EAS 2020 Christmas Bird Count Report
Written by Andy McCormick, CBC Compiler
Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon
Correction to EAS Christmas Bird Count Report
The EAS CBC Report listed 108 species of birds seen on December 19, 2020. This total was in error. Unfortunately, the sighting of Band-tailed Pigeons by an eBirder in Fall City on Neal Road on Sunday, December 20, 2020 was not included in the total. The Band-tailed Pigeon is now added as a Count Week bird. The corrected total for the EAS 2020 CBC is 109 species of birds: 102 seen on Count Day and an additional 7 seen during Count Week but not on Count Day. This information will not be forwarded to National Audubon because we are past the deadline for submission of CBC data. However, this correction will be included in my narrative report following the 2021 CBC, and I will add the Band-tailed Pigeon to our chapter count noting that this corrects the record on the 2020 CBC. I regret the omission.
For the second year in a row the EAS CBC found 102 species on Count Day. The historically highest total was 103 bird species in 2016. Our chapter has also continued its success in locating Count Week birds adding six additional species for a total of 108 species of birds seen on our 2020 CBC.
The 2020 CBC was conducted in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic under restrictions specified in Washington State and King County guidelines for mask wearing and social distancing. We did not recruit volunteers to the count and team leaders conducted the count alone or with one or two other people. Fortunately, we increased our feeder watchers from 5 in 2019 to 16 in 2020. We are grateful for everyone’s input.
CBC HIGHLIGHTS
The Rusty Blackbird, a rare sighting in Washington in winter, has been seen in Fall City by many local birders. We noted that an eBird record for our Count Day included the Rusty Blackbird, and we were able to include it in our count. A Common Grackle, another rarity, was part of the same large blackbird flock. However, it was missed on Count Day, and is listed as one of our Count Week birds. We are also excited that a Northern Pygmy-Owl was observed on Count Day for the first time in the past 20 years.
Birders in the United States have been writing about the numbers of winter finches that have migrated south this year. Our CBC located 1,187 Pine Siskins as they were seen by every field team. This was the highest total since 2012. We also found 14 Red Crossbills on Cougar Mt. 2020 was a good year for Red-breasted Nuthatches, another irruptive species. We found 54 which was twice their 10-year average.
Cackling Goose numbers at 10,380, double their 10-year average. Last year’s count of 1,518 was hampered by drone testing in the fields in Carnation, WA. However, this year we requested drone flights to be stopped for the week prior to and including Count Day. The farm staff agreed with this request and the geese showed up.
Two White-throated Sparrows were seen at Marymoor Park, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow was seen in Fall City. We had a nice rebound of Golden-crowned Sparrows at 114, a return to their 10-year average. However, Fox Sparrows dipped to 22, less than half their 10-year average.
CBC TRENDS
Several duck species in our count circle have been on a downward trend for the past four years. Ruddy Duck, which has averaged 24 over the past 10 years, was missed in 2019, and only nine were seen this year. Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, and Hooded Merganser were all below their 10-year average for the fourth consecutive year. It is hard to pinpoint the reason for this drop in numbers, but human-made development has continued apace in our region and could be contributing to the decline. Despite this trend, Mallards at 1,248, rebounded to their highest count since 2015.
Mew Gull numbers rose to 984, nearly twice their 10-year average, but only 12 Ring-billed Gulls were seen dropping to 29% of their 10-year average. Great Blue Herons numbered 30 coming in at two-thirds of their 10-year average. In a bright spot, two Green Herons were observed in Issaquah, one at Pickering Pond and the other at Lake Sammamish State Park.
The 2020 CBC had teams that explored forested areas and they produced a banner year for owls. We located 10 owls on the count: Four Great Horned Owls, two Western Screech Owls, two Barn Owls, one Barred Owl, and for the first time on the count a Northern Pygmy-Owl.
Thirty Bald Eagles and 28 Red-tailed Hawks were seen at 80% and 68% of their 10-year average, respectively. One Northern Harrier, one Sharp-shinned Hawk, and two Cooper’s Hawks were also seen.
SUBURBAN BIRDS
Recent research has shown that the suburbs can benefit some bird species. House plantings, improvements in suburban parks, and bird feeding at suburban homes have made life better for some species of birds. Our CBC reflected this trend.
The Pileated Woodpecker, which is the 2021 American Birding Association Bird of the Year, has been expanding in suburbs. Since the early 2000s when one or two of these large woodpeckers were seen on the count, we found a high of 16 in 2008, followed by years of 5-8, then 11 in 2015. The numbers held steady at seven for four years, and now we observed 12 in 2020. The trend is clearly up for Pileated Woodpeckers.
Ravens are another large bird species that is becoming more accustomed to humans in the suburbs. From the low teens in the early 2000s, ravens are now regularly counted in the mid-20s. This trend suggests that feeder watchers could play an important role in future CBCs and EAS wants to recruit more people to count birds at their feeders.
COUNT WEEK BIRDS
Count Week presents an opportunity to add a few birds to the CBC checklist. However, we only count birds not seen on Count Day and do not count the numbers of Count Week birds. Six species of birds were seen during Count Week on the three days before and three days after Count Day: Common Grackle, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Western Meadowlark, Osprey, Turkey Vulture, and Orange-crowned Warbler.
Thank you to all who helped with this year’s CBC. I am looking forward to better times and control of the coronavirus by next year’s CBC so that we can have many more volunteers join the count as we have had in the past.
Have a good year of birding!
Andy McCormick
Eastside Audubon CBC Compiler