC, Greenwood Cemetery.
Oak
Titmouse – Around oaks at El Monte County Park, Rancho Penasquitos
County Park.
GRACE’S WARBLER –Female, west Ft. Rosecrans Cemetery, Pt. Loma.
NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH – One that was before the San Diego CBC, in dense
riparian vegetation at the Dairy Mart pond.
Tricolored
Blackbird – Somewhat regular, with other blackbirds and around
cattails, at Santee Lakes and Lindo Lake Park.
BULLOCK’S
ORIOLE – male, found prior to the San Diego CBC, in tall,
flowering eucalyptus trees, at Smuggler’s Gulch, along Monument Road, Tijuana
River Valley.
Also,
pelagic species such as Shearwaters, Phalaropes, Jaegers, and Alcids,
can be seen on winter commercial Whale-watching Trips. Call H & M Landing and Seaforth Sportsfishing
for info.
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this file in: MSWord
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Bird Count Results Commentary Additional
Species Return
To FLITE Tours