According to Jeremy Ridlbauer, 2010 Grand Marais Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) compiler, this year’s count was very quiet with fewer than 1,000 birds spotted. He explains that there was a “triple play” of reasons why the count was down this year.
First, the count circle was quiet because of the bitter cold leading up to count day. “Because of the below zero temperatures at the beginning of the month, a lot of birds went south. We only counted the hardy ones!” he said.
He added that other bird count circles along the North Shore had similar low counts.
The number of human participants was also down this year, which could have contributed to fewer birds being seen. There were nine hikers and drivers and seven feeder watchers. “Many of the people who have counted in the past were out of town,” said Ridlbauer.
Ridlbauer said the economy is likely another factor. “With the cost of feeding the birds, many people are cutting back,” he noted. “There aren’t as many feeders out there as in years past.”
There is a fourth factor that also contributed to the triple play low count—the fact that there has been no irruption of species (as there has been of owls in recent years) from the North. Ridlbauer said food is plentiful so species are not forced south for food, so that may be another reason why the count is lower this year.
However, participants on Saturday, December 18 managed to complete the Grand Marais Bird Count circle and spotted 32 species on count day and 38 species during the extended count week (three days prior and three days after count day).
Christmas bird counts started on the East Coast in 1900 as an alternative to the traditional Christmas afternoon bird shoot. The idea has grown to be a nationwide event, with birders in every state counting both numbers of species and numbers of birds in their respective circles. The first known Minnesota CBCs were conducted on Christmas Day 1905 in Minneapolis and Red Wing.
Author Justine Kerfoot started the CBC in Cook County in the 1960s and supervised the count for 20 years before passing the reins to others who have faithfully continued the tradition. Ridlbauer said the group plans to do the count again in 2011, on December 17.
The Grand Marais Christmas Bird Count follows the National Audubon Society guidelines. Each local count is conducted within the defined circle during a specified 24-hour period.
The 2010 Bird Count results,
in order of abundance from
Saturday, December 18:
Black-capped Chickadee
Rock Pigeon
European Starling
Common Raven
American Crow
Downy Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Common Goldeneye
Blue Jay
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Pine Grosbeak
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Cardinal
White-breasted Nuthatch
Bald Eagle
Gray Jay
Bohemian Waxwing
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
American Tree Sparrow
Northern Shrike
Pileated Woodpecker
Ruffed Grouse
Snow Bunting
American Goldfinch
Black-backed Woodpecker
Common Grackle
Mallard
Northern Goshawk
Red-breasted Merganser
White-winged Crossbill
Spotted Towhee (CW)*
White-throated Sparrow (CW)
Common Redpoll (CW)
Pine Siskin (CW)
Canada Goose (CW)
Northern Flicker (CW)
Spruce Grouse
*Birds seen during the count week
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