CBC = NAS #110, MICL #15

The 15th annual Clinton Christmas Bird Count was held on December 20, 2009. This was also the 110th annual National Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

We had 21 field participants in 13 parties. 67 species were recorded on count day.

Much of the still water was frozen which reduced the number of waterfowl species. Overall, the weather for the day was quite pleasant, but there were lengthy periods of time with very little bird activity. Overall, 14,683 individual birds were tallied.

New species for the count was European Goldfinch and was found by a feederwatcher northeast of Manchester. This bird had been present since early December. This may likely be an escapee or release, but could the future include these species in our bird populations of MI? Below is a photo of this individual taken by Mike Sefton on December 12, 2009:


New or tied high count = 15 species (see table posted below)
Are we getting better at knowing the locations of certain species? Thanks to those who have participated in the count for many or all of the 15 Clinton CBCs.

Several species have become regulars in recent years.
- Turkey Vultures have been found on 7 of the last 8 counts. These are normally found in or near Manchester. Below is one in flight:


- Bald Eagles have been found on 4 of the last 6 counts, and one of the misses included a "count week". I had heard there was a nest on Red Mill Pond in Tecumseh and visited the location on 1/24/10. Here is a photo of the nest:

- Pileated Woodpeckers tied the previous high of 3 individuals. There are likely more individuals in the count circle, but sometimes one has to be lucky to find them. This species has been found on 4 of the last 5 counts.
- Northern Mockingbirds have been found on the last 3 consecutive counts with increasing numbers. It seems there is a decent population north of Manchester and near Tecumseh.

The big misses were Cedar Waxwing and Ring-necked Pheasant. I have heard that other CBCs in the area also missed Cedar Waxwing. It will be interesting to see where this species was distributed during this CBC period.

Below is a table showing the results of the 2009 count and includes the CBC averages and maximums for each species.

Click on table for larger view.

To look into the historical data, check out this link on the NAS website. The Clinton CBC code is MICL.

The next Clinton CBC is scheduled for Sunday, December 19, 2010. If you have time and interest, let me know. We'll get you lined up with an area whether you like to drive or walk. We can always use more help for coverage.

sector G - southern portion

Sector G - south: has varied habitats and truly requires more time to cover than daylight hours permit

Click here to bring up Google Maps and details of the count circle.

The area includes land in both Washtenaw and Jackson Counties. Julie Craves and Darrin O'Brien have covered this sector for the past several years.

The River Raisin runs through the sector which includes bottomland and swamp habitat.

Upland areas that are farmed or being changed to subdivisions cover a good portion of the sector. Thorn Lake and Watkins Lake also lie in this sector.

Key locations: (based on info from Darrin O'Brien and Martin Bialecki)

- Watkins Lake (along Arnold Road, north of Horning Road) = This is also called Thorn Lake on some maps. Regardless of the name, most of this lake lies in Jackson County with the northeast corner just reaching into Washtenaw County. Arnold Road bisects the lake and allows great access (i.e. viewing of the water). This is the location with waterfowl concentration for this sector, if it isn't iced over as it is most years. If there is any open water, it is likely to be crowded with several species of waterfowl. This lake needs to be checked a couple times each CBC (at least once during midday and once near dusk) since many geese of the surrounding area come to the lake to roost for the night. Canada Goose is the most abundant species, followed by Mallards. Other species of waterfowl found some years include Mute Swan (non-native), Cackling Goose, American Black Duck, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. This is also a good spot to find gulls (Bonaparte's, Ring-billed, Herring) if the water is open.

- Arnold Road, north of Watkins Lake = This area runs through hilly areas with woods, unmowed fields, and pastures. Woodland passerines can be found anywhere along the road, but typically the highlight is the number of Wild Turkeys found approximately 1/2 mile NW of Watkins Lake. Typically the flock numbers in the dozens. One year the flock was upwards of 75 turkeys. In another year, a Northern Shrike was found in the open fields. I am always on the lookout for a soaring Golden Eagle in this area, but have yet to find one.

- Camp Dainava, Lithuanian Youth Camp, Thorn Lake = This is located west of Manchester, along Austin Road, just inside Washtenaw County. This area includes some dense conifers.

- Sharonville SGA = A portion of this state game area lies within the count circle and includes areas of Washtenaw & Jackson Counties. (southeast area along Pierce Road and Sharon Valley Road).
- Fay Lake area = This has potential given the lake and edges. However, the water is generally frozen by the time the CBC is run. A Merlin was found once to the southeast of this area and Peregrine was found another year north of the area.

- Noggles Road = This is one of the more beautiful roads in this CBC sector. It runs through woodlands and periodically gives views of the surrounding hillsides. Someday I expect to spot a soaring Golden Eagle. There are generally several good areas to stop and pish for passerines. The regulars including chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and titmice always show up.

- Austin Road and Noggles Road area = This always has potential for blackbirds due to the animal feeding area of the barn on the southeast corner. The open fields and trees along Noggles Road have produced one or more raptors each CBC such as American Kestrel, Red-tailed hawk, Cooper's Hawk, and Northern Harrier.

- private property along the Raisin River bottomlands = We're fortunate to obtain permission to spend much of each CBC on private property in the bottomlands and adjacent uplands.

We always need to be careful about people illegally hunting on the private land:

The lowlands near the Raisin River almost always provide species not easily seen in other areas such as: Barred Owl and Pileated Woodpecker. There is generally sufficient fruit on the Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac to host one or more Yellow-rumped Warblers, and typically a Hermit Thrush.

Here's a closeup of the fruit or drupes of Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix):

One property includes a conifer plantation which has hosted Great Horned Owls, Eastern Screech-owls, and Long-eared Owls, along with other species such as Golden-crowned Kinglet, Purple Finch, and Pine Siskin. One of these years, we will find a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

If anyone is aware of additional locations or less common species within this sector that are worthwhile checking during the CBC, let us know. We're always trying to cover the variety of habitats during the count day.

Pictorial Highlights

Following are some highlights that were captured on camera.

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Turkey Vulture = this species has become a regular on the Clinton CBC, having been found on 7 of the last 8 CBCs. Numbers have ranged from 2 to 78 individuals.
This was one of seven individuals observed approximately 1.5 miles west of Manchester along Austin Road on 12/20/09.

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Merlin = this species has been observed three times on the Clinton CBC
This individual was observed along Horning Road, west of Arnold Road in Jackson County on 12/14/08.

This individual was observed near the intersection of Paragon and Wisner Roads in Lenawee County on 12/16/01.

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White-winged Crossbill = this species has only been observed once on the Clinton CBC. The winter of 2008/09 saw a huge influx of this species into southern Michigan.
These are two of eight individuals found along Buss Road in Washtenaw County on 12/14/08.

The Compilers

There have been three compilers of the Clinton CBC since its beginning with the 96th National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (1995-96).

NAS CBC #	compiler
96 - 98	Darrin O'Brien
99 - 100	Martin Bialecki
101 - 102	John Farmer
103	Martin Bialecki
104 - pres	Darrin O'Brien

The compiler responsibilities include:
- Recruiting volunteers for the bird counts
- Coordinating the individuals or sector leaders for proper CBC area coverage of the CBC sectors
- Compiling the reported numbers (birds, mileage, hours, weather, participants) from each year's CBC
- Obtaining sufficient documentation for rare or uncommon species
- Obtaining the CBC fees from count participants and payment to NAS
- Entering the CBC results info the NAS CBC database