Racine Christmas Bird Count - Saturday, December 19, 2009

   The Christmas Bird Count (CBC), in its 110th year nationwide, has become a valuable method to monitor the winter range and numbers of bird populations throughout the decades.  More information at www.audubon.org/bird/cbc

Preliminary Results (as of December 29th):

Species Total
Canada Goose  986
Mute Swan  2
Gadwall  1
American Black Duck  23
Mallard  488
Redhead   2
Greater Scaup 622
White-winged Scoter  4
Bufflehead  17
Common Goldeneye  215
*Barrow’s Goldeneye 1
Hooded Merganser 14
Common Merganser 53
Red-breasted Merganser  349
Ruddy Duck 2
Wild Turkey  8
Great Blue Heron 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Cooper’s Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk  10
Rough-legged Hawk 1
American Kestrel  5
Peregrine Falcon 4
American Coot  2
Ring-billed Gull  22
Herring Gull  1191
*Thayer’s Gull   1
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 107
Mourning Dove 209
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Great Horned Owl  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 8
Downy Woodpecker  14
Hairy Woodpecker  5
Northern Flicker  1
Blue Jay 65
American Crow  83
Horned Lark  69
Black-Capped Chickadee  122
Red-breasted Nuthatch  3
White-breasted Nuthatch 22
Brown Creeper  1
American Robin  55
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling 751
*American Pipit 12
Cedar Waxwing 171
American Tree Sparrow   309
Song Sparrow   6
Swamp Sparrow 1
**Savanna Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 148
Lapland Longspur  157
Snow Bunting  113
Northern Cardinal  71
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Purple Finch 1
House Finch  36
American Goldfinch  81
House Sparrow  222
Total Count Day Individuals 6881
Total Count Day Species    62

Additional species seen during the count week (December 17th - 22nd), but not on December 19th include:
Bald Eagle
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Shrike
Lesser Scaup


   Join the Hoy Audubon Society on foot and by car for part of or or whole day as we count all birds we find in various habitats of eastern Racine County.  Every effort will be made to pair new field observers with more experienced birders where possible.  Field observers are requested to pay $5 to Audubon.  There is no fee for observers under 19 years of age or for home feeder watchers.  Paid participants receive the CBC summary issue of "American Birds: Summary of the CBC" from National Audubon Society which arrives later in 2010.  To sign up and receive a designated count area, please contact Eric Howe prior to December 17th at or 262.594.5853. 

   You can also pre-register online at National Audubon Society's website: http://www.audubon.org/bird/cbc. Once registered and logged in, you will have the option to signup for a CBC. The CBC circle code that you will need to enter for the Racine CBC is "WIRC".  Should hazardous weather exist on the 19th, the backup date will be Sunday, December 20th.  To view a map of the Racine CBC area, visit: www.hoyaudubon.org/cbc/racine