The 15th consecutive AFNS Christmas Bird count took place on Wednesday Dec. 29, 2004. The weather was cool and cloudy with moderate winds in the am, and became progressively viler. As a result, some field observers called it quits at noon! The numbers of individual birds were way down, comparable to the year 1998 which presented similar bad weather. However numbers at feeders were about the same as last year. It seems that many songbirds spent most of the day at feeding stations, while seabirds were lying low.
There were some notable absences from the species list this year. Long-tailed ducks were very scarce. What happened to the huge flocks which used to winter on the Basin? Red-breasted Merganser numbers were also way down. For the first time ever, no Robins appeared on count day, and even European Starlings were seen in low numbers. Numbers of winter finches (Redpolls, Grosbeaks) and Waxwings were low or zero. Lots of American Goldfinches though, particularly at feeders.
In spite of the low numbers there were some notable sightings. An Eastern Towhee was spotted at her feeder by Val Davies - keep an eye out for this, as well as one or more Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen during Count Week by Wayne Morgan. Jeff McCormick and party had a close-up view of an immature Turkey Vulture at Parker's Cove Wharf. These are the first ever sightings of these species in our winter count. No less than four Bald Eagles were round the Annapolis Basin. Unusual numbers of Greater Scaup and White-winged Scoters (and a few Surf Scoters) have been wintering in the Basin since mid-November.
For comparison, here are the numbers for all the years of the count in our area.
Thanks to all those who helped out in this worthwhile effort! For further information contact:
David Tinker