Date: 12/20/24 6:54 am From: Jacob C. Cooper via groups.io <cooperj2...> Subject: [NEBirds] Kearney CBC overview
Hi all,
We had a great CBC in Kearney here this year, with 79 species recorded. This breaks the previous record of 69 species last year and brings the all-time total to 104 species. This stands in stark contrast with pre-1975 CBCs in the area, which recorded a maximum of 47 species. These drastic changes are in no doubt due in large part to the changing landscape, with more gravel pits and woods available at the present, as well as more mild winters towards the present. In total, we had 16 participants covering the area, and we received permission from multiple private landowners to be able to access their properties. Thanks everyone for their hard work!
The full results will be available in the future (and are currently delayed due to finals grading!), but we had 12 new species for the count and recorded new high counts for 25 species. Almost all our new species were waterfowl, highlighting the mild temperatures keeping water open and the propensity of ducks and geese to winter further north at present than they did historically. The biggest rarities were Brant (likely the same individual as last winter!), Long-tailed Duck (one of only a few county records), Golden Eagle (scarce in these parts), and Rusty Blackbird (scarce in these parts). Interestingly, Rusty Blackbird was not a new bird for the count, with a flock of 50 being recorded in 1962. A few species tied previous high counts, like Sharp-shinned Hawk (5), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2), and Swamp Sparrow (1).
In addition to the new species below, a “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk was also photographed on the count. This was likely a new population for the count, but I do not have super detailed subspecies information for past counts. Full list of noteworthy species below.
New species for the Kearney CBC (with number reported):
High counts (count; with previous record and year):
1. Snow Goose (31; 9 in 2023)
2. Cackling Goose (661; 163 in 2023)
3. Canada Goose (1707; 1512 in 2023)
4. Wood Duck (51; 1 in 2023)
5. Green-winged Teal (66; 7 in 2023)
6. Common Goldeneye (47; 15 in 2023)
7. Hooded Merganser (2; 1 in 2023)
8. Common Merganser (23; 3 in 1948)
9. Wild Turkey (240; 184 in 2023)
10. Greater Prairie-Chicken (14; 6 in 1939)
11. Mourning Dove (42; 26 in 1957)
12. American Coot (8; 4 in 2023)
13. Double-crested Cormorant (193; 10 in 2023)
14. Great Blue Heron (16; 9 in 2023)
15. Northern Harrier (9; 8 in 1960)
16. Eastern Screech-Owl (2; 1 in 1948, 2023; needs more effort!)
17. Short-eared Owl (6; 3 in 2023)
18. Belted Kingfisher (12; 7 in 1962)
19. Red-bellied Woodpecker (9; 3 in 1964)
20. American Kestrel (15; 9 in 2023)
21. Golden-crowned Kinglet (33; 13 in 1962)
22. Fox Sparrow (3; 1 in 1941, count week in 2023)
23. White-crowned Sparrow (124; 64 in 2023)
24. Western Meadowlark (655; 213 in 2023)
25. Red-winged Blackbird (10,069; 1500 in 1957)
Misses
A couple noteworthy misses include Trumpeter Swan, Northern Bobwhite, and Ring-necked Pheasant. We also had Spotted Towhee as a count week species again this year, just like last year.
