2005 Chatham County Fall Bird Count

by Will Cook

The 10th Chatham County Fall Migration Count on 9/17/2005 was a hot one, but thanks to the drought and therefore the mudflats on Jordan Lake, we had a great showing of shorebirds and a fantastic count! As good as the shorebirding was, the tyrant-flycatchers stole the show.

We totalled 114 species, well above the average of 100 and just one shy of the record 115 set in 1999. The individual count was a near-normal 3728 birds (3446 average). Observer effort was good, with a near-average number of parties and party-hours. This year's 54.4 birds per party-hour was a bit above the average 51.7. For comparison, we average about 67 birds/party-hour on Chapel Hill Spring counts and 107 on Christmas counts.

Unlike the last two years, there was no tropical storm this year, but we managed to find some goodies without the storm assistance. Of the four species were new to the count, three of them were found by Jeff Pippen alone! Jeff had great luck with his favorite family, the Tyrranidae, and managed to get our first Olive-sided Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, and Willow Flycatcher for the count, all of which were both seen and heard! Jeff posted details of his sightings (and hearings) on Carolinabirds. We had a silent Traill's Flycatcher before (the old name before Willow and Alder were split), but never one that announced its name. Fortunately for us, the flycatchers felt like sounding off this day. Jeff also scooped up two other rare tyrranids - a heard only Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and an Eastern Kingbird, both second count records. Steve Shultz also found a species new to the count, though I bet he wasn't quite as excited about it - his lone Herring Gull was our only gull of the count.

Doug Shadwick and Jacob Socolar, covering the New Hope Creek and Morgan Creek mudflats, found a number of rarish species, including 4 Northern Shovelers, 5 Black-crowned Night-Herons, 50 Pectoral Sandpipers, and 12 Stilt Sandpipers - all 2nd count records. Steve Shultz also saw some of these same shorebirds and more from his boat. Will Cook had two (seen and heard) Acadian Flycatchers, also a second count record, and our fourth Philadelphia Vireo. Another rarity for the count was Bobolink. We've had a grand total of one on all our previous counts, but this year three parties had 5 Bobolinks.

We set an incredible 20 record highs, mostly shorebirds: Northern Bobwhite (24, average 2), Black-crowned Night-Heron (5, avg 0.1), Turkey Vulture (180, avg 94), Semipalmated Plover (6, avg 0.2), Killdeer (147, avg 29), Greater Yellowlegs (9, avg 0.3), Spotted Sandpiper (5, avg 1.3), Semipalmated Sandpiper (16, avg 0.8), Western Sandpiper (4, avg 0.2), Least Sandpiper (32, avg 1.7), Pectoral Sandpiper (50, avg 2.0), Stilt Sandpiper (12, avg 0.2), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (20, avg 10), Red-headed Woodpecker (41, avg 16), Acadian Flycatcher (2, avg 0.1), Northern Mockingbird (29, avg 17), Yellow-throated Warbler (8, avg 1.6), Palm Warbler (16, avg 3.6), Blue Grosbeak (32, avg 13), and Bobolink (5, avg 0.1).

Only two record lows this time: House Finch (5, avg 13), and a big miss, Field Sparrow (0, avg 14).

Warblers were a little below average, with 17 species and 294 individuals (111 non-Pines, average 137), but shorebirds more than made up for them, with 11 species (our record is 12 in 1998) and a record 298 individuals (131 non-Killdeer, average 12). And of course tyrant-flycatchers had an astounding showing, with a record-shattering 9 species (previous best 5) and 48 individuals.

Here's the full count, in current AOU order. I've reduced the totals for 15 species (358 birds) to account for different observers counting the same birds.

24	Canada Goose
28	Wood Duck
1	American Black Duck
56	Mallard
19	Blue-winged Teal
4	Northern Shoveler
1	Wild Turkey
24	Northern Bobwhite
140	Double-crested Cormorant
110	Great Blue Heron
175	Great Egret
5	Black-crowned Night-Heron
2	Green Heron
31	Black Vulture
180	Turkey Vulture
9	Osprey
15	Bald Eagle   6 ad., 9 imm.
5	Cooper's Hawk
8	Red-shouldered Hawk
7	Red-tailed Hawk
3	American Kestrel
6	Semipalmated Plover
147	Killdeer
9	Greater Yellowlegs
15	Lesser Yellowlegs
2	Solitary Sandpiper
5	Spotted Sandpiper
16	Semipalmated Sandpiper
4	Western Sandpiper
32	Least Sandpiper
50	Pectoral Sandpiper
12	Stilt Sandpiper
1	Herring Gull
5	Forster's Tern
18	Rock Pigeon
109	Mourning Dove
5	Yellow-billed Cuckoo
3	Eastern Screech-Owl
1	Great Horned Owl
3	Barred Owl
4	Whip-poor-will
91	Chimney Swift
20	Ruby-throated Hummingbird
16	Belted Kingfisher
41	Red-headed Woodpecker
49	Red-bellied Woodpecker
38	Downy Woodpecker
11	Hairy Woodpecker
14	Northern Flicker
11	Pileated Woodpecker
1	Olive-sided Flycatcher
21	Eastern Wood-Pewee
1	Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
2	Acadian Flycatcher
1	Alder Flycatcher
1	Willow Flycatcher
18	Eastern Phoebe
2	Great Crested Flycatcher
1	Eastern Kingbird
19	White-eyed Vireo
1	Blue-headed Vireo
5	Yellow-throated Vireo
1	Philadelphia Vireo
24	Red-eyed Vireo
133	Blue Jay
206	American Crow
8	Fish Crow
2	Tree Swallow
178	Carolina Chickadee
199	Tufted Titmouse
34	White-breasted Nuthatch
63	Brown-headed Nuthatch
201	Carolina Wren
2	House Wren
25	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1	Ruby-crowned Kinglet
40	Eastern Bluebird
2	Wood Thrush
9	American Robin
4	Gray Catbird
29	Northern Mockingbird
8	Brown Thrasher
13	European Starling
1	Tennessee Warbler
9	Northern Parula
1	Yellow Warbler
3	Chestnut-sided Warbler
8	Magnolia Warbler
1	Black-throated Blue Warbler
1	Blackburnian Warbler
8	Yellow-throated Warbler
183	Pine Warbler
1	Prairie Warbler
16	Palm Warbler
8	Black-and-white Warbler
18	American Redstart
3	Ovenbird
2	Northern Waterthrush
29	Common Yellowthroat
2	Hooded Warbler
21	Summer Tanager
18	Scarlet Tanager
25	Eastern Towhee
13	Chipping Sparrow
125	Northern Cardinal
2	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
32	Blue Grosbeak
75	Indigo Bunting
5	Bobolink
50	Red-winged Blackbird
150	Common Grackle
1	Baltimore Oriole
5	House Finch
72	American Goldfinch

Butterflies: Jeff Pippen, Will Cook, and Tom Krakauer kept an eye on the lepidopterans and counted a total of 40 species.

Effort: 18 counters in 11 parties. 68.5 party hours (59 foot, 7 car, 2.5 boat), 127 party miles (33 foot, 84 car, 10 boat). Owling 2.5 hours, 0.75 mile.

Weather: temp 73-95F, wind 0-15mph, no precip, sunny, lake level 213.8'.

Thanks folks!

Will Cook, compiler

Detailed Results (PDF format)

Chapel Hill Bird Club