It was decidedly not a winter finch
year. Two Red Crossbills on the New
Woodstock-Southern Highlands count
were the only crossbills in the state. Nine
counts scattered throughout the state
accounted for a total of 19 Common
Redpolls. Although 19 counts reported
Pine Siskins, they totaled only 72 birds,
two orders of magnitude lower than last
year’s all-time high of 7295. Evening
Grosbeak continues to be scarce in the
region, found on only six counts, with
72 seen on the Saranac Lake count by
far the largest total.
NEW JERSEY/PENNSYLVANIA
William J. Boyle Jr.
14 Crown Drive
Warren, NJ 07059
[email protected]
The weather was a significant factor in
the 110th CBC, as a major snowstorm disrupted the opening weekend and led to the
postponement or cancelation of numerous
counts. Rescheduled counts experience a
drop in participants, and some of the later
counts had to deal with heavy rains or high
winds. As a result, birds were scarce and
counts lower than normal. To add to the
slowness of the period, there was no irruption of winter finches and very few rarities.
Twenty-eight counts were contributed
from New Jersey, as Assunpink fell victim to the heavy snow and the pelagic
count was not run, but a new count at
Mizpah in the Pine Barrens was initiated. The total of 196 species was the
lowest since the 96th CBC, and Cape
May’s tally of 150 species was their lowest since 1993, possibly reflecting the
two-week weather delay. Oceanville
(123) moved into second place, followed
by Cumberland (117) and Belleplain
(111), all well below last year’s numbers.
No counts set record highs, but the
Northwestern Gloucester count recorded a record-low 53 species and Salem
County (70) had its lowest total since
1981, the first year it was run.
A single Greater White-fronted Goose
at Princeton was one of 36 species of
waterfowl, but there were no Ross’s
Geese and the Northwestern Hunterdon
County team could not locate the
Barnacle Goose that had returned for
another winter in late October. Thirteen
Cackling Geese were pulled out of the
many flocks of Canadas, while Cape
May tallied a record seven Eurasian
Wigeon and Oceanville added another.
Three counts had a total of 12 Bluewinged Teal, an excellent total for a
species that is not found most years. A
single King Eider was at Oceanville, but
a statewide record 646 Common Eiders
were counted, Barnegat leading the way
with 581; the previous high was 163 in
2005.
Ramsey located the only Ruffed
Grouse of the season to avoid a shutout,
as this species continues at all-time lows
in its population cycle. No more than
one has been seen on a CBC since 2003,
compared to the modern high of 72 in
1982. Wild Turkeys were down 50 percent, but this probably just reflects the
difficult birding conditions. However,
the complete absence of Northern
Bobwhite is a sad reflection on the status
of this formerly common species.
Individual Red-necked Grebes were
present at Barnegat and Long Branch,
but the Western Grebe returning for its
fifth winter at South Amboy continued
to elude the Raritan Estuary counters.
There were no reports of Osprey for
only the second time in the past 13
CBCs, but the Bald Eagle total of 300,
just 7 less than last year, included one or
more from every count but Northwestern
Gloucester County. For the first time ever,
Cooper’s Hawks outnumbered Sharpshinned Hawks 245 to 221, mirroring a
Count circles in
NEW JERSEY/PENNSYLVANIA
THE
110TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
AMERICAN BIRDS
45
trend also noted in Pennsylvania. It was
not a Rough-legged Hawk year, with only
seven total on six counts, but single
Golden Eagles were found on three
CBCs. American Kestrel dropped to an
all-time low of just 61 birds, less than 10
percent of the average found in the 1980s.
A Sora was a good find at Cape May,
as was a pair of Sandhill Cranes. Trenton
Marsh also had a Sandhill Crane and
Cumberland County tallied six of the
resident flock there in company with the
Common Crane of dubious origin. An
impressive 19 species of shorebirds were
tallied, but did not include any unusual
ones. Cape May had the only Blackheaded Gull and a pair of Black-legged
Kittiwakes, but missed Laughing Gull,
of which singles were found at Raritan
Estuary, Sandy Hook, and, amazingly,
Walnut Valley. Forster’s Tern was missed
for the first time in a decade, but Sandy
Hook had a Dovekie and a Razorbill
from shore and Long Branch added
three more Razorbills.
Wintering owls were in short supply,
as there was no Snowy Owl, only five
each of Long-eared and Short-eared
Owls, and a just two Northern Saw-whet
Owls. Cape May had an unexpected
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, while
Belleplain added a Rufous/Allen’s type.
The Red-headed Woodpecker count
increased from last year’s 11 to 30, the
most since 2004. Only five Eastern
Phoebes could be located, the smallest
total since 1989, and Walnut Valley tallied
the only Northern Shrike of the season.
A Mountain Bluebird at Princeton
was the highlight of the season, pending
acceptance by the New Jersey Bird
Records Committee, and only the third
for the state. Eight species of warblers
were recorded, including well-documented Black-throated Green Warbler
and Ovenbird on the Lower Hudson CBC.
The other major rarity of the period was
the Spotted Towhee, New Jersey’s fifth,
discovered at Palmyra on Thanksgiving
Day and tallied on the Moorestown
CBC during its five-month stay.
A Grasshopper Sparrow on the Lower
Hudson CBC was documented by
46
AMERICAN BIRDS
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Ryerson,
Pennsylvania. Photo/Ron D. Argent
photograph, and Lincoln’s Sparrows
were described from Great Swamp and
Hackensack. Cumberland County produced the only Lapland Longspur, but also
had a Yellow-headed Blackbird, only
the second on a New Jersey CBC since
1991. Single Baltimore Orioles were at
Belleplain and Cape May, but other than
a few Purple Finches and Pine Siskins,
winter finches were nonexistent.
Despite miserable weather on all three
weekends, 70 counts were submitted
from Pennsylvania, with only Curtin
failing to report. The total of 149 species
was 16 below last year and the lowest
since 2003. Harrisburg had the highest
total of species, 96, for the second time
in three years, but this was the lowest
leading total since the 103rd CBC in
2002–2003, which was also hampered
by poor weather. Southern Bucks
County (91) and Western Chester
County (90) were followed by Central
Bucks County (99) and Hamburg (87).
No count achieved a new high, but
perennial front-runner Southern
Lancaster County had by far the worst
day in its 34-year history with only 75
species on a windy, snow-delayed date.
Single Greater White-fronted Geese
were found at Central Bucks County
and West Chester, while the flock of 100
Brant at White Mills was the highest
total ever for a Pennsylvania CBC.
Noteworthy among the 32 species of
waterfowl found in the state were two
Eurasian Wigeon at Central Bucks
County and a Blue-winged Teal in
Delaware County. As usual, Erie had the
greatest variety of waterfowl with 20
species, including the state’s only Whitewinged Scoters (10), three Black Scoters,
and 500 Canvasback. Linesville, in far
western Pennsylvania, also had an
impressive 16 species, including 751
Common Goldeneye.
Ruffed Grouse (108 on 26 counts)
continues its near-historic lows, and
Northern Bobwhite was missed for the
fourth time in 10 years. Erie recorded
the only Red-throated Loon and all six
of the Horned Grebes found in the state,
while Southern Bucks County turned
up the lone Black-crowned NightHeron. Only eight Great Cormorants
were found on two counts along the
Delaware River, the lowest number since
1989. Almost 300 Bald Eagles were
found on 28 counts, and Cooper’s
Hawks (348) outnumbered Sharpshinned Hawks (231) for the sixth year
in a row. Seven Golden Eagles was a bit
above average, but American Kestrels
dropped to 524 from 989 the preceding
year. Unlike in New Jersey, however, the
long-term downward trend of the past
two decades has not been evident in
Pennsylvania. The Prairie Falcon of
unknown origin that has been in the
Newville area for several years was seen
again on that CBC.
Linesville had a flock of 19 Sandhill
Cranes, the most ever recorded on a
Pennsylvania CBC. Only four species of
shorebirds were reported, but included
an undocumented Spotted Sandpiper at
Bethlehem-Easton. A Laughing Gull
was a surprise at Southern Bucks
County, but Lesser Black-backed Gull
numbers were less concentrated than in
previous years, as the three Bucks
County CBCs totaled only 225 compared to last year’s 559. Southern Bucks
County, Western Chester County, and
Erie had a combined total of 11 Iceland
Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum),
Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Photo/Eric Witmer
Gulls, and the latter two had the four
Glaucous Gulls.
The Eurasian Collared-Dove at
Hamburg was only the second for a
Pennsylvania CBC (there were three in
2005), but this species’ rapid continentwide expansion continues to largely
avoid the Northeast. Owls were poorly
represented, presumably due to the bad
weather, and the total of eight Longeared Owls was the lowest total since
1990. As in New Jersey, the six Eastern
Phoebes were the fewest since 1989, and
the seven Northern Shrikes were typical
of a non-irruption year. The foul weather may have contributed to the influx of
Horned Larks, which were present in
numbers (greater than 12,000) not seen
since 1989, but it also caused Pennypack
Valley to miss Northern Rough-winged
Swallow for the first time in five years,
although some were present during
count week.
A single House Wren at Johnstown
was the only report of the season, as was
the lone Orange-crowned Warbler at
Lancaster and a Common Yellowthroat
at Harrisburg among the five species of
warbler detected. Varied Thrush was
seen during the count week in Central
Bucks County, but couldn’t be located
on the count day. The Le Conte’s
Sparrow found on the Elverson CBC
and the second for a state CBC lingered
for a couple of weeks and was well photographed. Only five Lapland Longspurs
were found among the flocks of Horned
Larks and Snow Buntings. Two Baltimore
Orioles were at Central Bucks County
and a count period Brewer’s Blackbird
was in Wyncote.
Winter finches were virtually nonexistent, with only two Common Redpolls
THE
110TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
at Rector and eight Evening Grosbeaks at
Dubois. Fifty Pine Siskins compares
poorly with last year’s irruption tally of
more than 11,000. I thank Nick Bolgiano
for sharing some of his insights into the
Pennsylvania CBCs in advance of publication.
DELAWARE/MARYLAND
Laura Balascio
34 Covered Bridge Lane
Newark, DE 19711
[email protected]
John B. Churchill
17607 Pompey Smash Road, SW
Frostburg, MD 21532
[email protected]
Many of this year’s CBC participants
will not remember the birds seen nor the
records set, but rather the severe weather the region endured. Several counts
scheduled for the first weekend were
postponed due to blizzard conditions
and snowfall amounts approaching two
feet. Mid-count participants dealt with
heavy rain and rapid snow melt, which
led to flooding in several circles. Cold
temperatures and high winds greeted
counters during the final weekend, and
several days of good birding weather
filled the gaps. Despite the weather,
record species tallies and many high
counts were noted.
Starting on the Allegheny Plateau,
Oakland had neither unusual species
nor high counts to report. The heavy
snow on December 19 was undoubtedly
a factor. The next day, the snow let up,
allowing the Allegany count to go on as
scheduled, though access was difficult in
most places. The count’s first Peregrine
Falcon, which had been resident in
downtown Cumberland, made an
appearance, as did a Golden Eagle (seen
in previous years only during count
week). During the Washington County
count, Great Egret and American Pipit
both were flagged as unusual species.
Eastern Bluebird tied a high count from
two years ago with 301 individuals.
Catoctin Mountain had a Tundra Swan
and notes of unusual species (Ruddy
Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, Bald
Eagle, and Merlin). There were also high
counts of Yellow-shafted Flickers and
American Robins.
The Piedmont Province has four
counts. Sugarloaf Mountain counts were
low for a number of species, but Bald
Eagles and Cooper’s Hawks were count
highs. Although it isn’t a count high and
they have been present for awhile now, a
count of five Common Ravens still
seems significant. Seneca also encountered two Common Ravens; they also
had a Red-breasted Merganser, Great
Egret, Osprey, two Merlins, a House
Wren, and a high count of Cooper’s
Hawks. Rock Run had Cackling Goose,
Golden Eagle, Merlin, and Common
Count circles in
DELAWARE/MARYLAND
AMERICAN BIRDS
47
Yellowthroat. Count highs were set for
Ring-necked Duck, Brown Thrasher,
and Chipping Sparrow. The 29 Pileated
Woodpecker tally matches last year’s
count high. Highlights at Rock Run
included Thayer’s Gull, two Iceland
Gulls, and four Lesser Black-backed
Gulls. Compiler Mark Johnson notes a
“downward trend” in many duck
species, including a lack of Redheads
and Wood Ducks. The Triadelphia
count had one of the more exciting birds
from the region with the count’s first
Rufous Hummingbird. It was seen on
count day and later banded. Also unexpected was a Caspian Tern. Although
lacking great details, this hard-to-mistake bird was reportedly seen quite well.
A report of five Double-crested
Cormorants doesn’t seem terribly
unusual, but they have only been seen a
“handful of times” on this count (previous
high count was one individual). A Palm
Warbler was also recorded on this count.
Ten counts make up the Maryland
Western Shore and Upper Chesapeake
Bay sections of the Coastal Plain. The
highlight for the entire region was likely
the Aechmophorus (Western/Clark’s)
Grebe seen on the Annapolis-Gibson
Island count. Their count also had an
American Bittern, two Cackling Geese,
and high counts of Cooper’s Hawk and
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Nothing
unusual was reported from Baltimore
Harbor or Point Lookout. The Port
Tobacco count had a Peregrine Falcon
and a high count of six Cooper’s Hawks.
The Bowie count had a Merlin and high
counts of Canada Goose, American
Wigeon, and American Pipit. Despite a
lot of snow, Jug Bay managed to find at
least one real treat in the form of a
Greater White-fronted Goose. The
Patuxent River count had seven
Northern Shovelers (never before
recorded), three Peregrine Falcons, and a
Short-eared Owl, with high counts of
Common Grackles and Chipping
Sparrows. The Elkton count had rare
sightings of both Palm Warbler and
Red-throated Loon with a high
American Robin tally; Killdeer continued
48
AMERICAN BIRDS
to be noticeably absent in this circle.
Chesterville hosted an overwintering
Northern Shrike for the second consecutive year; with high counts for Great
Horned Owl and Common Grackle.
Frozen ponds kept waterfowl counts low
in Lower Kent County; however, record
highs were noted for Horned Lark,
Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, and
White-throated Sparrow. Lapland
Longspur was also observed for the second time in that count’s history.
Maryland’s Middle and Lower
Eastern Shore is represented by six
counts. Not deterred by blizzard conditions, Denton and Salisbury participants
tallied 62 and 100 species, respectively.
St. Michael’s high counts included Surf
Scoter, Bald Eagle, Ringed-billed Gull,
Pileated Woodpecker, and Chipping
Sparrow; Brown Pelican was observed
for the second time in count history.
Severe flooding prevented access to
much of Southern Dorchester County;
however, high counts were noted for
Tundra Swan and Wood Duck.
Excellent weather greeted Crisfield,
resulting in first count records for Cattle
Egret and Common Moorhen and a
high count for Northern Shoveler. High
tallies in Ocean City include Common
Eider, Hooded Merganser, and Bald
Eagle; missed for the first time in count
history was White-winged Scoter.
Seven Delaware counts comprise the
Upper Eastern Shore and Coastal Plain
region. An immature Red-headed
Woodpecker was observed in Bombay
Hook where high counts included Snow
Geese, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle,
Great Horned Owl, and Long-eared
Owl. Cape Henlopen-Prime Hook
recorded its first Grasshopper Sparrow
with two separate sightings. Fog did not
prevent Milford from adding Barn Owl
as a new count species and a second consecutive year sighting of Saltmarsh
Sparrow. Birding “Alaska style” best
describes the Middletown count, where
even in blizzard conditions, high counts
were tallied for Hooded Merganser,
Black Vulture, and Bald Eagle. Blueheaded Vireo was observed for the first
time in Rehoboth, which also set a
record high for American Pipit. Count
highs for Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck,
Double-crested Cormorant, Bald Eagle,
Red-shouldered Hawk, Merlin, Pileated
Woodpecker, and Chipping Sparrow
were recorded by Seaford-Nanticoke.
Lastly, the Wilmington count saw firsttime sightings of Black-bellied Plover
and a Black-backed/Herring Gull hybrid;
record highs included Great Blackbacked Gull and Bald Eagle.
WASHINGTON, DC/VIRGINIA
Teta Kain
7083 Caffee Creek Lane
Gloucester, VA 23061
[email protected]
For more than four years this region
has endured severe drought conditions,
with many ponds, sloughs, and creeks
completely dried up, and acres of wetlands seriously compromised. At last,
rain drenched the area in September,
officially ending the drought.
Birders everywhere rejoiced over this
change and anticipated a great
Christmas count season because of it.
They couldn’t, however, have anticipated the unprecedented wild weather that
hit the region the first weekend of the
110th CBC count period. Rain, snow,
freezing temperatures, and high
winds—the likes of which had never
been seen in these parts—blanketed
Virginia and the District of Columbia.
In the southeastern corner of the state,
the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area
experienced a staggering 60 inches of
rainfall for the year, most of it falling in
the last two months of 2009. Those wet
conditions, combined with dense fog
and rain, cut down visibility considerably and hindered birders at Little
Creek. Stiff winds didn’t make for easy
birding during the Back Bay effort.
The western two-thirds of the region
was blanketed with snow up to 30
inches deep. Traveling was simply
impossible, especially in the higher elevations, although Peaks of Otter and
Mount Rogers-White Top squeaked in
ahead of the harsh weather and both
Count circles in
WASHINGTON, DC/VIRGINIA
were able to conduct their counts on the
dates originally scheduled in fairly mild
conditions.
During the early part of the count
period, Wachapreague, on the Eastern
Shore, was awash with driving rain and
bitter cold. Many roads were under several feet of water. It was impossible reach
favorite overlooks on the bay, and boating
parties were simply out of the question.
At the end of December, when Cape
Charles and Chincoteague counts were
held, high winds leveled sand dunes
along the shoreline, and water stood in
every farm field and hollow area, making
it difficult to accomplish good coverage.
Four counts fell victim to the wild
weather. Torrents of rain canceled the
Dismal Swamp count and unremitting
wet conditions prevented any thoughts
of rescheduling the event. The Hopewell
count near Richmond was also canceled,
breaking its 57-year continuity, because
snow and ice rendered roads too dangerous to travel. Breaks Interstate Park in
the far western part of the state and The
Plains in Northern Virginia were
besieged with snow so deep that residents had difficulty even leaving their
houses, let alone go out birding.
Continuing weather woes and conflicts
with other activities made it impossible
to reschedule any of those counts.
Washington, DC, struggled under
record snows, and that count had to be
postponed until the latter part of the
period. Others plunged ahead and did
the best they could. High winds were a
THE
110TH CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
major factor all over the region; many
areas reported sustained winds of up to
40 miles per hour. All counts in the
western part of the state, except
Northern Shenandoah Valley and Glade
Spring, reported anywhere from one to
25 inches on snow on the ground. Only
a handful of Blacksburg birders braved
the elements to cover a few miles by foot
and automobile, while 20 feederwatchers stood sturdy for nearly 50 hours at
their backyard feeding stations to augment numbers and species. Other CBCs
were a little more fortunate because
many birders could switch to later dates.
In the end, only 41 counts were conducted during the 110th CBC.
There were a few wonderfully documented rarities. The report of an
immature male Rose-breasted Grosbeak
huddled on the ground near a clump of
snow would have been very hard to
believe, were it not for the great photograph that accompanied the second
record of this species on a Virginia
count. A Wood Stork seen during count
week at two different locations was
found dead on count day at Back Bay. A
spectacular shot of an adult male Painted
Bunting at a feeder in Williamsburg and
one of a Golden Eagle soaring over a
stand of trees near a field at Calmes Neck
were both great finds. An equally amazing photograph of a Lark Sparrow, one of
two birds, made it a first-ever record for
Cape Charles.
Other first-ever sightings for a count
were three Cackling Geese at Washington,
DC, one Brant at Charlottesville and
another at Walkerton, a Broad-winged
Hawk at Cape Charles, a Blue-headed
Vireo at Charlottesville, and a single
White-winged Crossbill at Waynesboro.
Two Virginia Rails at Northern Shenandoah
Valley, a Eurasian Collared-Dove at
Chincoteague, Brewer’s Blackbird at Fort
Belvoir, an Eastern Meadowlark at Mount
Rogers-White Top, Palm Warblers and
Black-crowned Night-Herons at Brooke,
Red-breasted Mergansers at Central
Loudoun, a Great Egret at ManassasBull Run, a Royal Tern at Wachapreague,
and an Osprey at Gordonsville were all
firsts for those counts.
Given the different set of circumstances under which counts were
conducted this year, it would be meaningless to make any comparisons or
judgments about the species that were
found in low numbers or not detected at
all. It can only be said that many fell into
that category. No record-breaking
statewide high counts were set.
NORTH CAROLINA
Ricky Davis
608 Smallwood Drive
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
[email protected]
The 110th CBC in North Carolina
consisted of 44 counts this year. One
new count was conducted, that being
Catawba Valley. Four were not run due
to extreme weather conditions: Balsam,
Highlands, Shelby, and Wayne County.
Temperatures this season were close to
AMERICAN BIRDS
49
average, but strong winds and snow
events hampered several counts. During
this year’s count, 233 species and two
forms were reported. There were
819,576 individuals recorded, considerably down from last year’s total. Top
coastal species totals included
Southport’s 173, Bodie-Pea Islands’ 159,
Morehead City’s 157, and Wilmington’s
155. Tidewater counts included 155 at
Mattamuskeet N.W.R., 119 at Alligator
River (ARNWR), 112 at New Bern, and
111 at Pamlico County. Coastal Plain
counts were led by Greenville with 104.
Leading Piedmont counts had totals of
100 at Southern Lake Norman, 97 at
Kerr Lake, 96 at Durham, and 95 at
Southern Pines. Mountains counts were
led by Henderson County’s 78,
Buncombe County’s 65, and Brevard’s 63.
There were two additions to the state
CBC list this season—a Wilson’s
Phalarope on the Southport count, and
a count week Bell’s Vireo at
Mattamuskeet. The phalarope was
found resting with a large flock of
Dunlin on the beach at the Fort Fisher
Spit, and the vireo was photographed on
the L. Mattamuskeet causeway two days
before the count. These species are not
normally present along the Atlantic
Seaboard during winter.
Waterfowl highlights included three
Greater White-fronted Geese at
Mattamuskeet (1) and Wilmington (2),
160 Snow Geese flying south past Fort
Fisher on the Southport count, six
Cackling Geese at Pettigrew (3) and
Mattamuskeet (3), a female King Eider
in flight with female Common Eiders at
Morehead City, and a Harlequin Duck
at Oregon Inlet on the Bodie-Pea count.
Puddle duck numbers were average
across the state, but Northern Pintail
were down for the second winter in a
row. Diving duck numbers were unimpressive with the exception of Common
Eider, which staged a major presence in
the state with 10 individuals across five
counts. Pacific Loons were noted at New
Bern (1) and Wilmington (3). Grebe
numbers were about average and included a Red-necked at Kitty Hawk and a
Western on the Southport count; the
Western was only the third ever found
on a North Carolina CBC. The Cape
Hatteras count’s boat coverage provided
three Manx Shearwaters, proving how
important this coverage can be to a
coastal count. Another Reddish Egret—
a dark-morph individual on the
Morehead City count—provided the
sixth North Carolina CBC record. Ibis
numbers were very impressive at
Mattamuskeet this season, including a
winter record 120 Glossy Ibis. The most
unexpected long-legged waders were the
seven Wood Storks seen in flight on the
Pamlico County count, only the second
CBC record for the state. Bird of prey
highlights included single well-described
Broad-winged Hawks at Mt. Jefferson
and nearby New River, probably the
same individual; and the three Golden
Eagles at Mattamuskeet that provided a
record total for a single count in the
Count circles in
NORTH CAROLINA
50
AMERICAN BIRDS
state. Only one Sandhill Crane was
found, that being a bird in flight over
the river on the Southport count.
Sandpiper numbers were about average,
but Red Knots increased from the previous season with 948 counted. Easily the
best sandpipers were the Spotted
Sandpiper on the Kerr Lake count, the
Stilt Sandpiper at Mattamuskeet (fourth
North Carolina CBC), and the Wilson’s
Phalarope on the Southport count—a
most amazing find! Gulls were highlighted by a Little Gull at Kitty Hawk and
a Glaucous Gull count week at Wilmington.
Overall gull and tern numbers were
down, while jaeger numbers were most
impressive. The Kitty Hawk count
reported one Pomarine, five Parasitics,
and six jaeger sp.; Bodie-Pea had one
jaeger sp.; Cape Hatteras had one
Parasitic; and Southport reported two
Parasitics. Razorbill numbers were about
average with 16 counted on three
counts. A Dovekie was an excellent find
flying down the Cape Fear River near
Fort Fisher on the Southport count—a
very unexpected bird for that location.
Owl numbers were down but did
include a heard-only Northern Sawwhet at Alligator River. Hummingbird
numbers were about normal with many
Ruby-throateds continuing to winter
mostly along the immediate coast, and a
handful of Rufous found across the
state. This season’s Ash-throated
Flycatcher was at Mattamuskeet, and a
Western Kingbird was noted at Cape
Hatteras. One of the most unexpected