Tweeters,

Here are results from the Bellingham Christmas Bird Count--
from a message sent by Terry Wahl to the WHATCOM BIRDS
group, forwarded with permission from Terry.

I was on the count this year (for the first time in 31 years!), but
did not contribute much, other than a TURKEY VULTURE over the
Lummi Flats on Dec. 17, which could not be found on count day
(drat!)

Note the 3 SNOWY OWLS-- more than were known to be in the area
before the count. Steve Ellis, please note also the 6922 SURF SCOTERS,
plus 4800 scoter sp., most of which were probably Surfs. These could
include some of your missing birds from Penn Cove!

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net



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Here are results from Sunday's event. Good conditions and efforts by a
dedicated group of observers produced one of our highest species counts in
38 years. Numbers followed by 'ATH' indicate all time high counts, '>avg'
and <'avg' indicate above or below preceding 10-year averages. Note high
counts of ducks, including unidentified birds (e.g. 'duck sp.') which have
to be considered when trying to make sense of results. "Good birds"
(subjectively judged) might be Goshawk, Sora (photographed by Dick McNeely),
Black Oystercatcher, Snowy Owl, Anna's Hummingbird. And a number of
one-onlies reflect observer effort.

2005 12 18 Bellingham CBC
7 am - 5 pm. 23-37F. clear. wind NE 5-10. fw partly frozen

Brant 1660 ATH
Canada Goose 1482
Cackling Goose 20
Tundra Swan 130
Trumpeter Swan 1534 ATH
swan sp. 62
Wood Duck 41
Gadwall 67
Eurasian Wigeon 20 ATH
Am Wigeon 8344
Mallard 12586 >avg
N Shoveler 91
N Pintail 8567
Green-winged Teal 683
dabbling duck sp. 1000
Canvasback 4
Redhead 2
Ring-necked Duck 146
Greater Scaup 1217
Lesser Scaup 35
scaup sp. 86
Harlequin 18
Surf Scoter 6922 ATH
White-winged Scoter 315
Black Scoter 76
scoter sp. 4800
Long-tailed Duck 52
Bufflehead 321
Common Goldeneye 87
Barrow's Goldeneye 143
goldeneye sp. 70
Hooded Merganser 103
Common Merganser 162
Red-br. Merganser 29
Ruddy Duck 211
diving duck sp. 2002
duck sp. 14583
Red-throated Loon 17
Pacific Loon 8
Common Loon 35
loon sp. 2
Pied-b. Grebe 5
Horned Grebe 57
Red-necked Grebe 18
Western Grebe 2512
Double-cr Cormorant 845 >avg
Brandt's Cormorant 1 <avg
Pelagic Cormorant 33
cormorant sp. 34
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 132 >avg
Turkey Vulture cp
Bald Eagle 130
N Harrier 53
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3
Cooper's Hawk 2
N Goshawk 1
Accipiter sp. 1
Red-tailed Hawk 147
Harlan's' Hawk 1
Rough-legged Hawk 22
Am Kestrel 6
Merlin 6
Peregrine Falcon 10 ATH
hawk sp. 1
Virginia Rail 1
Sora 1
rail sp. 1
Am Coot 435
Sandhill Crane 1
Killdeer 106
Black Oystercatcher 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Black Turnstone 40
Surfbird 45 ATH
Sanderling 9
Dunlin 1767
Wilson's Snipe 13
Mew Gull 449
Ring-billed Gull 71
Herring Gull 5
Thayer's Gull 27
Western Gull 2
Glaucous-wing. Gull 2015
G-wing./Western gull 47
gull sp. 1101
Common Murre 3
Pigeon Guillemot 149 ATH
Rock Pigeon 1182
Mourning Dove 76 ATH
Com. Barn Owl 7
Great Horned Owl 3
Snowy Owl 3
Barred Owl 2 ATH
Short-eared Owl 1 <avg
N. Saw-whet Owl 1
Anna's Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 17
Red-br. Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 59
Hairy Woodpecker 9
`Yellow-s' Flicker 1
`Red-s' Flicker 150
Pileated Woodpecker 5
N Shrike 4
Hutton's Vireo 2
Steller's Jay 222 ATH
crow 1756
C Raven 34
Blk-cap. Chickadee 952
Ch-back. Chickadee 171
Bushtit 496 ATH
Red-br. Nuthatch 31
Brown Creeper 27
Bewick's Wren 56
Winter Wren 115
Marsh Wren 10
Am Dipper 2
Golden-cr. Kinglet 425
Ruby-crown. Kinglet 169
kinglet sp. 10
Hermit Thrush 2
American Robin 812
Varied Thrush 183
European Starling 5134
American Pipit 39
Cedar Waxwing 48
Orange-cr. Warbler 1
Townsend's Warbler 1
Spotted Towhee 331
Am. Tree Sparrow 2
Savannah Sparrow 3
Fox Sparrow 87
Song Sparrow 492
Lincoln's Sparrow 5
White-thr. Sparrow 2
White-crown Sparrow 263
Golden-cr. Sparrow 159 >avg
`Oregon' Junco 1602
Lapland Longspur 22 >avg
Snow Bunting 9
Red-wing. Blackbird 686
W Meadowlark 28
Brewer's Blackbird 855
Brown-head. Cowbird 2
blackbird sp. 1000
Purple Finch 38
House Finch 486
finch sp. 8
Pine Siskin 11 <avg
Am Goldfinch 184
Evening Grosbeak 6
House Sparrow 1182

Total individuals 97521
Total species 134 (+2 count period)

number of observers 70 (62+8 at feeders)
miles/foot 100.75
miles/car 654.75
total party miles 755.5

hours/foot 112.5
hours/car 81.25
hours/feeder 18.25
hours/owling 10.75
total party hours 222.75