PHILADELPHIA MID-WINTER BIRD CENSUS

REPORT

JANUARY 9, 2016

Dr. Gregg Gorton and Dr. Jan Gordon surveying the Schuylkill River at Bartram’s Garden

Photo by Lucille Larkin

30th Annual PHILADELPHIA MID-WINTER BIRD CENSUS

January 9, 2016

Canada Goose 4714 Mute Swan 3 Wood Duck 1 Gadwall 91 American Wigeon 2 American Black Duck 153 Mallard 765 Mallard x Black Duck 3 Mallard x Gadwall (Brewer’s Duck) 1 Northern Shoveler 78 Northern Pintail 16 Green-winged Teal 2 Canvasback 25 Redhead 1 Ring-necked Duck 36 Greater Scaup 4 Lesser Scaup 1 Long-tailed Duck 1 Bufflehead 158 Common Goldeneye 9 Hooded Merganser 37 Common Merganser 65 Red-breasted Merganser 1 Ruddy Duck 137 Wild Turkey 31 Pied-billed Grebe 6 Double-crested Cormorant 98 Great Cormorant 19 Great Blue Heron 27 Black Vulture 11 Turkey Vulture 17 Bald Eagle 12 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 Cooper’s Hawk 18 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 37 American Kestrel 9 Merlin 2 Peregrine Falcon 2 American Coot 2 Killdeer 4 Ring-billed Gull 8287 Herring Gull 1099 Thayer’s Gull 1 Iceland Gull 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 4 Great Black-backed Gull 135 Rock Pigeon 946 Mourning Dove 673 Eastern Screech-Owl 41 Great Horned Owl 3 Barred Owl 1 Belted Kingfisher 13 Red-bellied Woodpecker 198 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 27 Downy Woodpecker 250 Hairy Woodpecker 49 Northern Flicker 74

Pileated Woodpecker 6 Ash-throated Flycatcher 1 Blue Jay 354 American Crow 120 Fish Crow 19 Crow sp. 1 Common Raven 3 Tree Swallow 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 130 Barn Swallow 1 Carolina Chickadee 489 Tufted Titmouse 188 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 199 Brown Creeper 26 Winter Wren 19 Carolina Wren 216 Golden-crowned Kinglet 11 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 15 Eastern Bluebird 21 Hermit Thrush 3 American Robin 3932 Gray Catbird 6 Brown Thrasher 2 Northern Mockingbird 92 European Starling 6597 American Pipit 2 Cedar Waxwing 2 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Orange-crowned Warbler 3 Common Yellowthroat 1 Palm Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 13 Eastern Towhee 12 American Tree Sparrow 11 Chipping Sparrow 9 Field Sparrow 20 Savannah Sparrow 16 Fox Sparrow 21 Song Sparrow 413 Swamp Sparrow 13 White-throated Sparrow 1220 Dark-eyed Junco 977 Northern Cardinal 397 Red-winged Blackbird 1542 Rusty Blackbird 12 Blackbird sp. 15 Common Grackle 1367 Brown-headed Cowbird 419 Baltimore Oriole 1 House Finch 683 American Goldfinch 383 House Sparrow 1545 Passerine sp. 16 Total Species 107 Total Individuals 39,983

OBSERVERS AREAS COVERED Matt Sharp Benjamin Rush State Park, Glen Foerd, Northeast Water Pollution Control

Plant Linda Widdop Pennypack Creek (Pine Rd. to Krewstown Rd.) Peter Kurtz, Denis Mora Pennypack Creek (Pine Rd. to Krewstown Rd., Pennypack on the Delaware

- north shore), Pleasant Hill Park Roland Williams Pennypack Creek (Bustleton Ave. to Holme Ave.) Cindy Ferguson, Norm Jones Pennypack Creek (Rhawn St. and Holmehurst Ave. to Wooden Bridge Run) Therese Catanach Pennypack Creek (Frankford Ave. to Welsh Rd.) Vince DeAntoniis, Dwight Molotsky, Delaware River and shoreline (Glen Foerd, Pleasant Hill Park, Pennypack Barbara Stollsteimer, Philip Stollsteimer on the Delaware - south shore, Unruh Ave., Northeast Water Pollution Nick Zahn Control Plant, Pulaski Park) Frank Windfelder, Marty Dellwo, Upper Pennypack Creek (Krewstown Rd. to Verree Rd.), Delaware River Jamie Zigarelli and shoreline (Glen Foerd, Pleasant Hill Park, Pennypack on the

Delaware - south shore, Lardner’s Point Park, Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant), Tacony Creek Park (I St. and Ramona St. to Whitaker Ave.)

Tom Bailey Central Delaware River (Philadelphia portion as viewed from Burlington

Co., New Jersey) Robin Irizarry, Peter Burns, Peter Carter, Tacony Creek (I St. and Ramona St. to Whitaker Ave., Friends Hospital), Linda Grutzmacher, Phil Grutzmacher, Fisher Park Tom de Rivera, Martin Selzer Richard Horwitz, Walter Hart F. D. Roosevelt Park, Delaware River and shoreline (Philadelphia Naval

Business Center to Northeast Water Pollution Control, Bridesburg, Lardner’s Point Park)

George Armistead, Annie Reeves F. D. Roosevelt Park, Delaware River and shoreline (Philadelphia Naval Business Center, TRC Trash Transfer Station, Delaware River Trail from Pier 53 to Pier 70), Platt Bridge ponds, Tacony Creek Park (I St. and

Ramona St. to Whitaker Ave.) Annie Reeves Delaware River shoreline at Cumberland St. Art McMorris, Alan Crawford III, Historic Fort Mifflin, Army Corps of Engineers Compound, Fort Mifflin Win Shafer Rd., Hog Island Rd., Philadelphia International Airport, Southwest Water Pollution Control Plant, Schuylkill River at Platt Bridge, Holstein Ave., Mingo Creek at 76th Ave. Doris McGovern, Kristen Johnson, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, Eastwick, Mario Lanza Blvd. Sheryl Johnson, Holly Merker, Lynn Roman Jan Gordon, Gregg Gorton Bartram’s Garden, Woodland Cemetery, Cobbs Creek (Whitby Ave., N. Lucille Larkin 66th St. and Callowhill St. to Lansdale Ave., N. 66th St. and Woodbine Ave.) Tony Croasdale, Emily Estrow, Cobbs Creek (Haddington Woods, Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Morgan Evans, Matthew Halley Center, Mt. Moriah Cemetery) Liz Hoffman, Lindsay Cummings, West Park (various locations including Belmont Reservoir, Centennial Kate Duffy, Nancy Hoffman, Stephen and Concourse lakes, Recycling Center, Ridgeland Mansion, Belmont Imperato, Pat Woods Plateau) Navin Sasikumar West Philadelphia (4600 block of Pine St.)

OBSERVERS (concluded) AREAS COVERED (concluded) Stephen Kerr East Park (various locations including the East Park Reservoir) Katrina Rakowski Temple University main campus Winston Moody, Phil Hineline, Schuylkill River from the Falls Bridge to Strawberry Mansion Bridge, Wendy Moody Queen Ln. Reservoir, Wissahickon Creek from Timber Ln. to Apalogen Rd.

and adjacent neighborhood Michael Darcy Roxborough (Upper Roxborough Reservoir, Port Royal Ave., Schuylkill

River and shoreline from Port Royal Ave. to Flat Rock Rd.) Judy Stepenaskie, Penelope Myers Roxborough (7800 block of Nixon St., Schuylkill River Trail from

Shawmont Ave. to city border, lower Port Royal Ave.) Scott McConnell Roxborough (Spring Ln., Lower Roxborough Reservoir, radio tower farm area), Wissahickon Creek (Hermit Ln.) Steve DuPont Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education Ken Januski, Jerene Schroeder Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Manayunk Canal (Green

Ln. Bridge to Shawmont Ave.) Paul Kalka Wissahickon Creek (west bank – Wise’s Mill Rd. to Hermit Ln.) David Belford, Alan Belford, Wissahickon Creek (west bank - Bell’s Mill Rd. to Cathedral Rd.) Jeff Belford Edie Parnum, Joe Hudson Wissahickon Creek (west bank - Bell’s Mill Rd. to Northwestern Ave.) Marjorie Russell, Donna Wilhelm Celeste Hardester Wissahickon Creek (east bank - Bell’s Mill Rd. to Northwestern Ave.) Jim Best, Jack Fanelli, Andy Fayer, Morris Arboretum Bob Gutowski Keith Russell, Jeanne Schock, Wissahickon Creek (east bank – various locations from Northwestern Ave. Shawn Towey to Valley Green Rd.), Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant, Pulaski

Park, Northeast Philadelphia Airport, Southampton Woods Cliff Hence, Nancy Hence Cresheim Creek (Stenton Ave. to Wissahickon Creek), Mount Airy (100

block of Roumfort Rd.) Anne Bekker, Michael Sankowsky Wissahickon Creek (east bank – Livezy Ln. to Walnut Ln., Carpenter’s

Woods) Bill Reaume, Scott Fraser, Kevin Maness Awbury Arboretum

CONDITIONS

Temperature: High 53oF at 1:37 PM, Low 42oF at 7:17 AM.

Sky: Heavily overcast throughout the day with some breaks of sun between noon and 1 PM.

Precipitation: Intermittent light drizzle fell prior to 4:00 AM and again between 6:30 AM and 9:00 AM.

Ground: Clear.

Water: All waters open except some shallow waters partially covered by a thin layer of ice.

Wind: 5-10 mph with some higher gusts between 6 AM and 11 AM.

2016 CENSUS SUMMARY The 30th annual Philadelphia Mid-Winter Bird Census was held on Saturday January 9, 2016. Eight-five participants in 36 parties took part in the 2016 census, recording 107 species and 39,983 individuals. 2016 marked the 8th time overall and the 5th time in a row that 100 or more species were recorded on the census, and the 39,983 individuals recorded was the second highest number of individuals tallied to date, just 1401 fewer than the record high 41,384 individuals tallied in 2014. And for the 3rd year in a row more species were recorded on the census than on any of Pennsylvania’s 71 Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) - the highest this winter being the Southern Lancaster County CBC which recorded 103 species on December 20 th. This result further demonstrates the fact that despite its small size (Philadelphia contains 20% fewer square miles than a CBC circle), and the fact that it is heavily developed, Philadelphia has one of the most diverse bird populations of any county in Pennsylvania. With the exception of a few very cold spells and one very large snowfall (January 22-24), the winter of 2015-16 was characterized by higher than average temperatures and lower than average snowfall. In December temperatures were an extraordinary 13.7 degrees above average while in January and February temperatures were just 1.2 and 2.9 degrees above average, respectively. Mild winter temperatures often cause less cold tolerant species that normally depart for the winter to remain, and some regular wintering species to winter in larger numbers. The 3 species of swallows, 5 species of warblers, and large numbers of robins, grackles, red-wings and cowbirds recorded this year were outcomes consistent with those expectations. But mild winter temperatures can also cause some species that come to winter in Philadelphia from the north to migrate south is smaller numbers. For example, during the exceptionally mild December the number and variety of ducks present in Philadelphia was unusually low. But a cold snap just prior to the census (January 4-6), which produced overnight lows in the mid teens – probably freezing many areas being used by ducks to the north – appears to have caused more ducks to move into the Philadelphia area allowing a larger number and variety to be recorded by the census. In fact the number of duck species recorded this year was the largest number ever recorded on the census. Every species that could reasonably be expected to occur during the winter was found except for the 3 scoters and Eurasian Wigeon. In addition to ducks the freeze may have also caused more gulls to move into the Philadelphia area as the number of individual gulls recorded (mainly Ring-billed and Herring gulls) was also above average. While weather conditions on census day were generally favorable for birding, heavily overcast skies prevailed throughout most of the day and this may have caused a few of this year’s rarer lingering species to become less active, allowing them to be missed, including Marsh Wren and Wilson’s Warbler, which were both observed before and after the census but missed on census day. Similarly, several Common Yellowthroats had been located prior to the census but only one could be found on census day. Three species were recorded this year however, that were new to the census. The most unexpected of these was an Ash-throated Flycatcher that was found at Tacony Creek Park (TCP) near the I and Ramona St. park gateway by Peter Burns. Fortunately, party leader Robin Irizarry managed to take several fairly diagnostic photos of the bird (through his binoculars with his cell phone) that were very helpful in documenting this record. The Ash-throated Flycatcher is a rare vagrant from western North America that has only been recorded a handful of times in Pennsylvania. This new record is however, the latest winter record for the state (previously the latest winter record was January 5) and the first confirmed record for Philadelphia. Another first for the census was the Thayer’s Gull that was found along the Delaware River at the Philadelphia Naval Business Center (PNBC) by George Armistead. The bird (an adult) was seen among a large group of gulls that were settling in to roost for the night on the river. Intermediate in appearance between a Herring Gull and Iceland Gull, this species is often challenging to identify, especially when it is found outside of its main range in western North America. Because of its rarity in the east, the challenges involved in its identification, and the fact that it was not recognized as a full species until 1973, there have been very few records of the Thayer’s Gulls for Philadelphia. The third new species recorded this year was a Black-and-white Warbler that was observed at Lardner’s Point Park (LPP) along the central Delaware River by Frank Windfelder, Marty Dellwo and Jaime Zigarelli. This bird had originally been discovered at the park in December. Black-and-white Warblers are rarely observed in the Mid-Atlantic Region during the winter and this appears to be the first winter record of the species for Philadelphia. And while the Brewer’s Duck does not represent a new species for the census, one of these hybrids between the Mallard and the Gadwall (a male) was observed at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge (JHNWR) by the McGovern party, providing the 1st record of this hybrid for the census. The 3 new species recorded this year raise the cumulative (1987-2016) species total for the census to 162.

As always, several species were also recorded that are rare but not new to the census. A Barred Owl was found in the lower part of Wissahickon Creek Park (WCP) by the Moody party providing the 3rd record of this species for the census, and the first record since 2006. Although the original scientific description of the Barred Owl, published in 1799, was based on a specimen from Philadelphia, and the species was not considered rare during the 19th century, it

became extremely rare in Philadelphia throughout most of the 20th century. It did not return to Philadelphia as a resident species until the late 1990s when one or more birds began to be observed in and around the upper portion of WCP. But since its return it has been an itinerant and difficult species to find. The Common Raven was first recorded on the census in 2014. This year at least 3 individuals were reported – all from the Roxborough section of northwestern Philadelphia providing the 2nd record of this species for the census. Because 3 parties (Kalka, Januski party, McConnell) each reported 1-3 individuals this year, more than 3 individuals may have been present. But because ravens can range widely only 3 birds were officially counted in case some of the individuals observed were birds that had already been counted by others. Formerly restricted to Pennsylvania’s mountains the raven has been steadily spreading into southeastern Pennsylvania in recent decades, and it may soon become a resident species in Philadelphia if it has not become so already. Ever since Northern Rough-winged Swallows began wintering at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant (NEWPCP) in 2005 other species of swallows have been found wintering with them on rare occasions. This year a Barn Swallow and a Tree Swallow were both spotted with the Rough-wings by Marty Dellwo and Barbara Stollsteimer respectively, providing the 2nd census records for each species. Both of these individuals had been previously reported at the plant during December. Barn Swallow was first recorded on the census in 2010 and Tree Swallow was first recorded in 2014. If it were not for the unique conditions at the NEWPCP that allow midges to emerge from the plant’s waters throughout the winter, it is unlikely that swallows of any species would have enough food to be able to overwinter in Philadelphia. But the presence of not 1 but 3 species of wintering swallows this year along with a larger than usual number of wintering Rough-wings appears to be the result of this winter’s higher than average temperatures. A Baltimore Oriole was also observed this year by Navin Sasikumar providing the 3rd record of this species for the census, and the 2nd in a row. Unlike last year’s oriole, which was found in East Park – a more natural setting, this year’s oriole was observed eating sunflower seeds at a bird feeder on the 6th floor balcony of a West Philadelphia residence. Much thanks to Navin for keeping watch for the bird (which had been first spotted at the feeder a week earlier) to make sure it was counted for the census. Other species recorded this year that are often missed include a Redhead observed at F. D. Roosevelt Park (FDRP; 11th record and 2nd year in a row – Reeves, Horwitz); a Long-tailed Duck observed on the Delaware River at Cumberland St. (6th record and 3rd in a row – Horwitz); a Red-breasted Merganser observed on the Delaware River at the PNBC (7th record and 4th in the last 7 years – Armistead, Reeves); individual Iceland Gulls (9th record and 4th in the last 5 years) observed along the middle Delaware River (Bailey) and the lower Delaware at the PNBC (Armistead, Reeves); individual Brown Thrashers (10th record and 2nd in a row) observed at FDRP (Armistead, Reeves) and the upper Pennypack Creek Park (PCP; Widdop); 2 American Pipits observed at Pennypack on the Delaware (7th record and 4th in the last 5 years – Kurtz, Mora); and 3 Orange-crowned Warblers (9th record and 5th in a row) found at the NEWPCP (1 – Russell party, Windfelder party) and FDRP (2 – Armistead, Reeves). All time high counts were recorded for many species this year including Bufflehead – 158 (previous high 104 in 2015), Hooded Merganser 37 (previous high 30 in 2009), Wild Turkey – 31 (previous high 21 in 2013), Ring-billed Gull – 8287 (previous high 7086 in 2007), Red-bellied Woodpecker – 198 (previous high 195 in 2014), Downy Woodpecker – 250 (essentially ties previous high of 251 in 2013), White-breasted Nuthatch – 199 (previous high 188 in 2013), American Robin – 3932 (previous high 2528 in 2002), Orange-crowned Warbler – 3 (ties previous high of 3 in 2012 and 2013 – while only 3 birds were officially counted this year 4 individuals were probably present), Savannah Sparrow – 16 (previous high 13 in 2013), Red-winged Blackbird – 1542 (previous high 853 in 2014), Common Grackle – 1367 (previous high 826 in 1998), and Brown-headed Cowbird – 419 (previous high 337 in 1998). And this year’s totals for a number of other species were the second highest recorded to date including Gadwall 91 (highest 145 in 2009), Bald Eagle 12 (highest 15 in 2015), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 27 (highest 33 in 2015), Northern Flicker 72 (highest 92 in 1992), Blue Jay 354 (highest 376 in 1988), American Goldfinch 383 (highest 405 in 2006), and House Sparrow 1545 (highest 1906 in 2015). These highs were probably attributable to this winter’s warm temperatures, this year’s large number of census participants, actual increases in the species’ wintering populations, or a combination of these factors. Of particular interest is the fact that all time highs or near highs were recorded for most of the woodpeckers and White-breasted Nuthatch.

Species recorded in numbers that were atypically low included Red-tailed Hawk – 37 (4th lowest total ever), American Coot – 2 (lowest total since 1996), Great Horned Owl – 3 (2nd lowest total ever – species has never been missed), Golden-crowned Kinglet – 11 (2nd lowest total ever – species has never been missed), Cedar Waxwing – 2 (lowest total ever – recorded annually through 2004 but only recorded subsequently in even years).

Species missed this year that are usually recorded include Snow Goose (12th miss), Northern Harrier (4th miss – never missed prior to 2005) and White-crowned Sparrow (6th miss – misses have occurred over time in ways that are not suggestive of any particular pattern).

The following species were only reported at one location this year. Wood Duck (NEWPCP) – Russell party, Windfelder party,

American Wigeon (JHNWR) – McGovern party

Brewer’s Duck [Mallard x Gadwall] (JHNWR) – McGovern party

Green-winged Teal (JHNWR) – McGovern party

Canvasback (East Park Reservoir) – Kerr

Redhead (FDRP) – Armistead party, Horwitz party

Greater Scaup (Delaware River at PNBC) – Armistead party

Lesser Scaup (Delaware River at PNBC) – Armistead party

Long-tailed Duck (Delaware River at Cumberland St.) – Horwitz party

Red-breasted Merganser (Delaware River at PNBC) – Armistead party

Thayer’s Gull (Delaware River at PNBC) – Armistead party

Barred Owl (lower WCP) – Moody party

Ash-throated Flycatcher (TCP) – Irizarry party

Tree Swallow (NEWPCP) – DeAntoniis party

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (NEWPCP) – DeAntoniis party, Horwitz party, Russell party, Sharp, Windfelder

party

Barn Swallow (NEWPCP) – Russell party, Windfelder party

Red-breasted Nuthatch (lower PCP) – Catanach

American Pipit (lower PCP – Pennypack on the Delaware) – Kurtz party

Cedar Waxwing (upper WCP) – Belford party

Black-and-white Warbler (LPP) – Windfelder party

Common Yellowthroat (Delaware River shoreline at Cumberland St.) – Reeves party, Horwitz party

Palm Warbler (NEWPCP) – Russell party, Windfelder party

Baltimore Oriole (West Philadelphia – 4600 block of Pine St.) – Sasikumar

The following species were reported in Philadelphia during the 4-week period between December 27 and January 23 but not recorded on the census.

Snow Goose (upper WCP – Houston Meadow– January 7; flyovers) – Jamie Zigarelli

Eurasian Wigeon (FDRP – December 28) – Todd Fellenbaum, Annie Reeves

Northern Harrier (JHNWR – January 7) – Denis Mora

Glaucous Gull (Delaware River at Tacony-Palmyra Bridge – December 27) – Tom Bailey

Marsh Wren (JHNWR – January 2) – Todd Fellenbaum; (JHNWR – January 12) – Damon Orsetti

Pine Warbler (upper WCP – Wissahickon Environmental Education Center – January 4) – Tony Croasdale

Wilson’s Warbler (JHNWR – January 16) – Holly Merker, Annie Reeves (up to 2 individuals were also observed at

JHNWR November 5 – December 3, 2015)

As always I would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2016 census, and thank all of you who also submitted photos from the census. A gallery of your photos has again been included at the end of this report. I hope you will be able to join us again next year when the census has been scheduled for Saturday January 8, 2017. Keith Russell Census Coordinator Program Manager for Urban Conservation – Audubon Pennsylvania krussell@audubon.org 6222 McCallum Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Peter Carter, Linda Grutzmacher, Phil Grutzmacher, Martin Selzer, and Peter Burns along the Tacony Creek Photo by Robin Irizarry

Heavily overcast skies and the Delaware River as seen from the Sugarhouse Casino. Photo by Richard Horwitz

Brewer’s Duck at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Common Goldeneye on the Delaware River at Pennypack Photo by Kristen Johnson on the Delaware. Photo by Marty Dellwo

Long-tailed Duck and Bufflehead on the Delaware River at Cumberland St. Photo by Richard Horwitz

Common Mergansers on the Schuylkill River in Manayunk Photo by Ken Januski

Alan Crawford and Win Shafer at the Southwest Water Pollution Control Plant Photo by Art McMorris

Wild Turkeys at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Double-crested Cormorants on the Schuylkill River at the Photo by Kristen Johnson Schuylkill River Dam. Photo by Liz Hoffman

Great Blue Heron at Tacony Creek Park Merlin at Tacony Creek Park Photo by Robin Irizarry Photo by Robin Irizarry

Killdeer at the Manayunk Canal in Roxborough Pileated Woodpecker at the Schuylkill Center for Photo by Ken Januski Environmental Education. Photo by Ken Januski

Ash-throated Flycatcher at Tacony Creek Park. Photos by Robin Irizarry

Orange-crowned Warbler at the NWPCP Orange-crowned Warbler at FDRP Photo by Marty Dellwo Photo by George Armistead

Black-and-white Warbler at Lardner’s Point Park Baltimore Oriole in West Philadelphia Photo by Marty Dellwo Photo by Navin Sasikumar