Count Date: December 19, 2019

• Master Spreadsheet
• Count Summary
• 95 Species and 75772 birds counted
• 64 Count Participants

Christmas Bird Count 2020 Report

The 2020 annual Christmas Bird Count was like no other, owing to human, not avian, precedents. The novel coronavirus, dubbed covid-19, came ashore last winter. It has since wreaked havoc with many peoples’ lives, the economy, and all things social. To minimize transmission, our local CBC distributed and collected count forms electronically. We had no compilation potluck, few if any newcomers (except for a surge in feeder counters), and no carpooling. We could have just cancelled the count, but instead, Mykel Beorchia organized our stalwart crew in continuing the long-standing tradition in this, Logan’s 66th annual CBC. Makenna Johnson ably tackled recording and reporting, made more difficult without the potluck compilation.

Good weather for observers was a boon. Temperatures hovered near freezing. It was calm and overcast. No fog and no inversion meant good visibility, though colors were muted by the cloud cover. Fresh snow from a few days earlier bolstered the holiday vibe (who wants a brown Christmas?), but by count day, road surfaces were largely bare and dry.

The mild weather, coupled with a flock of committed, capable observers (still being tallied), plus swelling ranks of feeder watchers, allowed us to find 95 species. We found over 75,000 individual birds, 17,000 of them not European Starlings! We found record high numbers of ruffed grouse (4), lesser goldfinches (106, first seen in 2008 cbc), western meadowlarks (254, usually 1/5 this many), spotted towhees (47), and yes, house sparrows (6710, 4000 more than 20 year average). Other species were unusually abundant, including Cassin’s finch (156, last count >30 in 1996), red-breasted nuthatches, mountain chickadees, chukars (all eclipsing counts of past 20 years). Unusual or rare sightings included one each of greater yellowlegs, northern goshawk, mockingbird, white-breasted nuthatch and vesper sparrow, and the often absent eastern bluejay, Steller’s jay and ferrunginous hawk. Juncos were especially numerous too, as those of you with feeders have noticed. Bravo for hard-won sightings of prairie falcons, a dozen each gray-crowned rosy finches and red crossbills, 6 northern saw-whet and 2 northern pygmy owls. As always, other species were unusually scarce for this year’s count, including several web-footed friends (pied-billed grebe, bufflehead, redhead, canvasback, pintail, wood duck), plus snipe (just 2 and 3 last two years, 1/8 of 20 year average, likely reflecting lost wetlands), and low counts of gulls in general.

Feeder watching benefitted from active promotion this year, surging from 31 to 51 people, ably compiled by Debi Evans. The irruptions of several species were reflected in feeder counts, including red-breasted nuthatches (14 vs 3 in 2019 count), pine siskins (106 vs 30) and Cassin’s finches (21 vs 0). Mountain chickadees (12) and song sparrows (19) showed up this year but not last, plus a stray blue jay (eastern), and one white-breasted nuthatch to represent this species seen at some feeders this winter.

Our count relies entirely on the keen eyes, identification skills and perseverance of our volunteer birders, and the hours spent organizing and later compiling by Makenna, Mykel and Debi. Next year, we look forward to again welcoming new participants in our cars, carpooling with chums, and a return to the chattery enthusiasm of our traditional compilation potluck.

       Jim Cane

Feeder Sector Report Summary 2020 (2019 in parentheses)
Participation: 49 people, 53 hours (in 2019: 31 people, 29 hours; 15 minutes)
Birds Seen: 1738 birds; 32 species (in 2019: 775 birds; 20 species)

Seen this year, but not last year for the feeder watch: American Kestrel; Blue Jay; Cassin’s Finch; Cedar Waxwing; Evening Grosbeak; Hairy Woodpecker; Mountain Chickadee; Mourning Dove; Northern Harrier; Red-tailed Hawk; Red-winged Blackbird; Sharp-shinned Hawk; Song Sparrow; White-crowned Sparrow

Seen last year, but not this year for the feeder watch: Grey Partridge; Mallard

The Feeder Watch List:
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 28 [one murder of 15 crows] (4)
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 88 (39)
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 4
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 25 (48)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 60 (52)
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 37 (46)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 1
Cassin’s Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) 28
Cedar Waxwing (Bonbycilla cedrorum) 2
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) (Junco hyemalis) 340 (130)
Dark-eyed Junco (Grey-headed) (Junco hyemalis) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) (Junco hyemalis) 15
Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided) (Junco hyemalis) 5
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 8 (7)
Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) 74 (44)
European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) 406 [2 large murmurations] (111)
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) 2
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 293 (154)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 65 (41)
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) 91 (37)
Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) 12
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 17
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 12 (8)
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 106 (30)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 14 (3)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 85
Ring-necked Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) 9 (4)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 19
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 15 (5)
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 12
Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) 29 (12)

2020 Logan Utah Circle, Christmas Bird Count Summary