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CURRENT EVENT NEWS

Dec 30th 2010 Christmas Bird Count Report

Although Ken Tracey continues to track down reports of two extreme rarities, he and I have more or less finalized the results of the 22nd West Pasco CBC. The CBC circle includes much of western Pasco County and slivers of extreme northern Pinellas County (not surveyed because of overlap with the North Pinellas CBC) and extreme northwestern Hillsborough County. The CBC was originally called the New Port Richey CBC and was begun in 1966, but I changed its name when I became compiler in 1989.

In contrast to some other CBCs I have participated in this year, the weather cooperated all day, although it was 24 degrees at dawn and many landscapes were quite frosty (see attached photos from within the longleaf pine flatwoods of J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park). As compiler, I had the rare treat of recording "still water partly frozen" in the Weather section.

Thanks to Ken Tracey for organizing the parties and for dozens of hours of scouting over the past few months, and to all 55 participants, especially party leaders and/or those who traveled from outside the county.
 
The tentative totals -- pending Bruce Anderson's review of the rarities -- are 170 "countable" species, one "uncountable" exotic (Common Peafowl), two count-week species (American Redstart and Pine Siskin), and 55,121 individuals. The species total may well turn out to be the highest obtained in Florida during this CBC season.

There were many highlights, most notably the first West Pasco CBC -- AND THE FIRST COUNTY -- record of White-faced Ibis, a first-year bird that Ken found at Trinity on 22 July and that has been seen and photographed by many observers subsequently. Other rarities (seen on 5 or fewer previous CBCs) were Canvasback (twice), Greater Scaup (once), Short-tailed Hawk (once), Lesser Black-backed Gull (5 times), Great Black-backed Gull (thrice), Barn Owl (once), Northern Waterthrush (4 times), and White-crowned Sparrow (once).

The biggest misses (reported on at least 11 of the previous 21 West Pasco CBCs) were Budgerigar (never missed since 1966 until last year and now seemingly extirpated from the CBC circle), Northern Bobwhite (reported 18 times), Vesper Sparrow (15 times), Wilson's Plover (14 times), Florida Scrub-Jay (13 times, but extirpated since 2005), Nelson's Sparrow (13 times), Baltimore Oriole (12 times), and American Pipit (11 times).

The complete West Pasco CBC results for the 111th CBC season are below (hopefully the columns won't be mangled beyond recognition):


SPECIES    TOTALS

(large forms) Canada Goose    6
Muscovy Duck    190
Wood Duck    42
Gadwall    6
American Wigeon    42
Mallard    285
Mottled Duck    210
Blue-winged Teal    120
Northern Shoveler    26
Northern Pintail    1
Green-winged Teal    52
Canvasback    3
Redhead    600
Ring-necked Duck    100
Greater Scaup    4
Lesser Scaup    285
Bufflehead    9
Hooded Merganser    400
Red-breasted Merganser    97
Ruddy Duck    10
Common Peafowl    [1]
Wild Turkey    93
Common Loon    75
Pied-billed Grebe    225
Horned Grebe    29
American White Pelican    1
Brown Pelican    175
Double-crested Cormorant    2,500
Anhinga    170
American Bittern    3
Least Bittern    1
Great Blue Heron (Blue form)    150
Great Egret    700
Snowy Egret    250
Little Blue Heron    400
Tricolored Heron    300
Reddish Egret    3
Cattle Egret    115
Green Heron    8
Black-crowned Night-Heron    23
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron    17
White Ibis    2,000
Glossy Ibis    112
White-faced Ibis    1
Roseate Spoonbill    17
Wood Stork    300
Black Vulture    475
Turkey Vulture    400
Osprey    60
Bald Eagle    36
     adult    [20]
     immature    [16]
Northern Harrier    6
Sharp-shinned Hawk    4
Cooper's Hawk    20
Red-shouldered Hawk    90
Short-tailed Hawk    1
Red-tailed Hawk    21
American Kestrel    32
Merlin    1
Black Rail    1
Clapper Rail    52
King Rail    4
Virginia Rail    8
Sora    22
Common Moorhen    345
American Coot    445
Limpkin    3
Sandhill Crane    135
Black-bellied Plover    10
Semipalmated Plover    48
Killdeer    280
American Oystercatcher    3
Spotted Sandpiper    5
Greater Yellowlegs    16
Willet    69
Lesser Yellowlegs    4
Whimbrel    2
Marbled Godwit    5
Ruddy Turnstone    22
Sanderling    1
Western Sandpiper    3
Least Sandpiper    53
Dunlin    50
Short-billed Dowitcher    9
Wilson's Snipe    33
American Woodcock    1
Laughing Gull    1,100
Bonaparte's Gull    32
Ring-billed Gull    1,000
Herring Gull    41
Lesser Black-backed Gull    1
Great Black-backed Gull    1
Caspian Tern    6
Forster's Tern    36
Royal Tern    56
Sandwich Tern    1
Black Skimmer    38
Rock Pigeon    200
Eurasian Collared-Dove    100
White-winged Dove    9
Mourning Dove    350
Common Ground-Dove    50
Monk Parakeet    30
Black-hooded Parakeet    18
Barn Owl    1
Eastern Screech-Owl    7
Great Horned Owl    7
Barred Owl    8
Eastern Whip-poor-will    1
Hummingbird species    2
Belted Kingfisher    64
Red-headed Woodpecker    8
Red-bellied Woodpecker    124
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker    12
Downy Woodpecker    38
Hairy Woodpecker    2
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker    3
Pileated Woodpecker    20
Eastern Phoebe    73
Loggerhead Shrike    15
White-eyed Vireo    14
Blue-headed Vireo    9
Blue Jay    95
American Crow    300
Fish Crow    450
Tree Swallow    2,500
Carolina Chickadee    78
Tufted Titmouse    150
Brown-headed Nuthatch    31
Carolina Wren    93
House Wren    75
Sedge Wren    36
Marsh Wren    12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet    32
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    67
Eastern Bluebird    115
Hermit Thrush    8
American Robin    28,000
Gray Catbird    190
Northern Mockingbird    116
Brown Thrasher    4
European Starling    175
Cedar Waxwing    23
Orange-crowned Warbler    9
Northern Parula    3
Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler    2,300
Yellow-throated Warbler    5
Pine Warbler    200
Prairie Warbler    5
Palm Warbler    625
American Redstart    cw
Black-and-white Warbler    16
Ovenbird    4
Northern Waterthrush    6
Common Yellowthroat    150
Eastern Towhee    67
Bachman's Sparrow    9
Chipping Sparrow    71
Savannah Sparrow    150
Grasshopper Sparrow    7
Seaside Sparrow    1
Song Sparrow    2
Swamp Sparrow    190
White-crowned Sparrow    1
Northern Cardinal    130
Red-winged Blackbird    600
Eastern Meadowlark    20
Common Grackle    650
Boat-tailed Grackle    400
Brown-headed Cowbird    400
House Finch    29
Pine Siskin    cw
American Goldfinch    51
House Sparrow    62
   
TOTAL SPECIES    170
TOTAL INDIVIDUALS    55,121
   
   
MILES CAR    720.0
MILES FOOT    59.0
MILES GOLF CART    2.0
HOURS CAR    53.5
HOURS FOOT    105.5
HOURS GOLF CART    3.0
OWLING MILES    38.0
OWLING HOURS    6.5
FEEDER HOURS    17.0


Best regards,

Bill Pranty
Bayonet Point, Florida
West Pasco CBC compiler

Crystal River Field Trip
Saturday, April 21,2007
Participants:  7
Species:  44
Families represented:  28
 
     We visited two sites of the Great Florida Birding Trail in the Crystal River Cluster.  Our first stop was Ft. Island Gulf Beach.  I have always found this very small beach to have a diverse complement of birds as it did on Saturday.  There were flocks of Black Skimmers and Laughing Gulls on the beach.  Royal Terns and Ring-billed Gulls were in the mix.  Sanderlings, Semipalmated Plovers and Western Sandpipers were actively feeding.  On the water there were Brown Pelicans, Forster's Terns, a few Red-breasted Mergansers and an unexpected Common Loon.  By the way, this is a great spot to see flocks of White Pelicans during the winter.
 
     Across the road, in the salt marsh, Clapper Rails answered our clucks and claps.  Along the boardwalk Tree Swallows, Catbirds, and Ruby-crowned kinglets were still around.  We didn't get a good enough look to identify some migrant thrushes.  Brisk winds probably kept us from seeing more passerines along the hammock boardwalk.
 
     Our second stop was the Redfish Hole trail which starts in a hardwood hammock and leads into the salt marsh.  Here we saw Red-shouldered Hawk, Summer Tanager, Eastern Kingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Greater Yellowlegs, Little Blue an Tri-colored Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets and our surprise bird of the day--a Black-necked stilt.  The last bird on this list is the Monk Parakeet.  I parked under their "apartment house" when we stopped for lunch.
 
     It was my pleasure to welcome three new birders on their first field trip.  There is a lot of satisfaction in helping people to enjoy birding. The next field trip will be in September.  Everyone is welcome.  Please join us.
                                                                                         Aggie Condon
 
Anyone who has a suggestion for a field trip or would like to help plan or help leading our field trips can e-mail me at aggy_condon@yahoo.com  I  welcome your input.

 
BROOKER CREEK PRESERVE
 
January 13, 2007
Participants:  17
Species:  38
Brooker Creek Guides:  Jim McGinity--Birder/Educator
                                       Don Stillwaugh--Biologist/Researcher
 
     This month we combined our field trip and program for an exhilarating morning at Brooker Creek Preserve.  Many consider this 8,000 + acre property the jewel of Pinellas County's environmental lands.  If you avoid Brooker Creek because of wet feet, this condition has been resolved by the construction of a bridge.
 
     Bird sightings began as we drove in where we were greeted by a Barred owl, Red-shouldered hawk and Osceola turkeys.  On the two hour walk over boardwalks and paths, we identified 35 more species.  We saw typical wet land residents such as Anhinga, Yellow-crowned night heron, and egret species.  Of course the winter visitors, American robins, seemed to be everywhere.  Among the numerous Yellow -rumped warblers there was the occasional  Pine, Palm, and Black & White and also Ruby -crowned kinglets.  Although Jim's knowledge of the trail enhanced our chances of seeing sparrows, wrens and towhees, they elected to remain hidden.
 
     Since most birders become students of behavior, I want to relate that I had never before seen a Red-winged blackbird eating seeds out of a pine cone!  The photo op of the day came at the end when a Hermit thrush posed for 3 minutes on the edge of the boardwalk!
 
     By 11 o'clock the auditorium filled up for the two part program.  Ken Tracey presented "The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and Brooker Creek Preserve."  Using the history of Ivory-billed sightings in the Tarpon Springs area, Ken cleverly and effectively connected the presumed  "extinct" bird to the past, present and future of Brooker Creek.  And why haven't we been seeing more of them?  Is it because our pre-conceived notion that they no longer exist keeps us from looking at every Pileated woodpecker with binoculars?  I don't. Do you?  I will now.  Finally, Ken presented interpretive evidence that supports the premise that these birds are possibly nocturnal.  He discussed the black and white feather pattern and how this identifies the bird in darkness.  Pictures illustrated these interesting and thought provoking observations.
 
     Jim McGinity showed slides of birds found in the preserve.  Some were in hand photos taken during banding operations. Our "test" at the end was to identify birds in out of focus shots.  This was an amusing way to bring the program to an end.
 
     We hope to meet at Brooker Creek again next year.
                                                                                          Agnes Condon
                                        Field Trip Coordinator

                        Bald Eagle

                    Marbled Godwit

 

ANCLOTE RIVER and GULF PARKS,  
KEY VISTA, HOLIDAY REC. CENTER
 NOV. 11, 2006

PARTICIPANTS:  9                   SPECIES:  58

 
     Morning fog did not keep nine enthusiastic birders from a visit to our coastal parks.  Our best sightings at the Anclote River were spotted and least sandpipers, Willet, and Semi-palmated Plover.  The park was very busy and noisy so I would suggest a week day for more productive birding.  On the way to the Gulf park we had a great view of a perched Bald Eagle.  The nest is in full view but if the female was sitting, she couldn't be seen.
 
     The fishing pier at the Gulf was our most productive stop.  Sightings of note included Common Loon, Black-bellied Plover,American Oystercatcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, and Marbled Godwit.
 
     Does anyone want to see 20 species of birds representing 16 families all in one spot?  Stop at the bridge over the canal on Gulf Trace across from the main parking lot at Holiday Recreation Center.  Perhaps no rarities here but there is wonderful diversity;  Anhinga to warbler.  Great for beginners.
 
     Please join us for Christmas Bird Count  scouting on 
December 9th.  

                          Aggie Condon, Field Trip Chairman

CROSS BAR RANCH / WELLFIELD
OCT. 21, 2007
PARTICIPANTS:  19
SPECIES 32  OBSERVED AND 5 MORE IDENTIFIED BY SOUND
 
   The lure of scrub jays and burrowing owls brought birders and photographers from as far as S. Carolina.  We weren't disappointed.  Many good pictures of both species were taken.  We also saw Eastern meadowlark, turkey, sharp-shinned hawk, American kestrel, barn swallow, Loggerhead shrike and Indigo bunting.  Also a surprise when a yellow-billed cuckoo was identified in a photo of sandhill cranes!  Besides the birds, we had sightings of white-tailed deer, gopher tortoise and the endangered Sherman"s fox squirrel.  An excellent day.  
                                        Aggie Condon
 

Cross Bar Ranch/Wellfield Trip per Kevin Sargent

Cross Bar Ranch and Wellfield is a 12,000 acre site and operated by Tampa Bay Water. It is a major provider of water for the entire Tampa Bay region, and fortunately, the relatively small and unobtrusive pumping stations allow for much of the land to be maintained as a wildlife refuge. In addition, a cattle ranch and slash pine forestry operates on a portion of the land. Though the facility is not open to the general public, Tampa Bay Water provides bus tours of the unique habitat at Cross Bar for local middle students and other groups that request access. Perhaps the most precious species that makes its home at Cross Bar is the Florida Scrub Jay. There are only about 10,000 of these beautiful birds remaining in Florida and several clans reside in the rare scrub habitat at Cross Bar. Needless to say, I was excited that the Ken Tracey and the folks at the West Pasco Audubon Society has arranged a trip to Cross Bar--so much so that I made the trip from South Carolina on my fall break in hopes of finally seeing a Scrub Jay. This gallery tells the story of our visit to Cross Bar.  

West Pasco Audubon Society Trip to Cross Bar Ranch Photo Gallery by Kevin Sargent at pbase.com