Special thanks to Tony Licata for organizing the Christmas Bird Count again this year and compiling the following report. It was a great year! For more information or if you are interested in volunteering for next year’s count, contact Tony at aflicata02@gmail.com.
Tony Licata’s interesting observations:
Despite later migration, Hurricane Ian habitat destruction and partly cloudy skies with breezy winds, our total count was UP to 17036, a 41% increase compared to 12053 in 2021; 22865 in 2020; 16446 in 2019; 22330 in 2018; 19,247 in 2017; 21,266 in 2016; 23,272 in 2015. The increase in numbers in 2022 was due to a 1,352% increase in Lesser Scaup 2193 versus 151 in 2021. A decrease of 49% in European Starlings lessened the increase.
On count day we saw 133 species, an increase of 5% versus 127 in 2021; 125 in 2020; 120 in 2019; 136 in 2018; 137 in 2017; 140 in 2016; 133 in 2015; 125 in 2014; 143 in 2013. For count week we saw 134 species, a decrease of 5% versus 137 in 2021; 135 in 2020; 125 in 2019; 140 in 2018; 144 in 2017; 145 in 2016; 133 in 2015.
There were 19 birds that we recorded through count week in 2022 but not in 2021: Least Bittern, Northern Bobwhite, Crested Caracara, Long-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin, Peregrine Falcon, American Goldfinch, Burrowing Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Parula, Virginia Rail, American Robin, Sora, Grasshopper Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Cedar Waxwing Whip-poor-will, and marsh Wren. There were 15 birds that we did not record through count week in 2022 but did in 2021: Mallard/Mottled Duck, Canada Goose, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Short-tailed Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Snail Kite, Red-breasted Merganser, Merlin, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Sanderling, Black Skimmer, Cinnamon Teal, Cinnamon/Bluewinged Teal, Eastern Towhee, and Red-headed Woodpecker.
Of the birds we did see, there were 8 species that had at least a 65% decline: Mallard Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Herring Gull, Common Loon, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Tufted Titmouse, and Downy Woodpecker.
Counts were up at least 200% for 15 species including: Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Fish Crow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Common Grackle, Scrub Jay, White Pelican, Black-bellied Plover, Lesser Scaup, Forster’s Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, Solitary (Blue-headed) Vireo, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Greater Yellowlegs.
There can be wide fluctuations in counts from one year to the next as with Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Scrub Jay, Lesser Scaup, Forster’s Tern, Yellow-throatedWarbler, and Greater Yellowlegs, which declined more than 65% in 2021, but rose more than 200% in 2022. The opposite held true for Mallard Duck, Herring Gull, Common Loon, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Roseate Spoonbill, Tufted Titmouse which increased more than 200% in 2021, but declined more than 65% in 2022.
2022 The top 10 birds 2021 The top 10 birds
accounting for 73% of the total sightings were: accounting for 59% of the total sightings were:
1. Lesser Scaup 2193 (13%) 1. European Starling 1467 (12%)
2. Fish Crow 2165 2. Mourning Dove 944
3. Common Grackle 2007 3. White Ibis 894
4. Tree Swallow 1333 4. Tree Swallow 867
5. Double-crested Cormorant 1071 5. Double-crested Cormorant 742
6. Mourning Dove 1010 6. Boat-tailed Grackle 716
7. White Ibis 804 7. Common Grackle 502
8. Boat-tailed Grackle 795 8. Laughing Gull 391
9. European Starling 747 9. Black Vulture 270
10. Laughing Gull 319 10. Turkey Vulture 261
Fish Crow, Lesser Scaup were added to the top ten, while Black and Turkey Vultures were deleted; otherwise all the other species just changed their rankings.
The following 8 birds had equal to or higher totals than in any of the last 20 years: LeastBittern, Indigo Bunting, Crested Caracara, Fish Crow, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Owl, Northern Parula, and Yellow-throated Warbler.
There were 12 birds that are seen occasionally which we did not record through count week in the last two years: American Bittern, Canvasback, Short-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red Knot, American Redstart, Northern Shoveler, Vesper Sparrow, Hermit Thrush, American Wigeon, and Sedge Wren.
| Common Name of bird | 2022 | % 22 to 21 | 2021 |
| Anhinga | 93 | -2% | 95 |
| Bittern American | 0 | 0 | |
| Bittern Least | 3 | *** | 0 |
| Blackbird Brewer’s | 0 | 0 | |
| Blackbird Red-winged | 41 | -63% | 112 |
| Blackbird Rusty | 0 | 0 | |
| Blackbird Yellow-headed | 0 | cw | |
| Bluebird Eastern | 7 | 250% | 2 |
| Bobwhite Northern | 11 | *** | 0 |
| Bufflehead | 0 | 0 | |
| Bunting Indigo | 11 | 267% | 3 |
| Bunting, Painted | 6 | 0% | 6 |
| Canvasback | 0 | 0 | |
| Caracara, Crested | 3 | *** | 0 |
| Cardinal Northern | 72 | -25% | 96 |
| Catbird Gray | 43 | -33% | 64 |
| Coot American | 88 | 54% | 57 |
| Cormorant Double-crested | 1071 | 44% | 742 |
| Cowbird Brown-headed | 10 | -64% | 28 |
| Cowbird Shiny | 0 | 0 | |
| Crane Sandhill | 19 | -41% | 32 |
| Crow American | 35 | -39% | 57 |
| Crow Fish | 2165 | 898% | 217 |
| Dove Common Ground | 16 | -63% | 43 |
| Dove Eurasian Collared | 88 | -50% | 176 |
| Dove Mourning | 1010 | 7% | 944 |
| Dove Ringed Turtle | 0 | 0 | |
| Dove Rock (Rock Pigeon) | 150 | 103% | 74 |
| Dove, White-winged | 23 | -58% | 55 |
| Dowitcher Short-billed | 0 | 0 | |
| Dowitcher Long-billed | 35 | *** | 0 |
| Duck Mallard | 2 | -78% | 9 |
| Duck Mottled | 111 | -46% | 204 |
| Duck, Mallard/Mottled | 0 | 1 | |
| Duck, Mandarin | 1 | !!!! | |
| Duck Muscovy | 40 | -29% | 56 |
| Duck Ring-necked | 2 | -96% | 50 |
| Duck Ruddy | 0 | 0 | |
| Duck Whistling-Black Bellied | 232 | -3% | 238 |
| Duck, Wood | 0 | 0 | |
| Dunlin | 4 | *** | 0 |
| Eagle Bald | 27 | 17% | 23 |
| Egret Cattle | 143 | -16% | 170 |
| Egret Great | 114 | 0% | 114 |
| Egret Reddish | 0 | 0 | |
| Egret Snowy | 27 | -47% | 51 |
| Falcon, Peregrine | 2 | *** | 0 |
| Finch, House | 3 | 0% | 3 |
| Flicker Northern (Yellow-shafted) | 9 | 50% | 6 |
| Flycatcher Great Crested | 3 | 200% | 1 |
| Flycatcher, Least | 0 | 0 | |
| Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Frigatebird Magnificent | 1 | 0% | 1 |
| Gadwall | 0 | 0 | |
| Gallinule Common | 141 | 55% | 91 |
| Gallinule Purple | 2 | -33% | 3 |
| Gnatcatcher Blue-gray | 108 | -22% | 138 |
| Godwit, Marbled | 0 | 0 | |
| Goldeneye Common | 0 | 0 | |
| Goldfinch American | 4 | *** | cw |
| Goose Canada | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Goose Snow | 0 | 0 | |
| Grackle Boat-tailed | 795 | 11% | 716 |
| Grackle Common | 2007 | 300% | 502 |
| Grebe Eared | 0 | 0 | |
| Grebe Horned | 0 | 0 | |
| Grebe Pied-billed | 28 | -3% | 29 |
| Gull Bonaparte’s | 0 | 0 | |
| Gull Franklin’s | 0 | 0 | |
| Gull Great Black-backed | 0 | 0 | |
| Gull Lesser Black-backed | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Gull Herring | 4 | -81% | 21 |
| Gull Laughing | 319 | -18% | 391 |
| Gull Ring-billed | 161 | 22% | 132 |
| Harrier Northern | 1 | 0% | 1 |
| Hawk Cooper’s | 3 | 2 | |
| Hawk Red-shouldered | 59 | 84% | 32 |
| Hawk Red-tailed | 2 | -50% | 4 |
| Hawk Sharp-shinned | 0 | cw | |
| Hawk, Short-tailed | 0 | -100% | 4 |
| Hawk,Broad-winged | 0 | 0 | |
| Hawk, Swainson’s | 0 | 0 | |
| Heron Great Blue (Blue form) | 65 | -3% | 67 |
| Heron Great Blue (White form) | 0 | 0 | |
| Heron Green | 10 | -38% | 16 |
| Heron Little Blue | 68 | -52% | 143 |
| Heron Tricolored | 20 | -31% | 29 |
| Hummingbird Ruby-throated | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Ibis Glossy | 94 | 12% | 84 |
| Ibis White | 804 | -10% | 894 |
| Jay Blue | 107 | -8% | 116 |
| Jay Scrub | 16 | 700% | 2 |
| Kestrel American | 19 | -10% | 21 |
| Killdeer | 45 | 67% | 27 |
| Kingbird,Eastern | 0 | 0 | |
| Kingfisher Belted | 31 | 19% | 26 |
| Kinglet Ruby-crowned | 2 | 100% | 1 |
| Kite Snail | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Knot Red | 0 | 0 | |
| Limpkin | 26 | 18% | 22 |
| Loon Common | 1 | -75% | 4 |
| Meadowlark Eastern | 5 | -29% | 7 |
| Merganser Hooded | 8 | -47% | 15 |
| Merganser Red-breasted | 0 | -100% | 47 |
| Merlin | 0 | -100% | 2 |
| Mockingbird Northern | 278 | 36% | 205 |
| Night-Heron Black-crowned | 0 | -100% | 7 |
| Night-Heron Yellow-crowned | 3 | -86% | 21 |
| Nuthatch Brown-headed | 5 | 25% | 4 |
| Oriole, Northern | 0 | 0 | |
| Osprey | 57 | -8% | 62 |
| Ovenbird | 1 | -50% | 2 |
| Owl Burrowing | 1 | *** | 0 |
| Owl Eastern Screech | 0 | 0 | |
| Owl Great Horned | 1 | 0% | 1 |
| Owl,Barred | 5 | *** | 0 |
| Owl, Barn | 0 | 0 | |
| Oystercatcher American | 0 | 0 | |
| Parakeet Monk | 11 | -45% | 20 |
| Parula, Northern | 3 | *** | cw |
| Pelican Brown | 63 | -57% | 148 |
| Pelican White | 35 | 289% | 9 |
| Phoebe Eastern | 27 | 13% | 24 |
| Pintail Northern | 0 | 0 | |
| Pipit, American | 0 | 0 | |
| Plover Black-bellied | 22 | 1000% | 2 |
| Plover Semipalmated | 21 | 17% | 18 |
| Rail Clapper | 2 | 100% | 1 |
| Rail, King | 0 | 0 | |
| Rail, Virginia | 1 | *** | 0 |
| Redhead | 0 | 0 | |
| Redstart, American | 0 | 0 | |
| Robin American | 175 | *** | cw |
| Sanderling | 0 | -100% | 8 |
| Sandpiper Least | 42 | 45% | 29 |
| Sandpiper Spotted | 6 | -25% | 8 |
| Sandpiper Western | 1 | *** | 0 |
| Sapsucker Yellow-bellied | 2 | 100% | 1 |
| Scaup Lesser | 2193 | 1352% | 151 |
| Scaup, Greater | 0 | 0 | |
| Scoter, Black | 0 | 0 | |
| Shoveler Northern | 0 | 0 | |
| Shrike Loggerhead | 158 | -5% | 166 |
| Skimmer Black | 0 | -100% | 8 |
| Snipe, Wilson’s | 7 | 40% | 5 |
| Sora | 2 | *** | cw |
| Sparrow Bachman’s | 0 | cw | |
| Sparrow Chipping | 0 | 0 | |
| Sparrow Grasshopper | 1 | *** | 0 |
| Sparrow House | 30 | 30% | 23 |
| Sparrow Savannah | 6 | 50% | 4 |
| Sparrow Song | 0 | 0 | |
| Sparrow Swamp | 3 | *** | 0 |
| Sparrow, Vesper | 0 | 0 | |
| Sparrow, White-throated | 0 | 0 | |
| Spoonbill Roseate | 1 | -83% | 6 |
| Starling European | 747 | -49% | 1467 |
| Stork Wood | 43 | 8% | 40 |
| Swallow Barn | 0 | 0 | |
| Swallow Northern Rough-winged | 0 | 0 | |
| Swallow Tree | 1335 | 54% | 867 |
| Swamphen, Gray-headed | 1 | !!!! | |
| Swan Mute | 0 | 0 | |
| Tanager, Scarlet | 0 | 0 | |
| Tanager, Summer | 0 | cw | |
| Teal Blue-winged | 18 | -63% | 48 |
| Teal Cinnamon | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Teal Cinnamon/Bluewinged Hybrid | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Teal Green-winged | 0 | 0 | |
| Tern Caspian | 0 | 0 | |
| Tern Common | 0 | 0 | |
| Tern Forster’s | 24 | 2300% | 1 |
| Tern Royal | 47 | -60% | 117 |
| Tern Sandwich | 1 | 0% | 1 |
| Thrasher Brown | 2 | 100% | 1 |
| Thrush Hermit | 0 | 0 | |
| Titmouse Tufted | 3 | -67% | 9 |
| Towhee Eastern | 0 | -100% | 6 |
| Turkey Wild | 0 | 0 | |
| Turnstone Ruddy | 9 | 350% | 2 |
| Vireo, Bell’s | 0 | 0 | |
| Vireo, Solitary (Blue-headed) | 3 | 200% | 1 |
| Vireo White-eyed | 3 | -40% | 5 |
| Vireo Yellow-throated | 0 | 0 | |
| Vulture Black | 176 | -35% | 270 |
| Vulture Turkey | 247 | -5% | 261 |
| Warbler Black-and-white | 3 | -50% | 6 |
| Warbler Black-throated Green | 1 | !!!! | |
| Warbler, Orange-crowned | 2 | *** | 0 |
| Warbler Palm | 182 | 8% | 168 |
| Warbler Pine | 82 | -61% | 210 |
| Warbler Prairie | 4 | 300% | 1 |
| Warbler Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) | 131 | -22% | 168 |
| Warbler Yellow-throated | 12 | 300% | 3 |
| Warbler Yellow | 0 | 0 | |
| Warbler Black-throated Blue | 0 | 0 | |
| Waxwing Cedar | 9 | *** | 0 |
| Whip-poor-will | cw | *** | 0 |
| Wigeon, American | 0 | 0 | |
| Willet | 4 | 100% | 2 |
| Woodcock, American | 0 | 0 | |
| Woodpecker Downy | 2 | -67% | 6 |
| Woodpecker Hairy | 0 | cw | |
| Woodpecker Pileated | 6 | -33% | 9 |
| Woodpecker Red-bellied | 59 | -24% | 78 |
| Woodpecker Red-cockaded | 2 | 0% | 2 |
| Woodpecker Red-headed | 0 | -100% | 1 |
| Wren Carolina | 10 | -44% | 18 |
| Wren House | 6 | -45% | 11 |
| Wren Sedge | 0 | cw | |
| Wren,Marsh | 2 | *** | 0 |
| Yellowlegs Greater | 12 | 300% | 3 |
| Yellowlegs Lesser | 5 | 67% | 3 |
| Yellowthroat Common | 4 | -56% | 9 |
| Yearly Totals | 17036 | 41% | 12053 |
| number of species | 133 | 5% | 127 |
| including count week | 134 | -2% | 137 |