Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
with three new sites in Washington andnine in Oregon. All counts wherecollared-doves had been reported previ-ously noted higher numbers this season.
Weather and related low participantturnout forced cancellation of severaleastern Oregon counts, reducing thetotal number to 38. There were 43counts conducted in Washington. Onceagain, Coos Bay, OR, at 154 had thehigh species total for the region;Sequim-Dungeness, WA, was closebehind at 150. Oregon’s Tillamook Bayreported 149, and Washington’s GraysHarbor was fourth highest at 137. Highcounts east of the Cascades includedKlamath Falls, OR (110), Tri-Cities,WA (108), and Lyle, WA (101).
Undocumented House Wren reportswere excised from two counts. Washingtoncounts reporting “Northwestern” Crowswere amended to show “crow sp.” as hasbeen the custom for at least 15 years now.I also changed “small form” CanadaGeese to Cackling Geese on those countswhere it was obvious that this is what thecompiler meant. The “greylag” andGolden Pheasant reported from an east-ern Oregon count without details werealso deleted on the presumption that theywere not wild species. This editor is gen-erally reticent about allowing counts topad their species lists with farm animals.Most compilers are now choosing to sub-mit details by email, though about 30percent are still being sent by conven-tional mail. My thanks to David Bailey,Alan Contreras, David Irons, and DavidTracy for their help in reviewing selectedspecies reports.
CALIFORNIAKelli Levinson1819 Locust Ravine
Bakersfield, CA 93306
John C. Wilson1425 Alta Vista Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Californians completed 117 countsduring the 2007–08 Christmas BirdCount season, four more than last year.
Of the 94 counts that reported weatherconditions only six reported heavy rain,and half of those only in the afternoon.The October 2007 fires that ravagedsouthern California did encroach intosome count circles, and those compilerslament that loss of habitat. Particularlyhard hit was the Escondido count,where 18 of the 21 areas constitutingtheir count circle were affected. Theysuffered loss of a majority of their chap-arral and coastal sage scrub habitat aswell as extensive damage to their ripari-an areas. The count continued as usualand they were still able to keep pace withtypical species totals; however, manyspecies were recorded in lower than
usual numbers. Four counts were able topost species totals above the 200 mark:San Diego (214), Orange CountyCoastal (209), Santa Barbara (206), andMorro Bay (202). Finally, four newcounts started this year: Anderson RiverPark, Groveland, Merced N.W.R., andSanta Cruz Island. For species that are onthe California Bird Records CommitteeReview List we place “CBRC” in paren-thesis, knowing that a final decision willcome from that body. The highlights ofCalifornia’s 108th CBC season follow.
Counters reported 150 EurasianWigeon, 25 of which came from moresoutherly counts where they are lesscommon. Single Eurasian Green-winged
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 99
Count circles inCALIFORNIA
100 AMERICAN BIRDS
Teal were found in Año Nuevo, MossLanding, Palo Alto, and Pasadena. Aphotographed Tufted Duck was a nicefind for Clear Lake; a second individualwas seen during the count week periodfor Oakland. Seventeen HarlequinDuck were counted on seven counts,Del Norte claiming nearly half of thoseand the rest scattered coastally with thesouthernmost being reported fromMonterey Peninsula. A female White-winged Scoter was well documentedinland at Santa Clarita and a femaleBlack Scoter was photographed on theSalton Sea South count. Twenty-twoLong-tailed Ducks were found, includ-ing single birds as far south as LosAngeles, Orange County Coastal, SantaBarbara, and San Diego. Finally, severalinteresting hybrids were noted: a Blue-winged x Green-winged Teal at MossLanding, and a well-described Americanx Eurasian Green-winged Teal at AñoNuevo. Several other hybrids were docu-mented photographically: Barrow’sGoldeneye x Hooded Merganser (atOakland), Barrow’s Goldeneye xCommon Goldeneye (at Calero-Morgan Hill) and five Eurasian Wigeonx American Wigeon (at Claremont,Escondido, and Hayward-Fremont).
Red-necked Grebes were found whereunusual at Santa Clarita, Kern River,Santa Barbara, and Stockton, as well as acount week bird at Buena Vista. SixNorthern Fulmars were found as farsouth as Malibu (1), Orange CountyCoastal (2), Palos Verde Peninsula (1),and San Diego (2). Three ManxShearwaters were well documented, oneon the Arcata count and two on theMonterey Peninsula count.
A single Tricolored Heron, welldescribed and present in San Diego forsome time, stayed around long enoughto be counted on count day (CBRC).Six Reddish Egrets were found—two inOrange County Coastal, one inOceanside-Vista, and three in SanDiego. Three Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, a new high count thanks to theaddition of an immature bird, continueat the usual spot in San Diego (CBRC).
A Roseate Spoonbill was photographedon the Salton Sea South count, andanother was reported from Santa Ana.Though there were no accompanyingdetails on the Santa Ana bird, it is likelythat it is the same bird seen on and offby many observers during this past win-ter (CBRC). Escondido remains thehome to a Wood Stork, first found in1987. Five California Condors werefound on the Big Sur count. A singleSwainson’s Hawk on the Sacramentocount was the only one encounteredduring counts this season. Two Zone-tailed Hawks continue their establishedpresence on the Escondido and Venturacounts. Centerville Beach to KingSalmon reported both a CrestedCaracara (CBRC), which has been pres-ent for some time, as well as a photographed Yellow-headed Caracara, whoseorigin is obviously in question.
Twelve Rock Sandpipers was thehighest number the state has recordedfor 30 years. Only 109 Red Phalaropeswere found this year, 100 of those on theSan Diego count. Single Elegant Terns,rare in winter, were well documented onthe Los Angeles and Orange CountyCoastal counts. Salton Sea South record-ed four Laughing Gulls, and Morro Bayadded a new count bird: a photographedFranklin’s Gull. Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls were photographed, oneon the San Jose count and two long-present birds on the Salton Sea South
count (CBRC). A Slaty-backed Gull wasphotographed on the Clear Lake count(CBRC). Single Glaucous Gulls werefound on five counts: Caswell-Westley,Hayward-Fremont, Santa Barbara, SanJose, and Sacramento. Santa Clarita andCrystal Springs also recorded this speciesduring their count week period.
Eurasian Collared-Dove numbersnearly doubled statewide over last year’snumbers, while not a single SpottedDove was reported. Anza Borregorecorded 610 White-winged Doves andonly Salton Sea South, with one, addedto this count for the state. Eighteen IncaDoves and a single Ruddy Ground-Dove, the only of either of these speciesrecorded on counts this year, werereported from the Salton Sea Southcount as well.
Multiple observers on the Bakersfieldcount recorded 37 Vaux’s Swifts, whichis a high count for such an inland local-ity. In addition, 13 other birds were seenon counts in coastal southern California:Los Angeles (1), Long Beach (1), PalosVerde Peninsula (6), and San Diego (5).Adult male Rufous Hummingbirds werewell described from Arcata (a long-present bird), Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
Ten Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers werefound, including an adult male and animmature on the Los Angeles count.Monterey Peninsula also recorded twoof this species, and singles were reportedfrom Marin County, Oakland, Orange
Gray Flycatcher (Empidonax wrightii), Santa Barbara, California. Photo/Louis Bevier
County North, Oceanside-Vista, andWillow Creek. A White-headedWoodpecker, unusual in Long Beach,stayed the winter. Finally, a femaleNuttall’s Woodpecker x DownyWoodpecker hybrid was well document-ed by an experienced observer on theLos Angeles count.
Flycatchers were particularly well rep-resented this year beginning with anOlive-sided Flycatcher that was pho-tographed on the San Diego count; thisis only the second time in the last 15counts that this bird has been recordedin California. Six Hammond’sFlycatchers were reported on fivecounts, two on the San Diego count andsingles at Long Beach, Orange CountyCoastal, Orange County North, andfurther north at Point Reyes Peninsula.A noteworthy 25 Gray Flycatchers werereported, all in southern count circles,with the most northerly report comingfrom the Malibu count. Six WesternFlycatchers were reported, includingwell-documented birds on the Malibu,Orange County Coastal, and Springvillecounts. Three Eastern Phoebes wererecorded on as many counts: Morro Bay,Oceanside-Vista, and San Jacinto Lake.A fourth bird was found during thecount week period in the OrangeCounty Coastal circle. A single Ash-throated Flycatcher was found on theSan Diego count and another was
reported during count week at LongBeach. Eight Tropical Kingbirds werereported, more than has ever beenrecorded during a count season. Onlyfour times in the history of CBCs hasthe number been above five. Convincingdetails were received from Arcata, LongBeach, Orange County Coastal, and, fortwo birds, from Santa Barbara. A Thick-billed Kingbird from the Palos VerdePeninsula count is a bird that has hungaround for some time (CBRC). TwoWestern Kingbirds were photographedthis year, one each from the Los Angelesand Santa Barbara counts. Two Scissor-tailed Flycatchers were also countedduring the period, a bird photographedon the Big Sur count and another on theOceanside-Vista count.
Fourteen Northern Shrikes werereported on eight northern Californiacounts. Twenty Plumbeous Vireos, asmany as has ever been recorded since thesplit in 1984 and more than twice theusual number, were reported on 12counts, including particularly unusualsightings as far north as San Jose andtwo inland at Bakersfield. Seven Cassin’sVireos were reported on six counts,including single well-described birdsfrom the quite northerly counts ofArcata, Oakland, and Point ReyesPeninsula. Arguably the single greatesthighlight for California this year was aphotographed Gray Catbird on theSpringville count. Gray Catbird has onlybeen reported twice before in the histo-ry of California Christmas Bird Counts.Two Sage Thrashers were found at AnzaBorrego and a single bird was seen onthe Panoche Valley count. A Sprague’sPipit was found on the Salton Sea Southcount, where this species has provenannual in winter.
Tennessee Warblers were found onMarin County and Santa Barbaracounts as well as a count week bird forSan Francisco. Twenty-seven NashvilleWarblers were found with a particularnortherly find in Arcata as well as aninland bird at Lancaster. YellowWarblers were similarly spread with asingle bird in Arcata and an inland find
on the Bakersfield count. FifteenHermit Warblers were found on 13counts, the counts with multiple birdswere also the most northerly: MontereyPeninsula and Marin County. TwoBlackburnian Warblers were found—one on the Pasadena-San Gabriel count,the other, a photographed bird, fromRancho Santa Fe. Two Grace’s Warblers,one photographed on the Morro Baycount, the other a count week bird fromPalos Verde Peninsula, are excellentadditions to any count list (CBRC).Four Pine Warblers, one each fromOrange County Coastal, Oceanside-Vista, Santa Barbara, and San Diego arealso exceptional count records (CBRC).Twenty Palm Warblers were reported on10 counts, including one on the SanDiego count and three on the SantaBarbara count. The remaining birdswere all found in northerly coastal coun-ties where they are somewhat moreexpected in winter. Single Black-and-white Warblers were found on count dayin Arcata, Long Beach, MontereyPeninsula, Orange County Coastal, andStockton and, during the count weekperiod, in Claremont and San Diego.Nine American Redstarts were reportedmostly from southern counts; however,two were in relatively northern locales:San Francisco and East Contra CostaCounty. Single Northern Waterthrusheswere well documented from OrangeCounty Coastal, Oceanside-Vista, andPalo Alto. Fifty-two Wilson’s Warblerson 20 counts is about as expected. ThreePainted Redstarts were found on counts,with one each at Claremont, LosAngeles, and Pasadena-San Gabriel.
Twenty-three Summer Tanagers on 15counts is an above-average number. TenGreen-tailed Towhees, half of whichwere found and quite well documentedon the San Diego count, is a rather largenumber. Other counts reporting thisspecies were Bakersfield, Palos Verde,Pasadena-San Gabriel, and SanBernardino Valley. Seven American TreeSparrows on five more northerly countsis typical. Four Clay-colored Sparrowswere found, including photographed
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 101
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) withsea star, Santa Cruz Island, California.Photo/Larry Selman
102 AMERICAN BIRDS
birds in Bakersfield and Benecia andwell-described birds in Rancho Santa Feand San Fernando Valley. Convincingreports of Grasshopper Sparrow camefrom Calero-Morgan Hill, OrangeCounty North, San Jose, and Salton SeaSouth. Eighteen Swamp Sparrows, six ofwhich were reported from the Arcatacount, were found in 10 count circles.Although three Harris’s Sparrows werereported, convincing details were pro-vided for just one bird from MossLanding. All Longspur species werereported in smaller than average num-bers. The largest longspur numbers wereof Lapland Longspurs reported fromYreka (20), Centerville Beach to KingSalmon (15), Tule Lake (13), HoneyLake (11), and Lincoln (10). Arcata,Eagle Lake, Hayward-Fremont, andLong Beach also recorded this species.The only other longspur reported was asingle Chestnut-collared on the SaltonSea South count. One Snow Buntingfrom the Arcata count is currently underreview with the CBRC. Three Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were recorded, twofrom San Diego and one from SanFrancisco. Four counts had single Black-headed Grosbeaks: Orange CountyNorth, Point Reyes, Santa Barbara, andUkiah. Palo Alto and Etna also recordedthis species during the count week.
A photographed and well-documentedRusty Blackbird was found on the DeathValley count; a second bird was reported
for the count week period from RioConsumnes, but no details were submit-ted and this bird would not be acceptedunless documentation has been sent tothe CBRC. A single Orchard Oriole wasfound on the Morro Bay count. ThreeHooded Orioles, one each in LosAngeles, Orange County Coastal, andSan Diego is about average. Thirty-threeBullock’s Orioles were found on 13 most-ly southern counts; exceptions are two atDel Norte and one at Centerville Beachto King Salmon. Single Baltimore Orioleswere well documented on the Los Angeles,Long Beach, and Santa Barbara counts.
Several birds were removed from thedatabase this year, including two Black-chinned Hummingbirds that were notmarked as unusual and were presentedwithout any documentation. A Harris’sSparrow was also removed when aninquiry revealed that it was most likely aHouse Sparrow. An Iceland Gull wasremoved as it was submitted withoutany details. Finally, last year we misat-tributed two Northern Waterthrushes toPasadena when in fact they belonged toPalo Alto. We offer our public apologiesfor that mistake.
Our state’s dedicated compilers andcounters make California’s counts someof the best around. We thank you foryour dedicated support and encourageyou to continue in your participation,and use the excuse of CBCs to get outand spend time in the field.
HAWAII/PACIFIC ISLANDSCommonwealth of Northern Mariana Islandsand GuamThane K. PrattUSGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
P.O. Box 44
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718
The 108th Christmas Bird Count forHawaii and the Northwest Islands regionincluded 12 count circles this year:Midway, Laysan, French Frigate Shoals,Kapaa and Waimea on Kauai Island,
Count circles inHAWAII/PACIFIC ISLANDS
Hawaii detailGuam detail
A Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastriaalbatrus), Laysan Island, Hawaii.Photo/Crystal Bechaver, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 103
Honolulu and Waipio on Oahu Island,Kualapuu on Molokai Island, Puu OKakae and Iao Valley on Maui Island,and North Kona and Volcano on HawaiiIsland. An unofficial count was also con-ducted on Kahoolawe, but results fromthat island can’t be reported until the cir-cle becomes registered. It was great tohave the Maui count circles active againthis year. However, overall participationin the main Hawaiian Islands was low.
Good numbers of seabirds werereported from the three NorthwestIsland count circles. Two Short-tailedAlbatross at Midway Atoll and anothersighted during the count week onLaysan raise hopes that the species maysomeday breed in the leeward islands.The 16 Tristram’s Storm-Petrel at FrenchFrigate Shoals was a high count.
The Laysan Duck starred on theMidway count, with 256 birds talliedfrom this rapidly growing, translocatedpopulation. That number was almost asmany as the 264 birds counted on Laysanthis year! Another translocated bird, theHawaiian Goose (Nene) on Kauai, regis-tered a second year of high counts—198birds—on the Kapaa Circle. A GreaterWhite-fronted Goose, a rare vagrant,turned up at Midway. This was a good
year for Brant, with one bird on theNorth Kona count circle, three on theMolokai circle, and two from theHonolulu circle. It was also an exception-al year for Buffleheads, with one fromNorth Kona, two from Laysan, sevenfrom Iao, Maui, and one from Molokai.Five Gadwall were reported from Molokai.
Counts of the Hawaiian race of Black-necked Stilt added up to 747 birds acrossthe state, an impressive tally for thisspecies emblematic of wetlands conserva-tion. Numbers of migrant shorebirdswere not particularly impressive, however.Highlights included five Bristle-thighedCurlew from Molokai and three Ruffeach from Laysan and Molokai.
Coverage in the mountains, home ofthe native forest birds, was thin againthis year. Two declining Hawaiian hon-eycreepers on Kauai were reported fromthe Waimea count circle: one Akikikiand two Akekee. Counts of 10 endan-gered Oahu Elepaio were reported fromboth the Waipio and Honolulu circles.There was also an endangeredAkohekohe (Crested Honeycreeper)from the Puu O Kakae circle on Mauiand two endangered Akiapolaau fromthe Volcano circle on Hawaii. As forintroduced species, Oahu contributed
high counts of 40 Red-crowned Amazonsfrom the Honolulu circle and nineMariana Swiftlets from the Waipio circle.
For the Pacific Islands region, four cir-cles in the Mariana Islands werecounted—Saipan, Tinian, Dededo(Guam), and Southern Guam. OnlyRota was missed. Coverage was generallygood this year with high counts for manyspecies, especially migrants. First recordsthis year were two Long-billed Dowitchersand a Common Snipe on the Dededocircle, and a Pectoral Sandpiper and fourBlack-naped Terns from SouthernGuam. A night-heron evaded identifica-tion on Saipan, missing the opportunityfor a new record.
MEXICO/BELIZEClaudia Macias CaballeroSubdirección de Conservación
Pronatura Sur
Oficina Tuxtla Gutiérrez
16 Oriente y 3a Sur No. 1706
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas 29000 Mexico
This year two new CBC circles wereadded to the Mexico and Belize region(Estero El Yugo, Sinaloa; and Mountainsof San Cristobal, Chiapas). Each seasonnow since the beginning of the 21st
Count circles inMEXICO/BELIZE
century, as many as four circles havebeen added every year in the region,which sounds like very nice progress!However, we have been facing anotherreality in this region: the complexity ofrunning all the Christmas Bird Countcircles every year.
The Mexico/Belize region has regis-tered so far 43 circles (4 from Belize, 38from Mexico). However, five of thesehave been inactive in the last 10 years,and six have been inactive in the last fiveyears. So, we currently could say that the“active ones” are 31 circles (2 from Belizeand 29 from Mexico). From these, 20percent, on average, are not run everyyear. The reasons for this are threefold:(1) Compilers live far away from the cir-cles (most compilers of circles in thenorthern most part of Mexico live in theUnited States), which implies time andbudget availability; (2) difficulty of get-ting enough participants to run the circle(even people from the U.S. or fromMexico), and (3) compilers move anddon’t recruit somebody else for his/herrole at the CBC initiative.
During the 108th CBC season, a totalof 26 circles were active in the region (24from Mexico and 2 from Belize). We had370 birders involved in these circles. Asusual, circles with the highest number ofspecies recorded were Punta Gorda,Belize (254 species); Ensenada, BajaCalifornia (194); San Carlos, Sonora(175); and Gallon Jug, Belize (171).
Remarkable records from differentcircles are listed next.
Punta Gorda Belize: Unusual species(US) records of White Ibis (2), RoseateSpoonbill (18), Ornate Hawk-Eagle(1), Rufous-necked Wood-Rail (1),Black-necked Stilt (16), Roseate Tern(6), Scaled Pigeon (3), Gray-headedDove (4), Violet Sabrewing (1), BrownViolet-ear (1), Willow Flycatcher (1),and Chestnut-headed Oropendola (2).
Ensenada, Baja California: A lowrecord counts (LC) of Gadwall (7 indi-viduals), Surf Scoter (229), Willet (109),and Marbled Godwit (334), with unusu-al species (US) records of LesserYellowlegs (1), Elegant Tern (2), Short-
eared Owl (1), Golden-crowned Kinglet(1), and Tennessee Warbler (2).
San Carlos Sonora: Unusual records ofBlue-winged Teal (1), Pied-billed Grebe(4) and Horned Grebe (2). Also, this countrecorded a high count (HC) of EaredGrebe (551). Additional unusual speciesthere were Roseate Spoonbill (3), Cooper’sHawk (1), Broad-winged Hawk (1),Rough-legged Hawk (1), Peregrine Falcon(2), Clapper Rail (1), Baird’s Sandpiper(2), Herring Gull (2), Eurasian Collared-Dove (14), Ruddy Ground-Dove (2),Burrowing Owl (1), Anna’s Hummingbird(1), Bell’s Vireo (15), Cassin’s Vireo (1),
Warbling Vireo (2), Painted Redstart (1),and American Goldfinch (7).
Great job birdwatchers! Enjoy the nextChristmas Bird Count season!
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAChile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala,Nicaragua, Panama, and TrinidadLouis R. Bevier46 Back Road
Fairfield, ME 04937
A total of 38 counts from LatinAmerica more than doubles those runand successfully entered into the data-
104 AMERICAN BIRDS
Central America detail
Count circles inCENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
base last year. This is thanks to a hugeeffort in Colombia, where 19 countssubmitted results. Many of these wererun by just a few individuals and for justa few hours in some cases, but they got itdone. Congratulations! With sponsorslike Groupo Ixobrychus, what’s not tolike about these counters? In Ecuador,Mindo and Napo set new all-timerecords with 425 and 418 species, respec-tively. Compiler Lani Miller madespecial note of boreal migrants, which setrecords both in numbers and species.Mindo had its first Cerulean Warbler in10 years (173 Blackburnian Warblers isnot bad either). I think it is worth men-tioning that a party of counters led byOscar Tapuy recorded 285 species intheir section of the Napo count alone,and they weren’t out all day. There’s lotsof potential there, for sure. Althoughmany new counts were run inColombia, all the Amazonian and east-ern Brazil counts unfortunately wentmissing this year (data entry or notrun). Sea-birders in the South AtlanticOcean, Drake Passage, recorded 17species, including Soft-plumaged Petrel(Pterodroma mollis); not reported in thedatabase (yet) and so published here forcompleteness; Drake Passage alsocounted five unidentified diving-petrels, 12 unidentified penguins, and12 unidentified prions.
Central America hosted 12 counts:two in Guatemala, one in Nicaragua, fivein Costa Rica, and the usual four inPanama. High species total for CentralAmerica went to La Selva, Lower BraulioCarillo N.P., Costa Rica, with 369. Thenew Atitlan Volcano, Guatemala, countcompiled by Knut Eisermann adds someregional endemics for the first time onChristmas Bird Counts, including fourindividuals of the endangered andrestricted-range Horned Guan! Atitlanalso recorded Highland Guan, White-bellied Chachalaca, Fulvous Owl,Blue-throated Motmot, RufousSabrewing, Green-throated Mountain-gem, Slender Sheartail, Wine-throatedHummingbird, Black-capped Swallow,Rufous-collared Robin, Bushy-crested
and Black-throated jays, Azure-rumpedTanager, and Bar-winged Oriole toround out the specialties from thisregion. The Panama counts continuestrong and well-organized. A CanadaWarbler was unusual on the AtlanticCanal Area count.
WEST INDIES/BERMUDABahamas, Bermuda, Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico, Virgin IslandsRobert L. Norton8960 NE Waldo Road
Gainseville, FL 32609
A snapshot analysis of effort amongthe Antillean counts suggests thatregardless of island size, as more partic-ipants are involved with a given CBC,the higher the reported species total islikely to be for that count (see Figure 1).The expected number of species percount area can be determined by thecumulative list from the count’s incep-tion. If we were to look at the printedresults of St. Thomas, U.S. VirginIslands, from 1980 to 1990, for exam-ple, a CBC with which I was veryfamiliar, we can determine the predict-ed number is 78 species. Today,unfortunately, we no longer receive areport from St. Thomas, thus losing animportant link between Puerto Ricoand the British Virgin Islands. It seemsunlikely that the number of species isdeclining on the island; what I suspectis that observers’ familiarity with the
habitats and potential for identifyingspecies in those areas is declining after20 years of increased development sincethe count was resurrected in 1980. It isalso very likely that accessibility to for-mer areas where migrant birds werelocated is severely limited, making itchallenging to find birds in the availabledeveloped areas. As for St. John, whichis predominantly protected public lands(and thus continues to be run), it wouldseem to be a migrant trap, and yet thenumbers of species reported from thatisland are declining. What’s going on ischallenging to hypothesize, but contin-ued CBCs in the area will help thepicture come into focus. There may notbe new places to establish viable countsin these overcrowded areas, but keepingexisting counts active is very important.
The Bermuda and Cabo Rojo, PuertoRico, counts are consistently run andsubmitted, which is the hallmark of reli-able data. The return of the Anegada,British Virgin Islands, count is encour-aging and a step in the right directionfor monitoring the reintroduced popu-lation of flamingos. The new NorthAndros, Bahamas, count is a welcomeaddition to a well-established Bahamiancadre of birders who continually chal-lenge for the region’s top species total.Taken together, all the Bahamiancounts will provide an excellentoverview of the migrant and non-breedingresident bird populations. Puerto Rico’sconsistently high level of participation
THE 108TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT AMERICAN BIRDS 105
Figure 1. Number of species reported compared with participation level.
also provides reliable data for nativespecies trends as well as the burgeoninggroup of exotic, introduced species.
Another issue that is of interest andpotential concern in the Caribbean (aswell as other areas) is the increasingnumber of species, populations, anddistributions of exotic birds (see Table1). Whether these population increasesare imposing threats to native specieshas yet to be determined. In the 10years since the last compilation of suchfigures, the number of exotic species hasincreased and populations have explod-ed, especially Rock Pigeon (escapesfrom racing clubs), the parakeets,European Starlings (a cavity nester),Troupial, House Sparrow, and the wax-bills. Further studies are necessary todetermine the effects of these species onthe nesting success and distributions ofnative Island species.
106 AMERICAN BIRDS
Count circles inWEST INDIES/BERMUDA
Table 1. Ten-year difference in the number of exotic species reported on Caribbean Christmas Bird Counts, 98th to 108th CBC seasons.
Species 98th CBC 108th CBC Island CountsMuscovy Duck 8 AR, GB, TORed Junglefowl 10 CRCommon Peafowl 13Northern Bobwhite 37 cw NPHelmeted Guineafowl 141 CR, SC, Rock Pigeon 183 774 AO, AR, CR, FA, GB, NP, SB, SCTorresian Imperial Pigeon cw NPEurasian Collared-Dove 887 821 AO, GB, NA, NP, SJ, Ringed Turtle-Dove 34 46 AR, FA, SCCaribbean Dove 1 5 NPMonk Parakeet 18 147 AROrange-fronted Parakeet 58 85 FARed-and-green Macaw 1 TOCanary-winged Parakeet 30 1,468 AR, CRSulphur-crested Cockatoo 1 cw NPRed-crowned Parrot 1 CRRed-masked Parrot 16 ARParrot sp. 3 SJEuropean Starling 1 70 AO, FA, GB, NA,Cuban Grassquit 44 76 NPTroupial 66 142 CRHouse Sparrow 63 298 AO, AR, CR, FA, GB, NA, NP, SB, SC, SJ, TOVillage Weaver 21 6 PE, SBOrange Bishop 70 CRRed Bishop 581 AR, Orange-cheeked Waxbill 70 371 AR, CR, Black-rumped Waxbill 2 FAIndian Silverbill 125 27 CR, FABronze Mannikin 629 244 AR, FANutmeg Mannikin 95 222 AR,FAChestnut Mannikin 2 FAPin-tailed Whydah 56 97 AR, FA
AO=Abaco, AR=Arecibo, CR=Cabo Rojo, FA=Fajardo, GB=Grand Bahama, NA=North Andros, NP=New Providence, PE=Puerto Escondido, SB=Salinas-Bani,SC=St Croix, SJ=St. John, TO=Tortola; cw=count week
