Since 1900, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) uses
volunteers to track bird populations by holding local counts across North and
South America. Counts are held between December 14 and January 5 and are
composed of volunteers of all birding levels to count birds in the field and at
their feeders. Volunteers count birds and tally them by species within a 15
mile diameter count circle. The St Marys
circle is centered at the intersection of K-63 & US-24. It encompasses parts of Jackson, Pottawatomie,
Shawnee, and Wabaunsee counties and includes the cities of Belvue, Delia,
Rossville, and St Marys,
After a 61 year hiatus, the St Marys CBC was reinitiated for
the 2017-18 season on January 1, 2018. It
was last conducted in St Marys in 1954, 1955, and 1956. At the time only 2 to 3 people conducted the
count. This season we had 18 people
participate.
On the day of the count we had clear skies and little wind. Day time temperatures started at -9 F and only
rose to 13 F. There was no snow on the
ground. Most bodies of water were frozen but some moving water was open. A
total of 18 people participated. We had 10 groups of people who birded in the
field but only 2 groups that watched their feeders. We really could use more people to watch
their feeders.
We had a total of 57,880 birds counted composed of 88
species and 3 subspecies for the count. There were 10 count week species (seen 3
days before or after the count day but not on count day). The most abundantly
seen species was the Snow/Ross’s geese at 38,500.
A whopping 41 new species were seen on this year’s count
that weren’t seen on previous years’ counts.
This can be attributed to habitat changes like the addition of lakes at the
Jeffrey Energy Center which gave us many of our waterfowl species. There have
also been population increases of birds that were rare back in the 1950s such
as bald eagle, wild turkey, and goose species.
Furthermore we had larger participation this year than in the past.
We had high counts for most species on the count as compared
to previous counts. This isn’t
surprising as we had more participation.
Our “best” bird was the turkey vulture. They generally don’t winter in northern
Kansas.
Some species that were expected but missed were pine siskin
and purple finch.
I’ve composed two tables.
One has counts for this year and the other displays data from all count
years.
The following table contains counts for the year. CW designates species not seen on the count
day but seen 3 days before or after the count day.
|
Species
|
Total
|
|
Snow goose
|
3711
|
|
Ross's goose
|
CW
|
|
Snow/Ross's goose
|
38500
|
|
Greater White-fronted goose
|
CW
|
|
Cackling goose
|
101
|
|
Canada goose
|
1625
|
|
Cackling/Canada goose
|
2300
|
|
Trumpeter swan
|
14
|
|
Tundra swan
|
CW
|
|
Northern shoveler
|
2
|
|
Gadwall
|
7
|
|
American Wigeon
|
3
|
|
Mallard
|
2023
|
|
Northern pintail
|
1
|
|
Green-winged teal
|
3
|
|
Ring-necked duck
|
13
|
|
Greater scaup
|
CW
|
|
Lesser scaup
|
21
|
|
Bufflehead
|
5
|
|
Common goldeneye
|
562
|
|
Hooded merganser
|
28
|
|
Common merganser
|
49
|
|
duck sp.
|
11
|
|
Northern bobwhite
|
40
|
|
Greater prairie-chicken
|
1
|
|
Wild turkey
|
7
|
|
Pied-bill grebe
|
CW
|
|
Great blue heron
|
2
|
|
Turkey Vulture
|
1
|
|
Northern harrier
|
38
|
|
Sharp-shinned hawk
|
1
|
|
Cooper's hawk
|
3
|
|
Sharp-shinned/Cooper's hawk
|
1
|
|
Bald eagle
|
68
|
|
Red-shouldered hawk
|
5
|
|
Red-tailed hawk
|
130
|
|
Red-tailed Hawk
(calurus/alascensis)
|
1
|
|
Red-tailed hawk (Harlan's)
|
1
|
|
Rough-legged hawk
|
3
|
|
Buteo sp.
|
2
|
|
Ring-billed gull
|
CW
|
|
Rock pigeon
|
115
|
|
Eurasian collared-dove
|
43
|
|
Mourning dove
|
76
|
|
Great horned owl
|
CW
|
|
Barred owl
|
3
|
|
Belted kingfisher
|
4
|
|
Red-bellied woodpecker
|
63
|
|
Yellow-bellied sapsucker
|
7
|
|
Downy woodpecker
|
35
|
|
Hairy woodpecker
|
2
|
|
Northern flicker
|
53
|
|
Pileated woodpecker
|
2
|
|
American Kestrel
|
12
|
|
Merlin
|
1
|
|
Prairie falcon
|
2
|
|
falcon sp.
|
1
|
|
Loggerhead shrike
|
CW
|
|
Loggerhead/Northern shrike
|
1
|
|
Blue jay
|
52
|
|
American crow
|
199
|
|
Horned lark
|
145
|
|
Black-capped chickadee
|
58
|
|
Tufted titmouse
|
20
|
|
White-breasted nuthatch
|
12
|
|
Brown creeper
|
2
|
|
Winter wren
|
3
|
|
Carolina wren
|
16
|
|
Golden-crowned kinglet
|
1
|
|
Ruby-crowned kinglet
|
1
|
|
Eastern bluebird
|
90
|
|
American robin
|
183
|
|
Northern mockingbird
|
5
|
|
European starling
|
2113
|
|
Cedar waxwing
|
36
|
|
Lapland longspur
|
401
|
|
Yellow-rumped warbler
|
10
|
|
American tree sparrow
|
1446
|
|
Fox sparrow
|
1
|
|
Dark-eyed junco
|
1064
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
|
1
|
|
White-crowned sparrow
|
2
|
|
Harris's sparrow
|
208
|
|
White-throated sparrow
|
CW
|
|
Savannah sparrow
|
1
|
|
Song sparrow
|
36
|
|
Lincoln's sparrow
|
2
|
|
Spotted towhee
|
2
|
|
Northern cardinal
|
207
|
|
Western/Eastern meadowlark
|
974
|
|
Red-winged blackbird
|
437
|
|
Brown-headed cowbird
|
CW
|
|
Brewer's blackbird
|
3
|
|
Common grackle
|
6
|
|
House finch
|
80
|
|
American goldfinch
|
88
|
|
House sparrow
|
272
|
|
Total
|
57880
|
I think it’s interesting to compare this year to previous years. Zero denotes count week species.
|
Species
|
1954
|
1955
|
1956
|
2017
|
|
Snow goose
|
|
|
|
3711
|
|
Ross's goose
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Snow/Ross's goose
|
|
|
|
38500
|
|
Greater White-fronted goose
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Cackling goose
|
|
|
|
101
|
|
Canada goose
|
|
|
|
1625
|
|
Cackling/Canada goose
|
|
|
|
2300
|
|
Trumpeter swan
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
Tundra swan
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Northern shoveler
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
Gadwall
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
American Wigeon
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
Mallard
|
0
|
650
|
65
|
2023
|
|
Northern pintail
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Green-winged teal
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
Ring-necked duck
|
|
|
|
13
|
|
Greater scaup
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Lesser scaup
|
|
|
|
21
|
|
Bufflehead
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
Common goldeneye
|
|
|
|
562
|
|
Hooded merganser
|
|
|
|
28
|
|
Common merganser
|
|
|
|
49
|
|
duck sp.
|
|
|
|
11
|
|
Northern Bobwhite
|
0
|
26
|
50
|
40
|
|
Ring-necked Pheasant
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
Greater Prairie-Chicken
|
1
|
55
|
27
|
1
|
|
Wild turkey
|
|
|
|
7
|
|
Pied-bill grebe
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Great blue heron
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
Turkey Vulture
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Northern Harrier
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
38
|
|
Sharp-shinned hawk
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Cooper's Hawk
|
|
1
|
|
3
|
|
Sharp-shinned/Cooper's hawk
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Bald eagle
|
|
|
|
68
|
|
Red-shouldered hawk
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
Red-tailed Hawk
|
11
|
10
|
6
|
130
|
|
Red-tailed Hawk
(calurus/alascensis)
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Red-tailed Hawk (Harlan's)
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
|
Rough-legged hawk
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
Buteo sp.
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
Ring-billed gull
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Rock pigeon
|
|
|
|
115
|
|
Eurasian collared-dove
|
|
|
|
43
|
|
Mourning Dove
|
36
|
13
|
56
|
76
|
|
Great Horned Owl
|
6
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
|
Barred Owl
|
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
Belted Kingfisher
|
2
|
|
1
|
4
|
|
Red-headed Woodpecker
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Red-bellied Woodpecker
|
19
|
36
|
16
|
63
|
|
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
|
|
|
1
|
7
|
|
Downy Woodpecker
|
17
|
25
|
8
|
35
|
|
Hairy Woodpecker
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
2
|
|
Northern Flicker
|
3
|
|
|
53
|
|
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)
|
36
|
23
|
2
|
|
|
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted)
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
|
|
Pileated woodpecker
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
American Kestrel
|
4
|
1
|
2
|
12
|
|
Merlin
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Prairie falcon
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
falcon sp.
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Loggerhead Shrike
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
|
Loggerhead/Northern shrike
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Blue Jay
|
9
|
11
|
4
|
52
|
|
American Crow
|
39
|
32
|
39
|
199
|
|
Horned Lark
|
36
|
40
|
19
|
145
|
|
Horned Lark (Eastern dark Group)
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
Black-capped Chickadee
|
103
|
106
|
27
|
58
|
|
Tufted Titmouse
|
19
|
31
|
8
|
20
|
|
White-breasted nuthatch
|
|
|
|
12
|
|
Brown Creeper
|
5
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
Winter wren
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
Carolina Wren
|
4
|
3
|
1
|
16
|
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
|
Ruby-crowned kinglet
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Eastern Bluebird
|
26
|
7
|
2
|
90
|
|
Townsend's Solitaire
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
|
American Robin
|
194
|
19
|
6
|
183
|
|
Brown Thrasher
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
Northern mockingbird
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
European Starling
|
29
|
67
|
53
|
2113
|
|
Cedar waxwing
|
|
|
|
36
|
|
Lapland Longspur
|
92
|
|
300
|
401
|
|
Smith's Longspur
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
|
Yellow-rumped warbler
|
|
|
|
10
|
|
American Tree Sparrow
|
342
|
336
|
270
|
1446
|
|
Field Sparrow
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
Fox sparrow
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Dark-eyed junco
|
|
|
|
1064
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
|
153
|
93
|
41
|
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
|
3
|
|
1
|
1
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided)
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
White-crowned Sparrow
|
2
|
0
|
|
2
|
|
Harris's Sparrow
|
186
|
79
|
57
|
208
|
|
White-throated sparrow
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Savannah sparrow
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Song Sparrow
|
37
|
4
|
6
|
36
|
|
Lincoln's sparrow
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
Spotted Towhee
|
17
|
|
5
|
2
|
|
Northern Cardinal
|
66
|
107
|
87
|
207
|
|
Western Meadowlark
|
6
|
1
|
143
|
|
|
Eastern Meadowlark
|
4
|
1
|
|
|
|
Western/Eastern Meadowlark
|
29
|
6
|
3
|
974
|
|
Red-winged Blackbird
|
|
212
|
1500
|
437
|
|
Brown-headed cowbird
|
|
|
|
0
|
|
Brewer's blackbird
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
Common Grackle
|
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
|
House finch
|
|
|
|
80
|
|
Pine Siskin
|
18
|
11
|
|
|
|
American Goldfinch
|
41
|
15
|
16
|
88
|
|
House Sparrow
|
79
|
85
|
79
|
272
|
|
|
1690
|
2120
|
2914
|
57880
|
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