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Bird watchers count nearly 10,200 birds in Creston Valley

The 2013 Christmas Bird Count bird watchers counted 10,288 birds in 73 species during annual count...
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Bufflehead and common goldeneyes were seen in the 2013 Christmas Bird Count.

The 2013 Christmas Bird Count was a challenge. First, winter couldn’t decide if it was going to arrive. The birds couldn’t decide if they really wanted to dine at feeders and other easy handout stations with all their natural food areas clean up much of the valley’s surrounding mountainsides relatively uncloaked by snow and accompanying waters unclogged of ice.

Not only on CBC day, Dec. 27, but all season leading up to the big event has been one of feathered hide and seek. Then to top it off, fog at the starting line!

But our feathered friends didn’t know who they were dealing with and again undeterred, this year’s collaboration of 48 dauntless fielders and 56 persistent feeder watchers was amazing. This collective assault on our feathered friends accumulated 104.15 party hours (six of which were nocturnal) with a total distance of 1148.3 kilometres on foot, car and snowmobile.

Climate conditions included calm local fog in the morning, and it was partly clear in the afternoon with open running water, partly frozen still water, up to a maximum 2 inches of snow, and a span of -6 to 1 degree Celsius.

The results were:

Canada Goose (3,717), gadwall (3), American wigeon (count week), mallard (318), American green-winged teal (1), redhead (count week), bufflehead (39), common goldeneye (51), Barrow’s goldeneye (3), hooded merganser (2), common merganser (7), ring-necked pheasant (45), ruffed grouse (5), wild turkey (142), California quail (6), pied-billed grebe (2), great blue heron (24), bald eagle (34), northern harrier (35), sharp-shinned hawk (count week), Cooper’s hawk (1), northern goshawk (2), red-tailed hawk (97), rough-legged hawk (70), American kestrel (27), merlin (2), prairie falcon (count week), American coot (15), rock pigeon (926), Eurasian collared dove (214), mourning dove (96), great horned owl (27), northern pygmy owl (7), barn owl (5), belted kingfisher (5), downy woodpecker (31), hairy woodpecker (6), American three-toed woodpecker (1), northern flicker (184), pileated woodpecker (12), northern shrike (5), grey jay (count week), Steller’s jay (36), blue jay (16), black-billed magpie (50), American crow (666), common raven (201), black-capped chickadee (490), mountain chickadee (1), chestnut-backed chickadee (36), red-breasted nuthatch (55), brown creeper (3), Pacific wren (3), American dipper (1), golden-crowned kinglet (25), Townsend’s solitaire (2), American robin (15), varied thrush (5), European starling (1,116), Bohemian waxwing (390), cedar waxwing (3), American tree sparrow (count week), song sparrow (71), dark-eyed junco (165), red-wing blackbird (67), Brewer’s blackbird (1), brown-headed cowbird (6), house finch (245), red crossbill (2), common redpoll (38), pine siskin (30), American goldfinch (308) and house sparrow (75).

Including those seen during count week (three day before and after the count), bird watchers counted 73 total species (down from 86 in 2012 and 76 in 2011), with 10,288 birds in total (up from 10,180 in 2012 but down from 12,881 in 2011).

—CRESTON FIELD NATURALISTS