One northern flicker was found during this year's Christmas bird count. (photo courtesy of the Audubon Society)
On the next day of Christmas, nature gave to us, 268 Carolina Chickadees
- Published: December 24, 2014
The results of the Greene County Christmas Bird Count read like an ecstatic version of the 12 Days of Christmas, in which nature was so generous she continued well after the 12th day with 13 Eastern Towhees, 14 Eastern Bluebirds, 21 Northern Flickers, 72 Dark-eyed Juncos, 190 Rock Pigeons and on to 980 European Starlings.
The annual reporting event was organized by the Glen Helen Ecology Institute on Dec. 14. According to GHEI Director Nick Boutis, while many of the volunteer birding groups reported “a fairly slow day in the field … we were able to hit more sites within the count circle and ultimately found more species this year than ever before.”
Within the 15-mile count radius around Yellow Springs, including John Bryan State Park, Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve and other Greene County parks, the group saw 57 different species and a total count of 4,989 birds, twice as many as last year.
The complete list is as follows:
5: Great Blue Heron
11: Turkey Vulture
37: Black Vulture
370: Canada Goose
124: Mallard
200: Ring-Necked Duck
50: Hooded Merganser
3: Lesser Scaup
1: Northern Harrier
3: Sharp-shinned Hawk
3: Cooper’s Hawk
7: Red-shouldered Hawk
12: Red-tailed Hawk
3: American Kestrel
1: Pied-Billed Grebe
26 (CW): Sandhill Crane
190: Rock Pigeon
46: Mourning Dove
1: Eastern Screech-Owl
2 (CW): Great Horned Owl
10: Belted Kingfisher
1: Red-headed Woodpecker
74: Red-bellied Woodpecker
4: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
107: Downy Woodpecker
27: Hairy Woodpecker
21: Northern Flicker
14: Pileated Woodpecker
78: Blue Jay
589: American Crow
268: Carolina Chickadee
131: Tufted Titmouse
119: White-breasted Nuthatch
10: Brown Creeper
60: Carolina Wren
3: Winter Wren
8: Golden-crowned Kinglet
14: Eastern Bluebird
7: Hermit Thrush
411: American Robin
7: Northern Mockingbird
1: Gray Catbird
980: European Starling
8: Cedar Waxwing
13: Eastern Towhee
60: American Tree Sparrow
34: Song Sparrow
2: Swamp Sparrow
159: White-throated Sparrow
5: White-crowned Sparrow
72: Dark-eyed Junco
133: Northern Cardinal
35: Eastern Meadowlark
47: House Finch
26: Pine Siskin
126: American Goldfinch
230: House Sparrow
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