Ponca State Park Christmas Bird Count

thursday, 14 December 2023

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE ponca state park CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT.

Nineteen years ago, 2004, the first Ponca State Park Christmas Bird Count was held. Though it was an unofficial trial count, as required to register for official National Audubon Society status the following year, it was an effort of six participants that found 43 species. This trial count was to grow to official status in December, 2005, and would be sponsored by Ponca State Park and the Loess Hills Audubon Society. Eight birders found 46 species then.

Ponca’s twentieth count took place on Thursday, December 14, 2023 and included the work of 21 participants: 10 Audubon birders and 11 park managers and staff. The challenge of this count, like the 19 before it, was to find as many species as possible and count or estimate their numbers and enter both into the scientific record. Nearly all the common and expected species, such as, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Canada Geese, Red-tailed Hawks and Blue Jays, were found by the teams covering several sites within the official 7.5 mile radius circle.

In addition to those expected, several uncommon species were found. At Buckskin Hills WMA Fox Sparrows and Red Crossbills were in the pine plantings.

Along the river downstream from the park, a Winter Wren and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers were found. River bluffs upstream from the park contained weeds with feeding American Goldfinches and a single Common Redpoll. In the park a Carolina Wren and Brewer’s Blackbirds were counted. Up to three Golden Eagles were reported by 3 teams at 3 sites. Rusty Blackbirds were also found by three teams.

However, the most rare species found was a northern gull called a Black-legged Kittiwake that was agressively hunting the open water of the Missouri River near large flocks of Canada Geese, mallards and other waterfowl. This rare gull has never been recorded in the park or even Dixon County previously, but has appeared at Gavin’s Point Dam on a few occasions in winter. Flying back and forth, low to the water, this active white gull searched for fish or other prey. Such an unexpected occurrence can give a thrill to experienced and beginning birders alike.

Though still unofficial, over 70 species were recorded thanks to the great wildlife habitat, fair weather, lingering waterfowl and the committed teams of observers in the field. This total is very near the record 71 found in 2020 and far surpasses the early counts. A complete, official list will be forthcoming.

Be sure to watch for announcements of the 20th official Ponca Count scheduled for December, 2024. Its very unlikely another Kittiwake will show but maybe something just as unexpected will.

Bill Huser, Ponca CBC Coordinator.

Total species: 72

Total birds: 6046

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Greater White-fronted Goose	1	Red-Tailed Hawk	23	Winter Wren	2
Snow Goose	25	Rough-legged Hawk	17	Carolina Wren	1
Cackling Goose	80	Black-legged Kittiwake	1	Eastern Bluebird	62
Canada Goose	1204	Rock Pigeon	170	American Robin	430
Gadwall	35	Eurasian Collared-Dove	86	European Starling	754
American Wigeon	57	Mourning Dove	42	Cedar Waxwing	12
Mallard	1104	Eastern Screech-Owl	1	American Tree Sparrow	67
Northern Pintail	13	Barred Owl	3	Fox Sparrow	2
Green-winged Teal	62	Belted Kingfisher	2	Dark-eyed Junco	294
Canvasback	17	Red-bellied Woodpecker	21	Harris's Sparrow	3
Redhead	25	Downy Woodpecker	24	White-throated Sparrow	2
Ring-necked Duck	6	Hairy Woodpecker	11	Song Sparrow	1
Greater/Lesser Scaup	68	Northern Flicker	27	Swamp Sparrow	1
Bufflehead	8	Pileated Woodpecker	2	Northern Cardinal	33
Common Goldeneye	62	American Kestrel	2	Red-winged Blackbird	23
Common Merganser	19	Merlin	1	Western Meadowlark	9
Northern Bobwhite	6	Northern Shrike	4	Rusty Blackbird	2
Ring-necked Pheasant	8	Blue Jay	89	Brewer's Blackbird	3
Wild Turkey	110	American Crow	420	House Finch	51
Golden Eagle	2	Black-capped Chickadee	27	Red Crossbill	7
Northern Harrier	3	Red-breasted Nuthatch	4	Pine Siskin	3
Sharp-shinned Hawk	4	White-breasted Nuthatch	47	American Goldfinch	56
Bald Eagle	36	Brown Creeper	1	House Sparrow	217

Top Row:

Harris’s Sparrow in early morning sunshine.
Hairy Woodpecker way up high!
Red-tailed Hawk drifting by!
The Calves got out!
Red-bellied Woodpecker wondering what looks best?

Bottom Row:

Downy Woodpecker, I prefer the suet!
House Sparrow, can I swallow this??
Smart Squirrel, Nothing can stop me!!
Sharp-shinned Hawk--Where did all the birds go??
I’m not here for seeds!

Westfield Christmas Bird Count

friday, 15 December 2023

Thanks to everyone who participated in the westfield Christmas Bird Count.

This year we had 18 birders out riding and walking, counting birds! Four parties were watching their bird feeders. Forty-nine species totaling 9529 birds were compiled Friday evening. That is highest total count since we began in 2016! There were 1.5 hours owling. Walking miles: 12.5 miles, 16 hours. Car miles: 226 miles, 28.5 hours.

Dotty & Bill Zales, count compilers, Westfield, IA

Total species: 49

Total birds: 9529

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Snow Goose	98	Red-tailed Hawk	20	Brown Creeper	3
Cackling Goose	200	Eastern Screech-Owl	2	Winter Wren	1
Canada Goose	5000	Great Horned Owl	1	European Starling	1423
Trumpeter Swan	9	Barred Owl	1	Eastern Bluebird	39
Mallard	301	Red-headed Woodpecker	4	American Robin	68
Lesser Scaup	1111	Red-bellied Woodpecker	25	House Sparrow	110
Common Merganser	5	Downy Woodpecker	39	House Finch	139
Wild Turkey	95	Hairy Woodpecker	9	Purple Finch	40
Ring-necked Pheasant	1	Northern Flicker	16	Common Redpoll	2
Rock Pigeon	108	American Kestrel	3	Pine Siskin	1
Eurasian Collared-Dove	18	Northern Shrike	3	American Goldfinch	12
Mourning Dove	3	Blue Jay	47	Fox Sparrow	1
American Coot	3	American Crow	50	American Tree Sparrow	84
Great Blue Heron	1	Black-capped Chickadee	43	Dark-eyed Junco	192
Northern Harrier	3	Cedar Waxwing	108	Meadowlark species	29
Cooper's hawk	2	White-breasted Nuthatch	31	Northern Cardinal	9
Bald Eagle	16	.	.	.	.

Nate DeJong

Purple Finch (3 images)

Jan Null and Jerry Von Ehwegen

Westfield CBC in the beautiful Loess Hills
A distant Cooper’s Hawk
A Downy Woodpecker hard at work!
A pair of Eastern Bluebirds
Feasting Cedar Waxwings
Female Purple Finch
Plenty of Berries!
Lunch with a view!
Happy, hungry birders!

Randy Williams

Along Butcher Road
Power lines across Joy Hollow
Nate (left) and Bill (right) in discussion
Along the trail through Joy Hollow
More power lines
Female Purple Finch
Male Purple Finch
Nate (left) and Bill (right) discussing prairie management

Sioux City Christmas Bird Count

Saturday, 16 December 2023

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Sioux City Christmas Bird Count.

The weather was great but the birds not so much.

Without freezing temperatures and no ice we were not able to bird the Synder Bend Refuge completely due to limited access. The lack of ice and abundant open water allowed the birds to disperse throughout the count area. It made out work a bit more difficult. Past counts with colder temperatures and more ice concentrated birds into available habitat, small areas of open water.

We had 20 observers in nine field parties and three groups of feeder watchers. Count highlights include Northern Bobwhite, a Prairie Falcon, and a Winter Wren.

Jerry Probst, compiler, South Sioux City, NE

Total species: 51

Total birds: 14,918

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Snow Goose	3	Red-tailed Hawk	20	Brown Creeper	1
Greater White-fronted Goose	353	Rough-legged Hawk	1	Winter Wren	1
Cackling Goose	102	Eastern Screech-Owl	1	European Starling	292
Canada Goose	12,202	Great Horned Owl	2	Eastern Bluebird	8
Gadwall	5	Belted Kingfisher	1	American Robin	8
Mallard	36	Red-bellied Woodpecker	21	House Sparrow	271
Common Goldeneye	58	Downy Woodpecker	36	House Finch	72
Common Merganser	7	Hairy Woodpecker	5	American Goldfinch	15
Northern Bobwhite	9	Northern Flicker	6	American Tree Sparrow	60
Wild Turkey	410	American Kestrel	3	Dark-eyed Junco	265
Ring-necked Pheasant	10	Merlin	1	White-crowned Sparrow	1
Rock Pigeon	357	Prairie Falcon	1	Harris's Sparrow	2
Eurasian Collared-Dove	21	Blue Jay	21	White-throated Sparrow	7
Mourning Dove	2	American Crow	31	Song Sparrow	5
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	Black-capped Chickadee	45	Red-winged Blackbird	50
Cooper's Hawk	3	Cedar Waxwing	3	Common Grackle	7
Bald Eagle	21	White-breasted Nuthatch	30	Northern Cardinal	27

Red-tailed Hawk at Perry Creek Trail.JPG

Marla Kerr

Two images from inside Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
Merlin — 2 images from along the Perry Creek trail.
Red-tailed Hawk along the Perry Creek Trail.
A Cooper’s Hawk was terrorizing the birds in my backyard.

Jan Null and Jerry Von Ehwegen

Red-bellied Woodpecker searching for prey.
That tasted good!
American Tree Sparrows out there someplace!
Wild Turkeys!
Blue Jay—King of the hill!
Surprise! Sharp-shinned Hawk!
See my pretty, long Accipiter Tail??
It kind of itches!

Randy Williams

City lights on an overcast morning
Chris Larsen Park expansion
Harris’s Sparrow near the Railroad Museum
Bald Eagle near Riverside Park
Eagles along the Missouri River
Two images of an immature Bald Eagle at Chris Larsen Park
Greater White-fronted Geese in the Missouri

Yankton Christmas Bird Count

Sunday, 17 December 2023

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Yankton Christmas Bird Count.

The Yankton Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place on Sunday, December 17, 2023. Twenty-six people from Yankton, Vermillion, Armour, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and South Sioux City, Norfolk, Gretna, and Wayne, Nebraska enjoyed a cool but sunny day to be out counting birds.

A total of 8,626 birds of 76 different species of birds which is a little lower 79 species seen last year and not as high as the 82 species record set in 2012 and recorded again in 2020.

Highlights of the day were five Long-tailed Ducks, nine Fox Sparrows, and fourteen Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Record high counts: Ring-necked Duck-19; Lesser Scaup-726; Bufflehead-11; Hooded Merganser-168; Fox Sparrow-9; and Yellow-rumped Warbler-14.

Additional species observed for “Count Week” (three days before and three days after our Sunday count day): White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Double-crested Cormorant, and Pine Siskin.

Roger Dietrich, compiler, Yankton, SD

Total Species: 76

Total Birds: 8626

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Snow Goose	4	Mourning Dove	5	Red-breasted Nuthatch	2
Greater White-fronted Goose	1	American Coot	399	White-breasted Nuthatch	34
Cackling Goose	43	Wilson's Snipe	1	Brown Creeper	5
Wood Duck	1	Ring-billed Gull	200	Golden-crowned Kinglet	4
Northern Shoveler	1	Herring Gull	1	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Gadwall	124	Great Blue Heron	3	Eastern Bluebird	24
Mallard	331	Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	American Robin	311
Northern Pintail	2	Cooper's Hawk	2	European Starling	742
Green-winged Teal	2	Bald Eagle	66	Cedar Waxwing	21
Canvasback	4	Red-tailed Hawk	23	House Sparrow	133
Redhead	37	Rough-legged Hawk	3	House Finch	79
Ring-necked Duck	39	Eastern Screech-Owl	10	American Goldfinch	10
Greater Scaup	4	Great Horned Owl	2	Lapland Longspur	1
Lesser Scaup	726	Long-eared Owl	1	Fox Sparrow	9
Long-tailed Duck	5	Northern Saw-whet Owl	1	American Tree Sparrow	41
Bufflehead	11	Belted Kingfisher	1	Dark-eyed Junco	134
Common Goldeneye	448	Red-bellied Woodpecker	17	White-crowned Sparrow	6
Hooded Merganser	168	Downy Woodpecker	19	Harris's Sparrow	1
Common Merganser	35	Hairy Woodpecker	10	Song Sparrow	5
Red-breasted Merganser	8	Northern Flicker	32	Western Meadowlark	7
Wild Turkey	66	American Kestrel	5	Red-winged Blackbird	100
Ring-necked Pheasant	23	Northern Shrike	1	Brown-headed Cowbird	2
Pied-billed Grebe	1	Blue Jay	65	Common Grackle	2
Rock Pigeon	438	American Crow	46	Yellow-rumped Warbler	14
Eurasian Collared Dove	112	Black-capped Chickadee	64	Northern Cardinal	13

Ida Grove Christmas Bird Count

SaturDAY, 23 DECEMBER 2023

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE ida grove CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT.

Fourteen observers tallied 3859 birds of 50 species for the Ida Grove Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 23, 2023. There was one group out owling in the fog. The fog cleared and resulted in an extraordinary weather day of light winds with a high temperature of 56F.

It should be noted that 2 Northern Saw-whet Owls were found on Friday, 12/22/23 but could not be relocated on count day.

Don Poggensee, compiler, Ida Grove, IA

Total Species: 50

Total Birds: 3859

BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER	BIRD	NUMBER
Greater White-fronted Goose	1	Eurasian Collared-Dove	79	White-breasted Nuthatch	31
Snow Goose	16	Mourning Dove	13	Brown Creeper	4
Cackling Goose	14	Eastern Screech-Owl	1	American Robin	49
Canada Goose	1398	Great Horned Owl	2	European Starling	714
Trumpeter Swan	17	Barred Owl	1	Cedar Waxwing	153
Mallard	40	Long-eared Owl	2	American Tree Sparrow	40
Northern Pintail	1	Belted Kingfisher	1	Dark-eyed Junco	280
Green-winged Teal	2	Red-headed Woodpecker	1	Harris's Sparrow	1
Ring-necked Duck	1	Red-bellied Woodpecker	4	Song Sparrow	4
Common Goldeneye	2	Downy Woodpecker	16	Northern Cardinal	11
Ring-necked Pheasant	24	Hairy Woodpecker	4	Western Meadowlark	5
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	Northern Flicker	21	House Finch	36
Cooper's hawk	1	American Kestrel	4	Purple Finch	7
Bald Eagle	15	Prairie Falcon	1	Pine Siskin	16
Red-tailed Hawk	31	Blue Jay	70	American Goldfinch	27
Killdeer	1	American Crow	106	House Sparrow	436
Rock Pigeon	135	Black-capped Chickadee	18	.	.