On 14 December National Audubon
held its third annual Big Rock Christmas Bird Count. Twenty-four birders -
including 21 Kane County Audubon members – participated. 2014 offered a unique
challenge with temperatures in the mid- 40s, no snow, and damp and often foggy
conditions. This contrasts with 2013, which saw partly-cloudy skies with
temperatures generally below 15 degrees.
Big Rock’s eight teams counted
66 species, including: Ross’s Goose, Canvasback and Eurasian Collared Dove. The
66 species compares with 72 seen in 2013. Weather, combined with some uncovered
areas may have contributed to this decrease.
-Tim Balassie
Here are the results for some
general categories:
-
|
2013 |
2014 |
| Waterfowl |
6725 |
11,501 |
| Raptors |
70 |
68 |
| Woodpeckers |
186 |
180 |
| Chickadees & Kin |
316 |
355 |
| Sparrows |
1100 |
587 |
| Finches |
300 |
259 |
And the full results:
| BIRD |
NUMBER |
BIRD |
NUMBER |
BIRD |
NUMBER |
| G. White Fronted Goose |
1 |
Snow Goose |
5 |
Ross’s Goose |
1 |
| Canada Goose |
10,6767 |
Cackling Goose |
31 |
Am. Black Duck |
2 |
| Mallard |
623 |
Northern Pintail |
3 |
Canvasback |
26 |
| Ring-necked Duck |
95 |
Lesser Scaup |
3 |
Bufflehead |
4 |
| Common Goldeneye |
18 |
Common Merganser |
10 |
Ruddy Duck |
3 |
| Ring-necked Pheasant |
1 |
Great Blue Heron |
1 |
Bald Eagle |
3 |
| Northern Harrier |
6 |
Sharp-shinned Hawk |
2 |
Coopers Hawk |
10 |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
36 |
American Kestrel |
11 |
American Coot |
7 |
| Sandhill Crane |
3 |
Ring-billed Gull |
3 |
Herring Gull |
10 |
| Rock Pigeon |
132 |
Mourning Dove |
628 |
Eurasian Collared Dove |
6 |
| Eastern Screech Owl |
1 |
Great Horned Owl |
7 |
Barred Owl |
4 |
| N. Saw-whet Owl |
1 |
Belted Kingfisher |
9 |
Red-bellied Woodpecker |
66 |
| Downy Woodpecker |
86 |
Hairy Woodpecker |
22 |
Northern Flicker |
6 |
| Blue Jay |
93 |
Am. Crow |
49 |
Horned Lark |
53 |
| Black-capped Chickadee |
215 |
Tufted Titmouse |
9 |
White-breasted Nuthatch |
97 |
| Brown Creeper |
23 |
Carolina Wren |
8 |
Winter Wren |
3 |
| Eastern Bluebird |
7 |
American Robin |
10 |
European Starling |
1022 |
| Cedar Waxwing |
3 |
American Tree Sparrow |
207 |
Fox Sparrow |
3 |
| Song Sparrow |
12 |
Swamp Sparrow |
2 |
White-throated Sparrow |
15 |
| White-crowned Sparrow |
3 |
Dark-eyed Junco |
345 |
Lapland Longspur |
175 |
| Northern Cardinal |
112 |
Red-winged Blackbird |
1 |
House Finch |
148 |
| Pine Siskin |
42 |
American Goldfinch |
69 |
House Sparrow |
363 |