[Tweeters] Port Townsend CBC Summary

[Steve Hampton via Tweeters]

 The 47th Port Townsend Christmas Bird Count, held on December 14, 2024,
came in howling. A front moved through at dawn, producing gusts of 60 mph,
though rain quickly turned to sunshine. The winds didn’t relax until after
noon, making birding difficult. The boat was cancelled, owling was nearly
impossible, and many birds were difficult to locate.



Nevertheless, the count ended up with 124 species, just one shy of last
year’s all-time high. Moreover, participation was through the roof, with
104 participants, a number that includes an amazing 22 feeder watchers. The
previous high was 78 participants, set last year. The field teams put in
140 party hours, second only to last year.



We added two new species for the count: the continuing Rough-legged Hawk
just north of Short Farm, and a Short-tailed Shearwater, picked out by Bob
Boekelheide during a brave two-hour seawatch from Pt Wilson as the front
moved through.



Brian Ellis negotiated limited access to Indian Island, which yielded two
Yellow-billed Loons (sorry, not chaseable). Other highlights included the
continuing Rock Sandpiper at Flagler, two Western Meadowlarks at Pt Wilson,
and two Orange-crowned Warblers and 10 Townsend’s Warblers (both tying high
counts), reported from multiple teams. California Scrub-Jays were reported
from three different parties, a new high. With no freezing temps along the
water yet this winter, berries were plentiful. The 183 waxwings (an
undercount based on what I'm seeing out my window right now as I type) was
the 2nd highest ever.



In addition to the 124 species, we just missed five more: Western
Sandpiper, Barn Owl, Peregrine Falcon, Red-breasted Sapsucker, and Canada
Jay. These will go down as “count week” birds, as they were seen within
three days of the count in either direction.



Record high counts were set for 7 species.  These were:

Canada Goose (583 > 520)

Mourning Dove (143 > 141)

Black-capped Chickadee (282 > 259 last year)

Red-breasted Nuthatch (122 > 96 last year)

Brown Creeper (24 > 19)

Savannah Sparrow (6 > 5)

Purple Finch (77 > 67)



The feeder watchers provided the margin of difference for the chickadee,
nuthatch, and finch.



Several species tied previous high counts: Yellow-billed Loon (2),
Sharp-shinned Hawk (7, matching last year), Rock Sandpiper (1),
Great-horned Owl (2), Orange-crowned Warbler (2), and Townsend’s Warbler
(10). There were no record low counts, though many were below average – and
even more so when adjusted to birds per party hour. Remarkably, given the
weather, there were no notable misses.



We also capped the day with the return of the Compilation Potluck, where we
all added Great-horned Owl, which was hooting behind building! Thanks to
all the area leaders and participants! In 2025, we hope to add more
opportunities for part-day routes.


-- 
Steve Hampton
Port Townsend, WA  (qatáy)
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