21st & 22nd-annual LAKE HENSHAW Christmas Bird Counts
– Compared
The results for the 2000 and 2001 LAKE HENSHAW Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) are listed side by side for direct comparison. In contrast to the 2001 San Diego bird count, the outcome of the 2001 Lake Henshaw CBC was fairly average, with 130 species being recorded. This is in spite of relatively nice weather with little to none of the blustery winds that sometimes descend upon this count. There has been an overall lack of rain prior to the count, resulting in fewer and lower ponds and lakes supporting fewer bird species this year. The Lake was particularly low compared to past years. However, we still found some good birds.
The most outstanding finds were two new species to the Lake Henshaw CBC, Harris' Hawk that was observed near the Warner Springs fire station and an adult Zone-tailed Hawk found along Black Canyon Road west of Mesa Grande.
THE LAKE HENSHAW 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
5 / 3 Pied-billed
Grebe
= / 6 Eared
Grebe
15 / 21 Western
Grebe
45 / 105 Double-crested
Cormorant
38 / 55 American
White Pelican
1 / = AMERICAN
BITTERN
6 / 8 Great
Blue Heron
= / 2 Green
Heron
2 / = Black-crowned
Night-Heron
1 / 2 Turkey
Vulture
1 / 174 Canada
Goose
3 / = Wood
Duck
1 / = EURASIAN
WIGEON
446 / 240 American Wigeon
13 / 10 Gadwall
45 / 28 Green-winged
Teal
9 / 81 Mallard
= / 19 Northern
Pintail
210 / 119 Northern Shoveler
3 / 4 Canvasback
= / 1 Redhead
4 / 33 Ring-necked
Duck
1 / = Lesser
Scaup
2 / 1 Bufflehead
5 / 15 Common
Merganser
1 / 1 Bald
Eagle
6 / 2 Northern
Harrier
= / 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk
2 / 3 Cooper's
Hawk
= / 1 HARRIS’
HAWK
11 / 25 Red-shouldered
Hawk
= / 1 ZONE-TAILED
HAWK
41 / 75 Red-tailed
Hawk
6 / 9 Ferruginous
Hawk
4 / 2 Golden
Eagle
21 / 36 American
Kestrel
3 / 4 Merlin
4 / 5 Prairie
Falcon
2 / 10 Mountain
Quail
47 / 92 California
Quail
53 / 97 Wild
Turkey
= / 5 Virginia
Rail
433 / 1258 American Coot
= / 1 AMERICAN
AVOCET
10 / 16 Common
Snipe
1 / 2 Greater
Yellowlegs
4 / 5
Spotted Sandpiper
50 / 25 Long-billed
Dowitcher
= / 6 Western
Sandpiper
14 / 149 Least
Sandpiper
33 / 25 Killdeer
64 / 52 Ring-billed
Gull
= / 6 Bonaparte's
Gull
25 / 29 Domestic
Pigeon
209 / 214 Band-tailed Pigeon
361 / 464 Mourning Dove
2 / 1 Barn
Owl
3 / = Western
Screech-Owl
5 / 3 Great
Horned Owl
1 / = Spotted
Owl
= / 1 BURROWING
OWL
2 / = LONG-EARED
OWL
= / 3 Northern
Saw-whet Owl
3 / 12 Anna's
Hummingbird
13 / 6 Belted
Kingfisher
13 / 3 Lewis'
Woodpecker
243 / 359 Acorn Woodpecker
2 / 3 Red-naped
Sapsucker
= / 3 Red-breasted
Sapsucker
27 / 75 Nuttall's
Woodpecker
= / 3 Ladder-backed
Woodpecker
= / 1 DOWNY
WOODPECKER
3 / 1 Hairy
Woodpecker
= / 1 White-headed
Woodpecker
81 / 100 Common
Flicker
13 / 28 Say's
Phoebe
38 / 48 Black
Phoebe
6 / 11 Loggerhead
Shrike
4 / 9 Hutton's
Vireo
85 / 108 Steller's
Jay
279 / 420 Western Scrub-Jay
5 / = CLARK’S
NUTCRACKER
741 / 672 American Crow
139 / 307 Common Raven
139 / 151 Phainopepla
51 / 55 Cedar
Waxwing
406 / 608 Western Bluebird
51 / 8 Mountain
Bluebird
9 / 7 Townsend's
Solitaire
20 / 41 Hermit
Thrush
362 / 130 American Robin
= / 1 VARIED
THRUSH
602 / 460 European Starling
10 / 32 Northern Mockingbird
15 / 33 California
Thrasher
8 / 4 Pygmy
Nuthatch
1 / = Red-breasted
Nuthatch
22 / 78 White-breasted
Nuthatch
1 / 1 Brown
Creeper
1 / 4 Cactus
Wren
4 / 4 Rock
Wren
10 / 4 Marsh
Wren
6 / 41 Bewick's
Wren
5 / 12 House
Wren
= / 3 Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher
121 / 102 Mountain Chickadee
150 / 208 Oak Titmouse
289 / 373 Bushtit
6 / = Golden-crowned
Kinglet
67 / 160 Ruby-crowned
Kinglet
43 / 52 Wrentit
147 / 920 Horned Lark
20 / 59 House
Sparrow
434 / 96 American Pipit
= / 2 Pine
Siskin
6 / 3 American
Goldfinch
56 / 214 Lesser
Goldfinch
2 / 5 Lawrence's
Goldfinch
29 / 3 Purple
Finch
2 / = CASSIN’S
FINCH
409 / 583 House Finch
8 / 14 Fox
Sparrow
103 / 196 Song Sparrow
4 / 4 Lincoln's
Sparrow
562 / 1360 White-crowned Sparrow
10 / 29 Golden-crowned
Sparrow
1166/1608 Dark-eyed Junco
183 / 102 Savannah Sparrow
5 / 44 Chipping
Sparrow
124 / 23 Vesper Sparrow
454 / 906 Lark Sparrow
= / 1 Black-throated
Sparrow
4 / 2 Sage
Sparrow
= / 2 Rufous-crowned
Sparrow
56 / 212 Spotted
Towhee
94 / 184 California
Towhee
2 / 5 Orange-crowned
Warbler
62 / 215 Yellow-rumped
Warbler
= / 2 Townsend's
Warbler
21 / 12 Common
Yellowthroat
809 / 460 Red-winged Blackbird
46 / 40 Tricolored
Blackbird
163 / 512 Western Meadowlark
1641/ 863 Brewer's Blackbird
33 / 8 Brown-headed
Cowbird
Infra-specific identifications
such as “Myrtle” Warbler and “Gray-headed” Junco will appear in the final
results on the National Audubon CBC website, www.audubon.org. A few minor modifications are possible for
the 2001 CBC totals since not all of the supporting write-ups for a few of
the rare birds have been received. Trying
to pull up the results from 1985 through 1999 through the Audubon website
yields only 10 of the 15 years; evidently some years have not been entered.
So any seat-of-the-pants assessment is even more tentative than it
was for San Diego.
Nonetheless, numbers for the
American Wigeon, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, American Crow, and Purple
Finch appear low. Lack of rain has
dried up some ponds that normally have wigeons, such as those where Ken Weaver
and John McColm had Eurasian Wigeons on past years’ counts. Low numbers of the Purple Finch and Mountain
Bluebird reflect off years for those irregular species. Maybe the crows have
decided National City suits them better than Lake Henshaw [See the 2001 San
Diego CBC results and commentary].
Conversely, numbers are on the high side for so-called "Wild" Turkeys [self-domesticating and rapidly proliferating since their introduction into San Diego County 1993], Townsend's Solitaire [which are bucking the trend for 2001-2002 being an off year for many other montane invaders], Phainopepla and Northern Mockingbird [which are associated with good crops of fruit produced by native mistletoe (Phoradendron sp.) and toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), as well as planted firethorn (Pyracantha cultivars) plants, in these species' natural environments, as well as in suburban areas], and Lark Sparrow. Eleven species of water birds, plus this year's single Bald Eagle, were only at Lake Henshaw within the count circle.
Commentary about certain noteworthy
bird species that were observed:
Harris’
Hawk
– One, soaring near the Warner Springs fire station, a first for the LH CBC
Zone-tailed Hawk – Adult, observed about one-half
mile down Black Canyon Road from Mesa Grande, at 33º 10.722' N, 116º 46.684'
W by GPS. This is another new species
for the Lake Henshaw count, although there have been observations not far
from this site over the hill to the north during the breeding season.
Virginia Rail – Uncommon and secretive,
recorded near Swan Lake NE of Lake Henshaw.
American Avocet - A rare bird inland, has
been reported previously on the Lake Henshaw CBC.
Burrowing Owl – Declining, rare on this
bird count. One found north of Lake
Henshaw.
Lewis’ Woodpecker – At Love Valley and north
of Lake Henshaw; but none on Mesa Grande
Ladder-backed Woodpecker - In addition to the two that
were found in expected semi-desert habitat in the San Felipe Valley, a suspicious
woodpecker appeared and sounded closer to the Ladder-backed than to
Nuttall's near Swan Lake, out of this species’ normal range and habitat.
Downy Woodpecker - Evidence of its continued
spread in San Diego County, one was along Bloomdale Creek north of Mesa Grande
Road. This is a rare species inland
and to this count.
Mountain
Bluebird– Somewhat reduced in number, these were north of Lake Henshaw
only.
Varied Thrush – One, discovered at the NE
base of Volcan Mountain near San Felipe Valley.
Pine Siskin – Reported only from along
Canada Verde, at the SW base of Hot Springs Mt.
Lawrence’s Goldfinch – Unlike most years, they
were reported only from Santa Ysabel.
Townsend’s Warbler – Surprisingly hardy, found
in the Volcan Mountains only.
Tricolored Blackbird – Present at a known colony
site near V.I.D. Gate 2, south of Route 79
Thanks to everyone who braved the morning's sub-freezing temperatures to participate this year: Don Adams, Lariann Baretta, Joe Barth, Gale Bustillos, Claude Edwards, Kylie Fischer, Marj & Jim Freda, Mel Gabel, Ivan Getting, Pete Ginsburg, Bill Haas, John Hammond, Lori Hargrove, Art & Dorothy Hester, Ron & Linda Johnson, Ann & Tom Keenan, Jason Kurnow, Kathy Lapinsky, Brian Lohstroh, Brian Loly, John McColm, Judy & Thane McIntosh, Bill Mittendorff, Gretchen Morse, Thomas Myers, Doug Nail, Oz Osborn, Marjorie Oslie, Dennis Parker, Ingri Quon, Jeanne Raimond, Royce Riggan pere et fils, Geoff Rogers, Bob Sanger, Betty Siegel, Bob Theriault, Don Waber, Ken Weaver, Mark Webb, Kirsten Winter, and Jim Wilson. Thanks especially to Bill Mittendorff and John Hammond for making the complete circumnavigation of Lake Henshaw on foot, carrying scopes. Thanks also to Paul Dorey and Jan Head of the Vista Irrigation District, for authorizing our access to that agency's lands encompassing the northern portions of the count area [although some of its lessees, in a fit of illogic, questioned whether our access permits allowed us to climb through the fence!].
Bird Count Results Commentary Noteworthy
Species Return
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