Nature Sightings Blog

2023 Christmas Bird Count Results

1/14/2024

Species seen totaled 43 -- a record by one among the files I have.
But the number of individual birds was about half of 2022 -- this year 1159 individual birds (last year was 2071). Part of that is 500 less Canada Geese since we didn't survey Pine Ridge golf course and both the Rock Pigeon and starling counts were down by 100+. Mallards were 1/3 of last year's number, blue jays down 1/3 from last year, juncos down by almost half.
Birds we missed this year include swamp and field sparrows, red-breasted nuthatch and red-headed woodpecker but we picked up killdeer, great blue heron, double-crested cormorant, golden-crowned kinglet, red-winged blackbird, winter wren, northern flicker. northern mockingbird, and belted kingfisher.

185        Canada Geese                                             2023 Christmas Count for Willoughby/Wickliffe area
    2        Black Duck
29        Mallard                                                                                     Count Leader: Mary Huey
    5        Hooded Merganser
    1        Double-crested Cormorant
    1        Great Blue Heron
    1        Ring-billed Gull
    1        Coopers Hawk
    1        Bald Eagle
    4        Red-shoulder Hawk
    7        Red-tailed Hawk
    1        Killdeer
65        Rock Pigeon                                                 Areas surveyed:
10        Mourning Dove                                                         Chagrin River Park (NE-Willoughby)
    1       Merlin                                                                      Daniels Park & Nursery Field (Willoughby)
    1        Belted Kingfisher                                                      Todd Field (Willoughby)
27        Red-bellied Woodpecker                                        Gully Brook Park (Willoughby)
20        Downy Woodpecker                                                Pete’s Pond Preserve (Wickliffe)
    4        Hairy Woodpecker                                                   Hach-Otis Nature Preserve
    1        Northern Flicker                                                       Coulby Park (Wickliffe)
   5        Pileated Woodpecker                                              Chapin Park (Western side-Kirtland)
98        Blue Jay                                                                      Sherwin Preserve (Waite Hill)
23        American Crow
24        Black-capped Chickadee
29        Tufted Titmouse                                                       plus 2 feeder counts
  34        White-breasted Nuthatch
   1        Winter Wren
    8        Carolina Wren
    2        Golden-crowned Kinglet
    6        Eastern Bluebird
96        American Robin                                                        Participants:      16
    2        Northern Mockingbird                                                           Mary Huey
145       European Starling Rich & Judy Spisak
   25       American Tree Sparrow                                                         Paul & Sue Belanger
   11       Song Sparrow Jamie Jubeck
   22       White-throated Sparrow Lisa Schlag
    1       Eastern Towhee Dan Fishwick
   66       Dark-eyed Junco Alison Huey
     9       Northern Cardinal                                                                  Ann Bugeda
     1       Red-winged Blackbird                                                            Becky Donaldson
    21      House Finch Laurie White
    40      American Goldfinch                                                               Mary Ann Wagner
    99      House Sparrow Dave & Sally Isacco
Dick Kennelly

Total Species       43                                    Total individuals   1159

2022 Christmas Bird Count Results

3/8/2023

680       Canada Geese                                             2022 Christmas Count for Willoughby/Wickliffe area
    8        Black Duck
98        Mallard
    6        Hooded Merganser
    5        Ring-billed Gull
    3        Coopers Hawk
    3        Bald Eagle
    1        Red-shoulder Hawk
    4        Red-tailed Hawk
183       Rock Pigeon                                                              Park areas surveyed:
28        Mourning Dove                                                                     Chagrin River Park (NE-Willoughby)
    1       Merlin                                                                                    Daniels Park (Willoughby)
    3        Red-headed Woodpecker                                                     Todd Field (Willoughby)
31        Red-bellied Woodpecker                                                      Gully Brook Park (Willoughby)
21        Downy Woodpecker                                                             Pete’s Pond Preserve (Wickliffe)
    4        Hairy Woodpecker                                                                Coulby Park (Wickliffe)
   4        Pileated Woodpecker                                                           Chapin Park (Western side-Kirtland)
148       Blue Jay                                                                                  Sherwin Preserve (Waite Hill)
24        American Crow                                                                     Hach-Otis Nature Preserve
44        Black-capped Chickadee                                                                     Pineridge Golf Course
43        Tufted Titmouse
35        White-breasted Nuthatch                                                    plus 3 feeder counts
   2         Red-breasted Nuthatch
    4        Carolina Wren                                                          Count Leader: Mary Huey
    4        Eastern Bluebird                                                                    [email protected]
23        American Robin                                                        Participants:      16
280      European Starling                                                                 Rich & Judy Spisak
     1       Field Sparrow                                                                        Dave & Sally Isacco
39         American Tree Sparrow                                                        Paul & Sue Belanger
11         Song Sparrow                                                                      Erin Avram & Ophelia
   1         Swamp Sparrow                                                                    Dan & Becky Donaldson
18         White-throated Sparrow                                                      Lisa Schlag
    1        Eastern Towhee                                                                                   Megan Hart
112       Dark-eyed Junco                                                                   Alison Huey
20         Northern Cardinal                                                                 Ann Bugeda
77        House Finch                                                                           Laurie White
40        American Goldfinch                                                              Mary Ann Wagner
57         House Sparrow

Total Species      38                                     Total individuals   2071

Miles Driven      26.5                                  Miles walked    13 7/8 miles      Total     40 1/8 miles
Hours Driven     3 hours 50 mins              Hours walked     9 ¾ hours           Total     13 hours 35 min

October 18th, 2022

10/18/2022

Christmas Bird Count 2021

1/19/2022

Here is the Christmas Bird Count crew getting ready to enjoy a warm fire and hot lunch - it was a decent day in spite of the weather.

Thanks again for participating this year and making it a successful effort! I've attached the summary sheet for you. When I added in the feeder counts (Fishwicks came through with a Great Horned Owl), we had an impressive 42 species (up 5 from last year and 4 from 2019) and 1357 individuals (up about 600 individuals from last year). That catbird at Chagrin River is likely going to be written up as a "rare" species.

381         Canada Geese                                                   2021 Christmas Count for Willoughby/Wickliffe area
    6         Black Duck
79         Mallard
    3         Ring-billed Gull
    1         Herring Gull
    2         Coopers Hawk
  3         Bald Eagle
    4         Red-shoulder Hawk
  4         Red-tailed Hawk
44         Rock Pigeon                                                                       Park areas surveyed:
18         Mourning Dove Chagrin River Park (NE-Willoughby)

Great Horned Owl Daniels Park (Willoughby)

    1         Kingfisher Todd Field (Willoughby)
26         Red-bellied Woodpecker Gully Brook Park (Willoughby)
25         Downy Woodpecker Pete’s Pond Preserve (Wickliffe)
    5         Hairy Woodpecker Coulby Park (Wickliffe)
    3         Northern Flicker Chapin Park (Western side-Kirtland)
    3         Pileated Woodpecker Sherwin Preserve (Waite Hill)
71         Blue Jay
29         American Crow
22          Black-capped Chickadee
29          Tufted Titmouse
23          White-breasted Nuthatch
   1          Red-breasted Nuthatch
2          Brown Creeper
   8          Carolina Wren                                                                   Count Leader: Mary Huey
16         Eastern Bluebird                                                                               [email protected]
45         American Robin                                                                Participants:       16
    2         Mockingbird Rich & Judy Spisak
    1         Catbird Dave & Sally Isacco
193         European Starling Paul & Sue Belanger
50         American Tree Sparrow Andy & Erin Avram & Ophelia
14          Song Sparrow Dan & Becky Donaldson
   1          Swamp Sparrow Sarah Preston
22          White-throated Sparrow                                                              Alison Huey
71          Dark-eyed Junco Ann Bugeda
36          Northern Cardinal Trevor Wearstler
   5          Red-winged Blackbird Dick Kennelly
   2          Brown-headed Cowbird
20          House Finch
36          American Goldfinch
42           House Sparrow

Total Species     42                                           Total individuals               1357

Miles Driven 28    Miles walked                   16.8
Hours Driven      2.5                                          Hours walked 10.5

October 2020 Meeting Summery

11/14/2020

In case you were not able to attend the October meeting, here is a summary of the event. Alison Huey and Ann Bugeda provided a fascinating presentation, “Social Songbirds - The Purple Martin.”
Besides outlining an interesting history of the Purple Martin, they shared facts regarding the life cycle of Purple Martins as well as their personal experiences monitoring nests at Chagrin River Park and Mentor Lagoons.
Detailed photographs enhanced their presentation as well as the demonstration of how the nesting gourds are accessible for monitoring and how the birds are banded before they fledge — to date, they have banded 299!
The experience of the video showing hundreds of Purple Martins – hearing them singing and watching them fly – gave one a sense of being there among them in person.

Thank you to Alison and Ann for providing such a wealth of information for all of us to ponder!

August 09th, 2015

8/9/2015

Give us your nature Sightings and thoughts!