Central Mass Bird Census Archive, 2010

Central Mass Bird Census Archives, 2010

This is an archive of bird census data from breeding bird surveys, Christmas Counts, or other comprehensive bird surveys in central Massachusetts. To contribute, you can email to rsquimby@wpi.edu or call Rick Quimby at (508) 835-6567 for information on how to submit the census data.

1/1/10 to 12/31/10 -- Auburn Sportsman's Club Birdbanding Data 2010

Here are the

birdbanding totals

12/18/10 -- Worcester Christmas Count

The 59th Worcester Christmas Count took place on Saturday (12/18). We had one new species, nine species with a new high, and although in years past we have had more species recorded on the count day, if you include the four count week species, it was the highest number of species recorded during the count week. Here are the totals:

Canada Goose (3214)
Mute Sawn (18)
Wood Duck (10)
Gadwall (4)
American Wigeon (1)
American Black Duck (149)
MALLARD (2289 - NEW HIGH)
Northern Shoveler (2)
Green-winged Teal (1)
Ring-necked Duck (66)
Greater Scaup (43)
Lesser Scaup (count week)
Bufflehead (9)
COMMON GOLDENEYE (156 - NEW HIGH)
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (4 - 2ND RECORD/NEW HIGH - 3 females on Lake
Quinsigamond and 1 male on Wachusett Reservoir)
HOODED MERGANSER (334 - NEW HIGH)
Common Merganser (127)
Ruddy Duck (3)
Wild Turkey (53)
Common Loon (10)
Great Blue Heron (3)
Bald Eagle (2 adults)
Northern Harrier (2)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (1)
Cooper's Hawk (5)
Red-shouldered Hawk (1)
Red-tailed Hawk (53)
Rough-legged Hawk (1 - dark phase)
American Kestrel (1)
Peregrine Falcon (count week)
American Coot (2)
Wilson's Snipe (1)
RING-BILLED GULL (4316 - NEW HIGH)
Herring Gull (392)
Great Black-backed Gull (28)
Rock Pigeon (597)
Mourning Dove (178)
Eastern Screech-Owl (10)
Great Horned Owl (9)
Barred Owl (3)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (3)
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD (1 adult female - banded and at a private feeder for
some time)
Belted Kingfisher (7)
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER (50 - NEW HIGH)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)
Downy Woodpecker  (133)
Hairy Woodpecker (32)
Northern Flicker (7)
PILEATED WOODPECKER (6 - NEW HIGH)
Blue Jay (526)
American Crow (2581)
Fish Crow (count week)
Common Raven (2)
HORNED LARK (117 - NEW HIGH)
Black-capped Chickadee (1030)
Tufted Titmouse (366)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (30)
White-breasted Nuthatch (236)
Brown Creeper (21)
Carolina Wren (24)
Winter Wren (4)
Golden-crowned Kinglet (22)
Eastern Bluebird (56)
Hermit Thrush (4)
American Robin (689)
Northern Mockingbird (28)
European Starling (2878)
Cedar Waxwing (75)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (1)
Common Yellowthroat (count week)
American Tree Sparrow (154)
Field Sparrow (3)
Song Sparrow (57)
Swamp Sparrow (3)
White-throated Sparrow (169)
White-crowned Sparrow (1 immature)
Dark-eyed Junco (804)
Snow Bunting (67)
Northern Cardinal (206)
Red-winged Blackbird (36)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (11 - NEW HIGH)
Common Grackle (3)
Purple Finch (1)
House Finch (121)
Common Redpoll (25)
Pine Siskin (2)
American Goldfinch (246)
House Sparrow (870)

84 species during count day, plus 4 during count week

Here is the

final breakdown of the 2010 totals

Here is a decade-by-decade breakdown per species of the Worcester CBC data. The year column represents the combined times each species has been recorded on count day ("Counts" column) and count week ("CW").
(report from John Liller).

12/14/10 -- Sturbridge CBC

We held the 15th Sturbridge CBC on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14TH. It was cold (average temp that day was 17) and windy off and on, with snow showers in the morning. The prolonged cold had frozen almost all the ponds and lakes, but the recent rains meant that the streams and rivers were flowing, and this is where a lot of the action was. The dedicated observers really put in an amazing effort in less than ideal conditions. Overall, numbers were on the low side, both species variety and individuals. Landbirds were scarce in many areas.

1.      Great Blue Heron (5)
2.      Turkey Vulture (cw)
3.      Mute Swan (1)
4.      Greater White-fronted Goose (cw: seen by two different teams
        scouting Friday and Saturday, but could not be found on the count day)
5.      Snow Goose (1ad: rare on count)
6.      Canada Goose (1465)
7.      Wood Duck (5)
8.      A Black Duck (42)
9.      Mallard (913)
10.     Ring-necked Duck (4)
11.     Greater Scaup (cw)
12.     Bufflehead (1: uncommon on count)
13.     Hooded Merganser (49)
14.     Common Merganser (5: second lowest count)
15.     Bald Eagle (4ad+3imm)
16.     N Harrier (1)
17.     Sharp-shinned Hawk (1: low)
18.     Cooper's Hawk (11)
19.     N Goshawk (2: 1ad+1imm: uncommon sp. on count)
20.     Red-tailed Hawk (34)
21.     Virginia Rail (1: rare)
22.     Ruffed Grouse (1: low)
23.     Wild Turkey (125)
24.     A Woodcock (1: rare, and nicely photographed by Scott Surner)
25.     Ring-billed Gull (366)
26.     Herring Gull (32)
27.     Great Black-backed Gull (5)
28.     Rock Pigeon (540)
29.     Mourning Dove (340)
30.     E Screech Owl (7)
31.     Great Horned Owl (9)
32.     Barred Owl (6)
33.     N Saw-whet owl (11)
34.     Belted Kingfisher (10)
35.     Red-bellied Woodpecker (63)
36.     Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3: uncommon on count)
37.     Downy Woodpecker (240)
38.     Hairy Woodpecker (53)
39.     N Flicker (12)
40.     Pileated Woodpecker (4)
41.     Horned Lark (10)
42.     Blue Jay (659)
43.     A Crow (489)
44.     C Raven (8)
45.     Black-capped Chickadee (1859)
46.     Tufted Titmouse (633)
47.     Red-breasted Nuthatch (36)
48.     White-breasted Nuthatch (349)49.     Brown Creeper (25)
50.     Carolina Wren (44)
51.     Winter Wren (10)
52.     Golden-crowned Kinglet (73)
53.     Eastern Bluebird (115)
54.     Hermit Thrush (1)
55.     A Robin (207)
56.     N Mockingbird (22)
57.     Cedar Waxwing (210)
58.     E Starling (873)
59.     N Cardinal (343)
60.     A Tree Sparrow (275)
61.     Field Sparrow (cw)
62.     Fox Sparrow (1)
63.     Song Sparrow (65)
64.     Swamp Sparrow (9)
65.     White-throated Sparrow (166)
66.     Dark-eyed Junco (1810)
67.     Snow Bunting (61)
68.     Red-winged Blackbird (1: nb: all blackbirds were in extremely low
        numbers. Typically we have a number of them both roosting in the Quabog
        River marshes or in the marshes along 5 Bridge Road, Brimfield and other
        locations. We even missed cowbird!)
69.     Rusty Blackbird (1)
70.     Common Grackle (1)
71.     House Finch (213: nb: NO Purple Finches despite the early significant
        movement)
72.     White-winged Crossbill (3)
73.     C Redpoll (11)
74.     Pine Siskin (93)
75.     A Goldfinch (542)
76.     House Sparrow (784)

Species included 72 on the count day, plus 4 during "count week" 
There were 14381 individuals recorded

Mammals seen included: Red and Gray Squirrels (including a number of
melanistic "Black" Gray Squirrels); Fisher; Mink; Otter; Beaver; Muskrat;
White-tailed Deer; Opossum (dead).

Mark Lynch, compiler.

(report from Mark Lynch).

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