Happy New Year, Tweeters,

The Sequim-Dungeness CBC occurred on Dec 14, 2009, and the final
tallies are in. In total, 107 counters and 31 feeder watchers found
143 species and counted 85,221 birds, about average for the number of
species over the last 15 years and a record number of individuals for
the 34 years of the SDCBC. The weather cooperated reasonably well,
with temps mostly in the 30s and moderate, occasionally gusty winds
from the SE. Cold weather during the week before the count froze
most freshwater ponds, concentrating waterfowl in saltwater. Count
week birds that unfortunately eluded us on count day included Wild
Turkey and Least Sandpiper.

Highlight species for the SDCBC included:
Snow Goose - 1 at Dungeness Spit (curious how few Snow Geese we get
over here considering thousands at Skagit)
Sandhill Crane - 1 present for several days, wandering around fields
on the west side of the circle
Rock Sandpiper - 1 mixed with Dunlin at Dungeness Spit
Slaty-backed Gull - 1 adult described well, with a large group of
gulls on the beach near Graysmarsh
Thick-billed Murre - 1 seen well by our boat party
Chipping Sparrow - 1 HY in a sparrow flock at Graysmarsh
Yellow-headed Blackbird - 1 HY on the north side of the circle

Species with record numbers for the SDCBC since 1975:
Brant - 2933
Trumpeter Swan - 63
Gadwall - 429
Am. Wigeon - 16,929
N. Pintail - 11,311
Double-crested Cormorant - 716
Pelagic Cormorant - 311
Bald Eagle - 182
Eurasian Collared-Dove - 44 (increasing from 4 in 2007 and 13 in 2008)
Mourning Dove - 487
Great Horned Owl - 11
Barred Owl - 6
Anna's Hummer - 33 (first recorded on the SDCBC in 1994, rose from 22
in 2008)
Downy Woodpecker - 63
Lincoln Sparrow - 37
Western Meadowlark - 30
Purple Finch - 156

Species with very low numbers this year:
White-winged Scoter - 62 (second lowest no. since 1975; 10-year
average for 2000-2009 = 291)
Red-necked Grebe - 93 (10-yr ave = 116)
Western Grebe - 70 (10-yr ave = 151)
Western Screech-Owl - 0 (first time WESO missed since 1987)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 156 (lowest count since 1995; 10-yr ave = 351)
Savannah Sparrow - 6 (lowest count since 1994; 10-yr ave = 27)
Brewer's Blackbird - 612 (lowest count since 1994; 10-yr ave = 1550)

Many thanks to our stalwart counters, particularly those who travel
so far from home to help out. We couldn't do it without you!

Bob Boekelheide
Sequim