by Will Cook
The drought-created extensive mudflats at Jordan Lake made the 14th annual Chatham County Fall Migration Count on 9/19/2009 one for the record books, with five species new for the count and amazing numbers of shorebirds. The lake level was 212.4 feet above sea level, 4.2 feet below average for the count, so fortunately there were plenty of mudflats (they begin to appear at about 214 feet) and plenty of shorebirds. Shorebird numbers and diversity on the 2009 count are only surpassed by the 2007 count, which not coincidentally was the only count with a lower lake level. Away from the mudflats, several observers reported that it seemed to be a slow count day, though overall the landbird numbers were average.
We ended up with an astonishing 130 species, far, far above the average of 102.5 and shattering the previous record mark of 123 on the 2007 count. Land birds were found in near normal numbers, but since shorebirds were abundant, we counted a record total of 5575 individual birds (3537 is average). Observer effort was above average 77.5 party-hours (average 67.3), yet we still ended up with a near record number of birds per party-hour, 72 (average 54).
The mudflats drew in huge numbers of shorebirds (16 species, 839 individuals), including several less common species and rarities that had not made an appearance on the count before. The boldface highlight was our first Ruff, an immature identified by Doug Shadwick and Scott Winton in the Morgan Creek mudflats.
Four other species were also new to the count: Nothern Pintail flying over the New Hope Creek arm of the lake (Will Cook's party), White Ibis at the Morgan Creek mudflats (Doug Shadwick's party), a Sora flushed up by Will Cook from thick herbacous cover at the New Hope Creek mudflats, and a flock of American Pipits seen and heard in flight at New Hope Creek (Cook). Several other species that were new to the count in 2007 made only their second appearance: Green-winged Teal (Cook and Shadwick's parties), Merlin (Cook), Black-bellied Plover (Shadwick), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Cook), Short-billed Dowitcher (Cook), and Wilson's Phalarope (Shadwick, Cook), and Marsh Wren (Cook, Shadwick). Other goodies found on the count include Black-crowned Night-Heron, Stilt Sandpiper, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, "Traill's" Flycatcher (a silent Willow/Alder), Canada Warbler, and Bobolink.
We set an incredible number of record highs, many of them for mudflats species, as you might expect: 300 Great Egret (average 104), 196 Black Vulture (29), 258 Killdeer (48), 78 Greater Yellowlegs (2), 125 Lesser Yellowlegs (15), 13 Sanderling (1), 200 Least Sandpiper (15), 28 Stilt Sandpiper (2), 20 Short-billed Dowitcher (0.2), 3 Wilson's Snipe (0.6), 480 American Crow (229), 275 Fish Crow (13), 103 Brown-headed Nuthatch (54), 2 Marsh Wren (0.1), 5 Veery (0.3), 9 Swainson's Thrush (2), 32 Northern Mockingbird (19), 114 European Starling (40), 27 Cedar Waxwing (2), 13 Rose-breasted Grosbeak (3), and 81 Brown-headed Cowbird (6). The crows were mostly in one large mixed flock feeding on the outbreaks of insects in the sedges and grasses of the New Hope Creek mudflats.
One species set a record low this year: 8 Chimney Swift (131 average). The only other remarkably low count was 75 Double-crested Cormorants (150 average).
Warblers numbers were normal, with 361 individuals (average 336), but 20 species is the highest since 2001.
Teams with the highest counts: Will Cook's party of four birders, covering the eastern New Hope Creek mudflats from NC 751, came in first in both species (89, the highest team total in the history of the count) and individuals (1535). Doug Shadwick's party, covering the Morgan Creek and western New Hope Creek mudflats from Old Hope Valley Farm Road, came in second with 70 species and 901 individuals.
Here's the full count:
119 Canada Goose 10 Wood Duck 4 American Black Duck 25 Mallard 16 Blue-winged Teal 4 NORTHERN PINTAIL 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL 13 Wild Turkey 1 Pied-billed Grebe 75 Double-crested Cormorant 142 Great Blue Heron 300 Great Egret 2 Little Blue Heron 2 Green Heron 1 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON 3 WHITE IBIS 196 Black Vulture 123 Turkey Vulture 10 Osprey 13 Bald Eagle (6 ad., 7 imm.) 3 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper's Hawk 19 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 Red-tailed Hawk 4 American Kestrel 1 MERLIN 1 SORA 1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER 13 Semipalmated Plover 258 Killdeer 78 Greater Yellowlegs 125 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Solitary Sandpiper 10 Spotted Sandpiper 13 Sanderling 19 Semipalmated Sandpiper 17 Western Sandpiper 200 Least Sandpiper 50 Pectoral Sandpiper 28 STILT SANDPIPER 3 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER 1 RUFF 20 Short-billed Dowitcher 3 Wilson's Snipe 1 Wilson's Phalarope 2 Caspian Tern 16 Rock Pigeon 131 Mourning Dove 3 Eastern Screech-Owl 1 Great Horned Owl 3 Barred Owl 5 Whip-poor-will 8 Chimney Swift 18 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 10 Belted Kingfisher 34 Red-headed Woodpecker 72 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 47 Downy Woodpecker 9 Hairy Woodpecker 30 Northern Flicker 18 Pileated Woodpecker 25 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Acadian Flycatcher 1 "Traill's" Flycatcher 22 Eastern Phoebe 3 Great Crested Flycatcher 18 White-eyed Vireo 2 Yellow-throated Vireo 9 Red-eyed Vireo 160 Blue Jay 480 American Crow 275 Fish Crow 212 Carolina Chickadee 170 Tufted Titmouse 36 White-breasted Nuthatch 103 Brown-headed Nuthatch 166 Carolina Wren 4 House Wren 2 MARSH WREN 34 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 135 Eastern Bluebird 5 Veery 9 Swainson's Thrush 13 Wood Thush 66 American Robin 25 Gray Catbird 32 Northern Mockingbird 8 Brown Thrasher 114 European Starling 6 AMERICAN PIPIT 27 Cedar Waxwing 2 Blue-winged Warbler 1 Tennessee Warbler 10 Northern Parula 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler 7 Magnolia Warbler 2 Cape May Warbler 7 Black-throated Blue Warbler 1 Blackburnian Warbler 3 Yellow-throated Warbler 237 Pine Warbler 1 Prairie Warbler 5 Palm Warbler 10 Black-and-white Warbler 35 American Redstart 1 Ovenbird 4 Northern Waterthrush 31 Common Yellowthroat 1 Hooded Warbler 1 Canada Warbler 1 Yellow-breasted Chat 24 Summer Tanager 18 Scarlet Tanager 34 Eastern Towhee 21 Chipping Sparrow 4 Field Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 148 Northern Cardinal 13 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 28 Blue Grosbeak 52 Indigo Bunting 4 Bobolink 25 Red-winged Blackbird 32 Common Grackle 81 Brown-headed Cowbird 1 Baltimore Oriole 9 House Finch 207 American Goldfinch 5 House Sparrow 130 species 5575 individuals
Effort: 21 counters in 13 parties. 77.5 party hours (63.5 foot, 6.5 car, 7.5 boat), 84 party miles (42.5 foot, 32.5 car, 9 boat). Owling 2.5 hours, 8.5 mile.
Weather: temp 64-79 F, wind NE 5-10 mph, no precip, overcast, lake level 212.4'
Thanks for your help, counters -- this was the best one yet!
Will Cook, compiler
Detailed Results (PDF format)