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WATERBIRD COUNT 2014
Sunset Point, Erie County, Pa. By Jerry McWilliams Time in the field this year was 153 hours, down from 210 hours last year. Total number of water related birds this year was only 36% of last year’s total. A lower number of Red-breasted Mergansers counted was the reason for the low overall waterbird total this year, making it only 26% of last year’s total. Four species of waterfowl broke previous season high totals. Northern Shoveler at 41 birds with the previous season high of 29 birds set in 2011. Lesser Scaup at 37730 birds was only slightly above the previous season high of 37631 birds set just last year. Harlequin Duck at five birds with the previous season high of three set in 2004. Ruddy Duck at 72 birds with the previous season high of 56 birds set in 1999. There was only one single day high count record for waterfowl recorded this year with 92 Gadwall breaking the previous single day high of 58 birds set in 2011. It was a good year for White-winged Scoters with a season total of 515. Last year’s season total of 547 White-winged Scoter was the previous high season count. Low numbers of waterfowl species this year were Greater Scaup, which continue to slide with the lowest season total since 2003. Common Merganser season total was the lowest since 2006. As expected, Bald Eagles continue to increase with a new high season record of 29 birds. The only addition to the waterbird count list this season was the very rare Pacific Loon. Thank you to all of the birders who stopped by and helped at times with the count. A special thanks goes to Roger Donn, who was very dedicated to the survey. I would also like to thank the staff at Presque Isle State Park, especially the Operations Manager, Harry Leslie, for giving Roger and me permission to conduct the survey, by car, from the hard pan sand ridge adjacent to Sunset Point. This site allowed us a clear 180 degree scan of the lake, and the increased elevation gave us the height needed to identify distant birds. Below are the specifics of the count: Time period: Sept. 12, 2014 to Jan. 1, 2015 Hours observed : 153 Total species of water related birds: 54 Total species of other birds: 19 Total of all species of birds: 73 Total individuals of water related birds: 124188 Total individuals of other species of birds: 2416 Total of all individuals: 126604 Snow Goose 1 Canada Goose 206 Mute Swan 3 Tundra Swan 135 Wood Duck 3 Gadwall 272 American Wigeon 169 American Black Duck 131 Mallard 198 Blue-winged Teal 16 Northern Shoveler 41 Northern Pintail 283 Green-winged Teal 188 Green-winged/Blue-winged teal 6 Canvasback 690 Redhead 919 Ring-necked Duck 70 Greater Scaup 300 Lesser Scaup 37730 Scaup species 634 Eider species 1 Harlequin Duck 5 Surf Scoter 72 White-winged Scoter 515 Black Scoter 47 Surf/Black Scoter 61 Long-tailed Duck 122 Bufflehead 693 Common Goldeneye 355 Hooded Merganser 36 Common Merganser 91 Red-breasted Merganser 68956 Ruddy Duck 72 Red-throated Loon 90 Pacific Loon 1 Common Loon 1365 Loon species 39 Horned Grebe 1589 Red-necked Grebe 16 Eared Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant 7807 Great Blue Heron 3 Green Heron 1 American Coot 29 Black-bellied Plover 11 Semipalmated Plover 1 Ruddy Turnstone 1 Sanderling 72 Semipalmated Sandpiper 1 Pectoral Sandpiper 2 Dunlin 60 American Woodcock 1 Red Phalarope 1 Little Gull 3 Glaucous Gull 1 Common Tern 65 Parasitic Jaeger 5 Northern Harrier 1 Bald Eagle 29 Snowy Owl 1 Short-eared Owl 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Northern Flicker 9 Merlin 14 Peregrine Falcon 8 Eastern Phoebe 2 Horned Lark 8 Brown Creeper 1 Winter Wren 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Kinglet species 13 European Starling 172 American Pipit 1 Snow Bunting 119 Unidentified warbler 3 Dark-eyed Junco 1 Small passerine 28 Red-winged Blackbird 2000 American Goldfinch 1 Unidentified finch 1 Red Bat 1 Unidentified bat 2 Monarch 2 Jerry McWilliams Erie, Erie County, Pa. jerrymcw@aol.com Comments are closed.
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