Lancaster County Bird Club
preservation of our native bird life.
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Lancaster County Bird Club |
| Lancaster, Pennsylvania | |
| Founded December 8, 1937 | |
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to secure the cultivation of public sentiment in the preservation of our native bird life. |
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This, the sixth edition of the Research Issue, represents the scientific side of the 1995 activities conducted by the Lancaster County Bird Club. The publication of this annual report provides a varied record of the bird species found in Lancaster County and makes this information available for any person or organization doing avian research in our area. It fulfills one of the Club's primary purposes--to keep a record of the bird life of Lancaster County.
This edition includes the following reports:
There is no report on the Southern Lancaster County Summer Bird Count this year. There were not enough volunteers for this project in 1995 and it was decided that the limited data gathered would not be scientifically significant.
Also, no new report on the Migration and Dispersal Project was filed for 1995. This is due to very few new pieces of information being received by the compiler.
This was a big year for the Solanco CBC: its 20th consecutive year of censusing the early winter bird populations in Southern Lancaster County. Sixty-eight participants took part in the count. We had partly cloudy to clear skies, 5-15 mph NW winds, and temperatures from the mid-20's to upper 30's. Farm ponds were mostly frozen, but the River, lakes, and creeks were ice free. There was patchy snow cover.
One-hundred-nine species were identified, second only to last year's record of 112. Our four highest counts have occurred in the past five years. The 195,546 total birds was just above the 20-year average of 184,000. Largest species counts included 32,000 Snow Geese, 25,000 Ring-billed Gulls, and 69,000 Common Grackles. Fifty-three species were tallied in greater than or equal to average numbers, while 40 were found in less than average numbers.
A Northern Shrike was seen along the West Branch of the Octoraro southwest of Kirkwood. It has been a good winter for this species throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. It was our one new bird, bringing the 20-year cumulative species count to 156. Our only other shrike was a Loggerhead found the very first year of the count (1976) near the famed Eurasian Wigeon pond.
A flock of five White-winged Scoters was on the Susquehanna, the third occurrence for this species in the history of the count. Two Merlins were studied on opposite sides of the count circle, also the 3rd record. This raptor is wintering with increasing regularity at inland sites. Two Northern Saw-whet Owls were found before dawn near Peter's Creek, the fourth year this species has been found. The fourth record for Palm warbler was a bird studied well near Octoraro Lake. A Chipping Sparrow was carefully picked out of a mixed sparrow flock near Little Britain, only the sixth count record. All of these species are unusual in early winter.
New high counts were tallied for fifteen species, all of which deserve individual discussion. Notice the wide range in these species with one or two representatives of many different families. We have found White-winged Scoters on the past two counts, with one previous record in 1979. With increased coverage of the River more are likely to be observed in upcoming years. Our only other scoter was a single Black in 1982. Cooper's Hawk went through the roof with 10 sighted compared to a previous high of 6 and an average of 4. Accipiters are doing well in general. There were two Goshawks last year with only one previous record in 1980. The Sharp-shin average from 1986 to 1995 was 17.9, twice the average observed from 1976 to 1985. Merlins are also showing the start of a trend with 4 sightings in the past decade versus none in the first decade of the count.
Wild Turkey has been seen 9 of the last 10 years, only 3 of 10 previous to that. The record flock of 10 was at Muddy Run, not at Camp Wade on the lower Octoraro Creek where they are usually found. Coots appear to be making a comeback with 10 this year and 8 last year. These numbers pale compared to the 800+ at Codorus State Park this winter, but are good for the Solanco area. Coots have had good breeding conditions in recent years in the prairie pothole region of North America.
Gull numbers continue to climb. We found the first lesser Black-backed Gull in 1987 and have now recorded it 4 of the last 5 years. It is almost to be expected with any diligent searching. The 20-year average for Great Black-backed Gull is 164 and the previous high was 320 in 1989; 800 were tallied this year. Bonaparte's Gull has become a regular winter bird on the River. It has occurred 8 of the last 9 years, with only 2 previous records.
This was the year of the Saw-whet Owl in eastern North America. Record numbers were banded at almost every banding station on the East Coast (e.g. 1020 as of 12/30/95 Kiptopeke, VA). We found 2 in close proximity along Peter's Creek; how many more undetected? Record high counts for Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers have all occurred in the past two years. There is no apparent explanation why this family is doing so well. This year's total of 235 Red-bellied Woodpeckers was 100 greater than the 20-year average. Eastern Phoebe has been recorded 13 of the last years, with this year's total of 9 far surpassing any previous count.
Check that acorn crop while you rake leaves in the fall and you can almost predict the wintering Blue Jay population; this year saw record highs for both. Good mast crop can also explain high numbers of Red-headed Woodpecker, Wild Turkey, and Gray Squirrel. Red-breasted arrived early (late August), in large numbers, then continued to move south. Compare this to 285 White-breasted Nuthatch: three times the average and twice the previous high. This species is in true abundance this year.
Eastern Bluebird continues its phenomenal population growth: compare counts in the 20's during the first three years to 429 in 1994 and 438 in 1995. We can safely say that properly maintained nest boxes work well for this species. Exactly what works for the Northern Mockingbird is not clear, but the proliferation of Multiflora Rose is a good bet. This species topped 300 for the first time, nearly doubling the 20-year average. There could also be a correlation between Multiflora Rose and our large wintering White-crowned Sparrow population. Solanco tallies phenomenal numbers compared to any other nearby Christmas count.
A single individual of Palm Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow were each found on this year's count. These species are scarce in late December in south central Pennsylvania. Not far to our south on the Delmarva Peninsula they are relatively easy to find (e.g. a flock of 50 Chipping Sparrows in Pocomoke, MD 1/1/96). What a difference 100 miles makes.
In comparison to the 15 new high counts discussed above, we achieved no new lows this year; many of our record lows, especially with songbirds, owls, and woodpeckers, were tallied in 1978. In that year 50+ mph winds blew the entire day, foiling all efforts to hear and see even the most common species. Examples abound: that was the only year year we missed Great Blue Heron, lowest count for Screech and Great Horned Owls, and record lows for four different woodpeckers. There were dismal totals of 16 species of songbirds, with total misses on Winter Wren and Hermit Thrush, and only one Fox Sparrow and Swamp Sparrow.
Seventy-five species have been observed 17 years or more of the 20 years of the Solanco CBC; 60 of these species have been found all 20 years. These are the birds that make up the bulk of the population, the ones we see every day as we drive our cars, take a walk, or look at our feeders. At the other end of the spectrum are the 16 species that have only been seen once and the twelve species that have been found twice. These are the rarities that keep the count exciting; the Pacific-slope Flycatcher two years in a row, the first county record of Great Cormorant, the Ross' Goose, Golden Eagle, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Red Crossbill. It's the warm weather birds that we don't expect in December; the Baltimore Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Wilson's Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Least Sandpipers. And we can't forget the Kingbirds from opposite points of the compass; the Western in 1994 and the even more bizarre Eastern in 1984.
And will the drake Eurasian Wigeon return in 1996, for the eighth consecutive year? Join us on Sunday, December 22 for the 21st annual southern Lancaster County Christmas Bird Count, and we'll see.
The 59th Lancaster Christmas Bird Count is now history. As always, there are similarities and differences. In spite of a cool two weeks preceding the count, 86 species and 57,891 individuals were tallied. Actually, the nicest day in those two weeks was count day, the 30th of December, with the afternoon temperature reaching 40°F.
Overall numbers are not much different from the 1985-1994 ten-year averages of 83 species and 82,500 individuals. Individual numbers don't mean much on this count. We're dependent upon the blackbird flocks, which depend on temperature and snow cover. There were an estimated 200,000 starlings and cowbirds in 1986; less than 10,000 this ear.
The cooler weather and snow cover didn't seem to bother our "semi-hardy" birds. Thrasher on the York side of the Susquehanna River, the first since 1981, and a Pine Warbler on the east, the first since 1985, were of note. Also found were Eastern Phoebe, Gray Catbird, and a count week Palm Warbler.
Two species were in all-time high numbers: Brown Creeper at 58 (10-year average 33 and previous high 53), and Winter Wren at 27 (10-year average six and previous high 16 in 1994).
One last comment, House Finch numbers have dropped drastically from a high of 1,024 just two years ago in 1993 to 369 this year. This seems a bit too drastic to be just a counting fluke. Is the conjunctivitis taking its toll? We honestly have not noticed any at our feeders.
My thanks to all who participated. I had fun counting and hope you did too, in spite of a nippy early morning. Next year, bring your friends--the more the merrier!
The Lititz Area Christmas Bird Count was held on December 31, 1995. Species observed totaled 80, and 27,599 individuals were tallied.
Editor's Note: No details are available as no narrative accompanied this year's report, however, the count chart [appeared in the print edition].
Lancaster County birders identified 271 total species in 1995. This is the third time in the last four years that a total of 270 species or higher has been seen.
Two species were added to the 19-year cumulative list which is now at 317 species, and the 18-year average has now climbed to 252 species.
The three Swallow-tailed Kites and the two/three Mississippi Kites that were located near the Berks/Lancaster county line were by far the most exciting highlight this year. Both species were new county records. The birds put on quite a show and were seen by many. Another highlight that was witnessed by some birders while searching for the Kites were the flocks of shorebirds that flew by. A one-day total of approximately 270 Whimbrel, 50 Sanderling, and about 1,000 unidentified shorebirds were observed flying in a northwest direction.
Some other sightings of note include the 12 species of gulls that were identified. The list includes two separate sightings of Franklin's Gull, one at Columbia and one at the Susquehanna River Conejohela Flats; one Sabine's Gull at Washington Boro; and a beautiful breeding plumage Common Black-headed Gull on the Conowingo Pond. This was the third time in the last four years that Franklin's Gull was found, the Sabine's Gull represented the third County record, and the Common Black-headed Gull was the first sighting since 1992. A Western Kingbird was found in the County for a second year in a row at Middle Creek WMA. A Black Skimmer was found at Columbia and, presumably, the same bird was seen flying at Washington Boro later that same day.
Some of the many other highlights include Great Cormorant, Ross' Goose, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Willet, Little Gull, Least Tern, Northern Shrike, Dickcissel, Red Crossbill, Brewer's and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.
Two other species seen this year, but the origin of these birds is unclear, include the Whooper Swan at Octoraro Lake and the Trumpeter Swan at Middle Creek WMA.
The accompanying chart [in the print edition] illustrates some shorebird history for the Conejohela Flats. Particular emphasis is placed on 1994 and 1995, when a serious effort was made to document numbers. In previous years, more concern had been placed on variety.
The season estimate is based on light, moderate, and heavy migration periods from April 15 through October 20. Some migration occurs before and after these dates, but the numbers are small and therefore not used.
Why has the count higher in 1995 than in 1994? During the spring of 1995, all twelve counts were full days, not partials as in 1994. Also, more hours per day were put in during the fall migration, although most were not full days. This would suggest that the 1995 count would be more representative of what's really happening with shorebirds on the Flats.
If Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers are removed from the count, the adjusted daily average of migrant shorebirds is 77 and 121 respectively, or 99 for the two year period. This number is slightly higher than the 96 bird average produced during the 1950's and 60's. This data makes a strong case for the historical and current importance of the Conejohela Flats for shorebirds. In fact, it is one of the few, and almost certainly the heaviest used, dependable shorebird habitat in Pennsylvania.
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