Christmas Bird Counts were successful again this year

                        
The Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) broke some new ground this year. The best rare bird was a White-winged Dove at feeders south of Shreve. This was on the Wooster count which took place Dec. 26. Wooster always has the potential to be a top count since the Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms Wildlife Areas are great places for finding many unusual species. This year there were a number of waterfowl species including Cackling Goose and Snow Goose. A big surprise was finding several Least Sandpipers at a fish pond north of Shreve. I haven’t heard what the final total was for the Wooster count but it must have been in the mid-80s or higher. A number of young birders have really worked hard to boost the Wooster count, and the results have shown the last few years.
The Ragersville CBC took place Dec. 29. Although the star of the show, Ohio’s first Allen’s Hummingbird, left on the 27th, (hopefully for a warmer place!), it will show up as a count week bird (species found three days before or three days after count day. There were lots of other excellent finds on the count, such as a Gray Catbird and Brown Thrasher. Even more unusual was a Cape May Warbler and three Pine Warblers. A Long-eared Owl was another nice addition.
The last two area CBCs were Mohican and Millersburg, both held on Saturday, the second of January. Although the weather was extremely cold, many intrepid birders on the Millersburg count hiked all day, searching for every bird they could find. The wind was from the northwest, adding to the cold. Still the total species found reached 85, quite a respectable count, but not as high as some previous counts that reached the 90s. There was a nice flight of gulls, cormorants, and swans around noon. A flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls was the first ever for the count.
There are several places that traditionally have open water at this time of year, even if the weather is very cold. That was true again this year but unfortunately some of the birds evidently flew south just before the count day began. A Horned Grebe, two Ring-necked Ducks and two American Wigeon were still present in the count circle on Friday afternoon, but all had left by Saturday morning. Another bird that was missed this year was Bald Eagle. If any readers saw an eagle anytime between Dec. 30 and Jan. 5 in the Millersburg CBC area, please let me know. The CBC area is a 15 mile circle around Millersburg, including Berlin in the east, Holmesville in the north, Layland/Clark in the south, and West Holmes High School in the west.
Other CBCs that take place each year in this area include Ashland, Mansfield, and Wilmot. I don’t have any information on how they did this year, but all the results will be available online over the next month or so. Just go to the National Audubon Society Web site and look for Christmas Bird Counts for 2009. There are now more than 100 years of CBC results, an amazing amount of information, all gathered by volunteers. One of the longest serving CBC compilers is our own Roger Troutman - this is his 53rd year on both the Wooster and Mohican CBCs.
Perhaps the most satisfying thing about our local CBCs over the last five to 10 years has been the increasing number of young birders who have been involved. Although adults pay $5 to participate in a count, anyone 18 or younger can take part without paying. People who keep track of the birds at their feeders can also contribute their data to the count, assuming they live in the count circle. There is no cost for feeder watchers. The total number of participants each year in our local CBCs is probably well over 300 - quite impressive for a mainly rural area. New birders are always welcome.
Good birding!
Contact Bruce Glick at birderbruce@yahoo.com, or phone 330-317-7798.


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