by Will Cook
The mudflats at Jordan Lake and the outstanding numbers of shorebirds lured by the mudflats helped make the 15th annual Chatham County Fall Migration Count on 9/17/2011 one of our best counts ever. The cool, cloudy, drizzly weather also kept landbirds active all day and we had a great count for warblers and thrushes. The lake level was 213.2 feet above sea level, 3.0 feet below average for the count, so there were plenty of mudflats (they begin to appear at about 214 feet) and shorebirds. Shorebird numbers and diversity on this count were only surpassed by the 2007 and 2009 counts, which not coincidentally were the only counts with a lower lake level.
We ended up with our third best tally, 122 species, far above the average of 104.2 and only 8 below the record mark of 130 on the 2009 count. Observer effort was a low 51.5 party-hours (average 67.6), but because birding was outstanding, with a the record high 97.6 birds per party-hour (average 54.6), we counted a high total of 5026 individual birds (average 3610).
The mudflats drew in huge numbers of shorebirds (11 species, 850 individuals), but with only a few rarities. The boldface highlight was our first American Avocet, which graced the New Hope Creek mudflats and was enjoyed by Jeff Pippen's and Will Cook's teams. One other species was new to the count: a Gray-cheeked Thrush found by Andrew Thornton at the White Pines Nature Preserve in southern Chatham. This is an overdue addition, but more common a little later in the season.
We had our second count record of Wood Storks, with 13 found by Peter Perlman at the 751 bridge mudflats the week before the count and 8 seen on count day. An even larger group of over 50 Wood Storks has been seen this fall at nearby Falls Lake. Also second for the count: Snowy Egret (Pippen, Cook), Peregrine Falcon (Cook, Pippen), Bank Swallow (Cook, Phil Warren), Barn Swallow (Cook, Thornton, Warren), and Prothonotary Warbler (Thornton). Three rarities seem to pop up only in big mudflats years - new to the count in 2007, made another appearance in 2009, and found again in 2011: Merlin (Pippen, Thornton), Black-bellied Plover (Pippen, Cook), and Marsh Wren (Cook). Other goodies found on the count include Black Terns, Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallow, Worm-eating Warbler, Canada Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat.
We set a great number of record highs, as we often do in mudflats years: 146 Mallard (average 26), 18 Wild Turkey (5), 180 Great Blue Heron (68), 308 Great Egret (121), 4 Snowy Egret (0.1), 8 Wood Stork (0.3), 2 Peregrine Falcon (0.1), 18 Sanderling (1.9), 345 Least Sandpiper (27), 42 Eastern Phoebe (18), 23 Tree Swallow (0.4), 21 Bank Swallow (0.1), 61 Barn Swallow (1.3), 12 Swainson's Thrush (2), 16 Wood Thrush (5), 24 Northern Parula (13), 7 Cape May Warbler (2), 138 Chipping Sparrow (24).
One species set a record low this year: 2 Gray Catbird (14 average). There were no unexpected misses.
Shorebirds covered the New Hope Creek and Northeast Creek mudflats: this year's 851 individuals in second only to 940 in 2007 and well above the average 171. Diversity was not as great -- though 12 species is well above the average 7, it doesn't approach the record 20 in 2007. Warblers had a fantastic showing, with a record high 24 species (average 18). Overall warbler numbers were normal, with 359 individuals (average 336), but subtracting the Pine Warblers better reveals the migrant warbler picture: 203 non-Pines (average 131), our best since 1999.
Highest counts: the team of Will Cook, Carl Rothfels, and Peter Perlman, covering the mudflats both east and west of the NC 751 bridge, came in first in both species (90, the highest team total in the history of the count, surpassing by 1 the total for the same area 2 years ago) and individuals (1645). Andrew Thornton, covering White Pines, Vista Point, Seaforth, and Town Lake Park, came in second for species with 72; Jeff Pippen's party of 4 came in second for individuals with 1230.
Here's the full count:
141 Canada Goose 20 Wood Duck 146 Mallard 48 Blue-winged Teal 18 Wild Turkey 8 WOOD STORK 91 Double-crested Cormorant 180 Great Blue Heron 308 Great Egret 4 Snowy Egret 1 Green Heron 48 Black Vulture 59 Turkey Vulture 23 Osprey 35 Bald Eagle 15 ad., 20 imm. 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Cooper's Hawk 16 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 Red-tailed Hawk 3 American Kestrel 2 Merlin 2 Peregrine Falcon 1 Black-bellied Plover 10 Semipalmated Plover 160 Killdeer 1 AMERICAN AVOCET 62 Greater Yellowlegs 150 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Solitary Sandpiper 18 Sanderling 25 Semipalmated Sandpiper 345 Least Sandpiper 77 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Wilson's Snipe 1 Ring-billed Gull 3 Black Tern 5 Caspian Tern 19 Rock Pigeon 111 Mourning Dove 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2 Eastern Screech-Owl 4 Barred Owl 111 Chimney Swift 15 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 14 Belted Kingfisher 27 Red-headed Woodpecker 43 Red-bellied Woodpecker 46 Downy Woodpecker 10 Hairy Woodpecker 20 Northern Flicker 15 Pileated Woodpecker 17 Eastern Wood-Pewee 2 Acadian Flycatcher 42 Eastern Phoebe 2 Eastern Kingbird 1 Great Crested Flycatcher 11 White-eyed Vireo 1 Blue-headed Vireo 15 Red-eyed Vireo 92 Blue Jay 365 American Crow 31 Fish Crow 23 Tree Swallow 21 Bank Swallow 61 Barn Swallow 154 Carolina Chickadee 159 Tufted Titmouse 34 White-breasted Nuthatch 56 Brown-headed Nuthatch 125 Carolina Wren 2 House Wren 2 Marsh Wren 43 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 116 Eastern Bluebird 4 Veery 1 Gray-cheeked Thrush 12 Swainson's Thrush 16 Wood Thrush 5 American Robin 2 Gray Catbird 23 Northern Mockingbird 16 Brown Thrasher 84 European Starling 3 Ovenbird 1 Worm-eating Warbler 10 Northern Waterthrush 1 Blue-winged Warbler 27 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Prothonotary Warbler 6 Tennessee Warbler 19 Common Yellowthroat 3 Hooded Warbler 40 American Redstart 7 Cape May Warbler 24 Northern Parula 10 Magnolia Warbler 5 Blackburnian Warbler 1 Yellow Warbler 2 Chestnut-sided Warbler 3 Black-throated Blue Warbler 31 Palm Warbler 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 156 Pine Warbler 1 Yellow-throated Warbler 4 Prairie Warbler 1 Canada Warbler 2 Yellow-breasted Chat 15 Summer Tanager 6 Scarlet Tanager 23 Eastern Towhee 138 Chipping Sparrow 2 Field Sparrow 209 Northern Cardinal 4 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 19 Blue Grosbeak 122 Indigo Bunting 10 Red-winged Blackbird 11 Common Grackle 1 Baltimore Oriole 18 House Finch 88 American Goldfinch 5 House Sparrow 122 species 5026 individuals
Effort: 13 counters in 7 parties. 51.5 party hours (44.25 foot, 7.25 car), 134.75 party miles (29.75 foot, 105 car). Owling 2.5 hours, 12.1 miles.
Weather: temp 56-61 F, wind NNE 5-10 mph, light rain, overcast, lake level 213.2'
Thanks for all your help, counters -- it was a great day!
Will Cook, compiler
Detailed Results (PDF format)