Appleton-Whittell Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
Dedicated to the Memory of Dr. Robert Whitcomb
The next Appleton-Whittell Christmas Bird Count (AWCBC) is
set for Saturday, December 31, 2011, so please mark your calendars.
The most recent AWCBC was held on Sunday, January 2, 2011.
98 species were recorded by 29 participants.
The results from the last count are summarized below.
In order to join the next AWCBC, send e-mail to
weissler@aves.org
with the subject AWCBC.
(Elegant Trogon in Huachuca Canyon. Photo by John Langholff, 9 August 2009)
This count is dedicated to Dr. Robert Whitcomb, the founder of this count,
who lost his battle with cancer and died on December 21, 2007.
Please read the
Washington Post article
to learn more about the life of this renowned research entomologist.
(Photo by Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)
See the
AWCBC map of territories for a depiction of area boundaries.
Download the
Field Card (
PDF,
DOC
) on which to tally birds seen, the
Checklist of bird species,
the official CBC Rare Bird Form, and the
Party Hours/Miles Form
can be printed for use during the bird count. Afterwards, you can mail
hardcopy tally sheets and party hours forms from the count to
Robert Weissler, P.O. Box 1105, Hereford, AZ 85615. Or if you have an
on-line checklist from the count, you can e-mail it to
weissler@aves.org.
The Count Circle
Appleton-Whittell Christmas Bird Count Results
Twenty-nine participants took part in the 5th annual Appleton-Whittell Christmas Bird Count (AWCBC) on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011. Once again, the A-W CBC enjoyed favorable weather conditions with clear skies and mild temperatures. The final species total stands at 98, a bit lower than last year. The total number of individuals encountered is 5,037. This is noticeably higher than last year and comparable to the prior two years before that.
A Cassin's Kingbird and a Lewis's Woodpecker were seen for the first time on the count. There were leaps in the high counts for Bushtit, Rock Wren, House Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Phainopepla, Green-tailed Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow and Lincoln's Sparrow. An unidentified gull soaring high was particularly unusual for the count. Despite favorable weather, especially in the afternoon, raptor numbers remained lower than the first several years. While White-tailed Kite was missed, a Ferruginous Hawk was a nice addition.
With ample rain last winter and summer, there was abundant fruit in the canyons, yet a distinct lack of thrushes. Eastern Bluebird and American Robin were conspicuous for their absence on the count. And only three Western Bluebirds seen on the entire count. While it is possible that numbers of thrushes have not rebounded from drought years, another possible explanation is simply that they did not migrate as far south because of milder conditions or abundant resources further north. For example, Western Bluebirds were numerous at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in October. Another "miss" was Elegant Trogon despite plenty of fruit on madrones that they often visit in winter (if they overwinter).
Grassland sparrows were seen in good numbers unlike recent years, including many Grasshopper Sparrows along with Vesper, Brewer's, Black-throated, and Savannah. Chipping Sparrows were also encountered frequently in the canyons of the Huachucas as well as in the Sonoita Valley.
(Elegant Trogon in Huachuca Canyon. Photo by
Ed Bustya, 9 August 2009.
See more at
Ed Bustya's Nature Images)
We thank all of the participants for a count well done.
The next Appleton-Whittell Christmas Bird Count (AWCBC) is tentatively
set for Saturday, December 31, 2011, so please mark your calendars.
Mark your calendars for next year. We are excited already!
Robert Weissler
Compiler
For all of the details of the AWCBC, please visit the CBC website at
http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/.
Last updated: 15 November 2011 by REW.
Back to Top
