MICL through the 17 years

We've run the Clinton CBC (MICL) for 17 years and here are some of the highlights:

108 = species have been tallied on count day through the years

1 = additional species has been found count week (CW), but missed on count day

60 = average number of species found for the CBC, with greater numbers in recent years


Attached is a file showing the numbers through the years. (click on the image to enlarge, then the image can be saved to your desktop for further enlarging)
1st page with most of the species:


2nd page with remainder of species and effort:

Many of our participants live outside of the count circle or the area, some drive 1+ hours.

If you'd like to participate in upcoming years, get in touch with me and we'll get you assigned to an area.

CBC = NAS #112, MICL #17, 18-Dec-2011

The 17th annual Clinton Christmas Bird Count was held on December 18, 2011. This was also the 112th annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

We had 24 field participants in 14 parties, plus 1 feederwatcher. 67 species were recorded on count day.

Most water was open, but some of the shaded, still water was frozen. Surprisingly, the overall waterfowl numbers were lower than expected. The sky was overcast in the morning with a bit of sun in the afternoon and temps in the mid-30's. Overall, 12,474 individual birds were tallied.

New or tied high count = 14 species (see table posted below), including 2 new species finally tallied on count day (Wilson's Snipe and Common Grackle).
The big records included Sandhill Cranes (123, more than twice the previous high), American Crows (1149, ~twice the previous high), and Eastern Bluebirds (271, ~twice the previous high). Also, a Common Loon on Sand Lake was only the 2nd record of this species for the count.

Thanks to those who have participated in the count for any of the 17 Clinton CBCs.

Several species have become regulars in recent years:

- Turkey Vultures have been found on 9 of the last 10 counts. These are normally found in or near Manchester. Nearly a record number with 76 this year.

- Bald Eagles have been found on 6 of the last 8 counts, and one of the misses included a "count week". A record number of 4 were observed this year.

- Pileated Woodpeckers continue to be observed in more areas of southeast Michigan. This species has been found on 6 of the last 7 counts. A record number of 4 were observed this year.

- Northern Mockingbirds have been found on the last 5 consecutive counts. We tied the record number of 4 this year.

The misses this year included Rough-legged Hawk, Carolina Wren, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and the general lack of waterfowl numbers considering the open water & mild weather.

Below is a table showing the results of the 2011 count and includes the CBC averages and maximums for each species. (click on the image to enlarge, then the image can be saved to your desktop for further enlarging)



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

The date for the next Clinton CBC is likely the 1st Sunday of the CBC season (December 16, 2012). If you have time and interest, please get in touch with me. We'll get you lined up with an area. We can always use more participants and coverage.

When is the CBC?

The NAS CBC season runs from December 14 through January 5. Each CBC compiler defines their date for each individual count.


The Clinton (MICL) is typically run on the first Sunday of each season, but this can change, depending on the availability of the volunteer counters.

This season's Clinton CBC date is December 22, 2012.

2011 numbers coming together

The Clinton CBC was held on Sunday, December 18th, 2011.

The numbers from 2 groups are still outstanding, but we had above-average number of species with at least 67.

Record numbers were tied or exceeded for several species including Northern Mockingbird. This digiscoped individual is one of 4 observed.



Hopefully the remaining numbers will come in soon and I'll post the final tally.

2011 MICL = Sunday, December 18

The CBC season is only a month away.

The Clinton CBC (MICL) will be run on Sunday, December 18, 2011. If you have time and interest, contact me about the area you may be interested in birding. I can then provide further information about the count areas and other participants of the count.

One can pre-pay the $5 at the NAS CBC website.

Below is the original hand-marked map showing the CBC areas. Click on the image for a larger view.

However, I created an older post with Google Maps to give more flexibility.

MICL through the years

We've run the Clinton CBC (MICL) for 16 years. It's amazing how quickly they add up.

Here are some of the highlights:

108 = species have been tallied on count day through the years

2 = additional species have been found count week (CW), but missed on count day

59 = average number of species found for the CBC


Attached is a file showing the numbers through the years.
1st page with most of the species:

2nd page with remainder of species and effort:

Many of our participants live outside of the count circle or the area, some drive for 1+ hours.

If you'd like to participate in upcoming years, get in touch with me and we'll get you assigned to an area.

CBC = NAS #111, MICL #16, 19-Dec-2010

The 16th annual Clinton Christmas Bird Count was held on December 19, 2010. This was also the 111th annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

We had 17 field participants in 10 parties. 65 species were recorded on count day. Not bad, considering the weather and not receiving data from one sector. An additional 2 species were recorded count week (Wilson's Snipe and Short-eared Owl).

Much of the still water was frozen which reduced the number of waterfowl and gull species. The weather for the day was overcast with heavy snow at times during the morning, which provided lengthy periods of time with very little bird activity. Overall, 10,445 individual birds were tallied.

There were no new species tallied for the Clinton CBC.

New or tied high count = 7 species (see table posted below)
Thanks to those who have participated in the count for any of the 16 Clinton CBCs.

Several species have become regulars in recent years:

- Turkey Vultures have been found on 8 of the last 9 counts. These are normally found in or near Manchester. The number of individuals counted were lower this year, likely due to the real winter weather.

- Bald Eagles have been found on 5 of the last 7 counts, and one of the misses included a "count week". There is a nest on Red Mill Pond in Tecumseh.

- Pileated Woodpeckers continue to be observed in more areas of southeast Michigan. We will likely break our record number of individuals in the near future. This species has been found on 5 of the last 6 counts.

- Northern Mockingbirds have been found on the last 4 consecutive counts. It seems there is a decent population north of Manchester and near Tecumseh.

The "big" miss this year was Northern Harrier. However, this species has only been recorded on 11 counts through the years. Land use has a factor in whether this species is present.

Below is a table showing the results of the 2010 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 date for the next Clinton CBC is tbd, but likely the 1st weekend of the CBC season (December 17 or 18, 2011). If you have time and interest, please get in touch with me. We'll get you lined up with an area. We can always use more participants and coverage.