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.